At a glance
- When you pay
- Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5:30pm, in spaces whose signs include the word “meter”; free on Sundays and public holidays
- Price
- $3.60 an hour on street and in the city centre car parks, from 1 August 2026; the Anderson, Field and Peel Street car parks cap the day at $6.50
- First hour
- Free once a day for each vehicle, but only if you enter your registration at a meter or press start in the CellOPark app
- How to pay
- Coins or card at a meter, or the CellOPark app (free to download; you must press stop yourself)
- Who it’s for
- Anyone driving into central Ballarat, including visitors on a day trip and people with an accessible parking permit
- What to do now
- Before you leave the car, enter your registration at a meter or start the app, even if you plan to stay under an hour
- Last checked
- Saturday 7 November 2026, against the City of Ballarat parking pages
- Not yet confirmed
- The council pages give no fine amounts, so none are quoted here
Parking in the centre of Ballarat costs $3.60 an hour from 1 August 2026, but the first hour of each day is free for each vehicle, as long as you sign in at a meter or in the CellOPark app. If you skip that step, even for a ten-minute stop, you may get a fine. This guide follows the City of Ballarat’s own parking pages, which we checked on Saturday 7 November 2026.
When do I have to pay for parking in Ballarat?
Parking fees apply Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 5:30pm. Parking is free on Sundays and public holidays, according to the council’s Paying for Parking in Ballarat page.
The rule for working out whether a space is paid is a sign rule. You need to pay, or claim your free hour, when you park in a space marked by signs that include the word “meter”. If the signs do not include the word “meter”, you do not need to pay. You must still follow any time limits shown on the signs, and staying longer than the allowed time may bring a fine.
How much does parking cost in the Ballarat city centre?
The council lists these city centre metered parking fees, effective from 1 August 2026.
| Where | Price | Daily cap |
|---|---|---|
| On-street parking | $3.60 per hour | Not listed |
| Car park, Anderson Street | $3.60 per hour | $6.50 |
| Car park, Doveton Street | $3.60 per hour | No capped daily fee |
| Car park, Field Street | $3.60 per hour | $6.50 |
| Car park, Peel Street North | $3.60 per hour | $6.50 |
| Car park, Peel Street South | $3.60 per hour | $6.50 |
The Anderson, Field and Peel Street car parks cap the day at $6.50, while on-street parking has no cap listed. The Doveton Street car park costs the same as on-street parking and has no capped daily fee, according to the FAQ.
All prices here are as of November 2026. The council’s pages carry the date “effective from 1 August 2026”.
How do I claim the free hour?
Enter your registration at the meter, or press start in the CellOPark app, to claim your first hour free. After that you can choose to pay for extra time if you need it. The council says this free hour applies to all metered parking in the city centre, and that it is linked to your registration, not to the space. That means you can move your car to another metered space within the hour without losing it.
The free hour is once a day for each vehicle. The FAQ words it as “per day, per vehicle”, and it adds that you only get the one hour free the first time you park.
The council also answers a question many people ask: do you need to enter your registration if you are staying less than an hour? Yes. It says this is how the council can see you are using your free hour, and that if you do not register with either a meter or a smartphone app you may receive a parking fine.
How do I pay at a parking meter?
The council’s steps are short.
- Find a meter and enter your registration number, then press OK.
- Select your zone: on-street parking, or the car park you are in (Anderson Street, Doveton Street, Field Street, Peel Street North or Peel Street South), then press OK.
- If you are parking for less than an hour, press the “complete” button. That secures your free hour for the day and you are done.
- If you are parking for longer than an hour, choose the “pay for more time” option, then pay by coin or by card.
You only pay for the time after the free hour. With coins, insert them and select OK; the screen shows how long you have paid for. With a card, use the arrows to choose more or less time, press OK, then tap to pay. If you change your mind, pressing cancel refunds your coins or cancels the card payment.
You can ask for a receipt. Select yes and the meter gives you a four-digit number, which you can use to download the receipt from my-receipt.com. The council suggests writing the number down or going straight to the website on your phone. You can also register your email so that each receipt is sent to you.
Do I have to go back to the meter when I leave?
No. If you paid at a meter, you do not need to return to it to end your session. Meters are prepaid, so you only pay for the time you want to stay. When you are finished, you drive away. The council also says you can top up your stay from any meter, not only the one nearest your car. All meters are connected, so you do not re-enter your registration if you move the car.
There are no paper tickets to display on your dashboard. The council says this directly.
The council’s map of meters at data.ballarat.vic.gov.au separates meters that take tap only from meters that take coin and/or tap. The FAQ says there is a mix of coin and card meters and card-only meters around the centre.
How does the CellOPark parking app work?
The City of Ballarat uses CellOPark, a pay-as-you-go system that lets you pay by the minute without a printed ticket. The app is free to download for iPhone and Android. You register your mobile number, vehicle details and payment method, and you can link more than one car.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Location | Choose Ballarat, then on-street parking or the car park you are in |
| Start | Press start; you only begin to pay after your free hour ends |
| Stop | Slide “stop” in the app when you leave |
| Timer | The timer counts down the paid parking hours left in the day, and you can extend from anywhere |
The council says forgetting to stop your session means fees keep building until the maximum time limit, and suggests setting an alarm. The FAQ explains the difference from a meter: with the app, your fee is worked out when you press stop and is charged to your nominated card, and payments are taken out of your account towards the end of the month.
When you set up the app, $1 is deducted from your bank account to confirm that your card is linked. The council says it is a one-off payment and that it is refunded.
There is also a premium version of the app that costs money. The council says you do not need it to park in Ballarat. The premium version lets you set alerts so you do not leave a session running, and the FAQ puts it at $1.99 a month. You cannot set up alerts in the free version.
Where can I park for free, or for $6.50 or less?
The council’s FAQ answers this directly.
| Where | What the council says |
|---|---|
| City centre metered spaces | First hour free per day, per vehicle; you must sign in at a meter or in the app |
| Eastwood Street car park (near Coles and Woolworths) | Free for two hours; no need to sign in |
| Curtis Street car park (Big W) | Free for two hours; no need to sign in |
| Central Square car park | Free for two hours; no need to sign in |
| Eastern Oval | Free all day; no need to sign in |
| Creswick Road car park | Free all day; no need to sign in |
| Field, Anderson, Peel Street North and Peel Street South car parks | All-day parking capped at $6.50 a day |
The council does not say how far Eastern Oval or the Creswick Road car park is from the centre.
Is there a time limit once I pay?
In a metered space, no. The council says there is no limit to how long you can stay in a metered parking space if you keep the meter topped up or the app counter running. In the FAQ’s words, within the zone that covers the city centre there are no time restrictions: you can move anywhere inside it while you have valid paid parking, and you do not restart your time when you move. Remember that the free hour counts only the first time you park that day.
Signs without the word “meter” are different. Those spaces carry their own time limits, and the council says you must follow them.
How do accessible parking permits work in Ballarat?
The council says nothing has changed for people with blue disability parking permits, and it describes two permit types on a separate page. You must display your permit on the dashboard so the expiry date is visible.
| Permit | What it allows in Ballarat |
|---|---|
| Category 1 (the council calls it purple on one page and blue in the FAQ) | Use accessible bays for the time on the sign; park for twice the time shown in time-restricted areas; park in metered bays as long as you need without paying or registering your car |
| Category 2, Double Time (green) | Not eligible for accessible bays; park for twice the time shown in time-restricted bays; park for double the time you have paid for in metered bays, with the first hour free; you must register or pay at a meter or in the app |
The council’s two pages use different colour words for the first permit, so go by the category name. The FAQ adds that officers still check for permits on foot, and that where the plate-scanning system flags a car that has not paid, an officer does a visual check for a permit.
Applications are on the council’s accessible parking permit page. For questions about permits, the council gives the phone number (03) 5320 5500 and the email info@ballarat.vic.gov.au.
What about residential parking permits?
People who live in streets with parking restrictions may be able to get a permit. If you live in the central area and your property has no off-street parking, such as rear access, a garage, a carport or a driveway, you may be eligible for one permit per property. If your property is outside the centre and in a street with restrictions, you may be eligible for one free permit. If you also have no driveway or driveway crossover, you can apply and may be eligible for a second and a third permit. The council sends the permit and its conditions to eligible applicants; the terms and conditions are on its residential parking permit page.
How do fines and the plate-scanning cars work?
The council says the way fines reach people has not changed. Parking inspectors put paper fines on cars, hand a ticket to the driver, or post an infringement to the registered vehicle’s address. The council says posting happens in some circumstances, for a variety of reasons. Staff on foot remain the main method of issuing fines.
The new element is the licence plate recognition vehicles. The council describes them as scanning, marking and photographing a vehicle’s location from any angle, a more reliable and efficient version of the chalk-and-walk method. They work at any parking angle and on cars parked bumper to bumper. The council notes it is illegal to park closer than 1 metre to another vehicle. The scanning vehicles alert the driver and passenger, who either get out to do their duties or, in some cases, send the fine by post. The council does not publish fine amounts on these pages, so we do not quote any.
The council also says there are no different charges for concession card holders or pensioners; this is unchanged.
Sources
- City of Ballarat: Paying for Parking in Ballarat (fees, free hour, meters, CellOPark; checked 7 November 2026)
- City of Ballarat: Parking: Frequently Asked Questions (free car parks, daily caps, permits, fines, plate-scanning vehicles; checked 7 November 2026)
- City of Ballarat: Using your Accessibility Parking Permit (permit categories; checked 7 November 2026)
- City of Ballarat: Residential Parking Permit (eligibility; checked 7 November 2026)
- City of Ballarat: Parking meter map
Featured image: Ballarat Town Hall (photo: Ed Dunens / CC BY 2.0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the City of Ballarat or CellOPark. Fees and rules can change; check the council’s parking pages before you go.