Dublin motorists to see clampdown on illegal parking

Updated / Sunday, 1 Nov 2026 07:00

Motorists in Dublin will see an increase in clamping, towing and fines for illegal parking from today.

The change of emphasis in dealing with illegal parking will see more patrols of enforcement officers, especially in the outer suburbs of the city.

The scheme will also make complaints from business owners and residents central to its response in dealing with parked vehicles causing an obstruction.

What is promised to be a more robust approach to enforcement comes on foot of a new €51 million five-year contract between the City Council and a parking operator, Apcoa Group.

The old contract, with Q-Park-owned DSPS, which ran for 22 years, ended yesterday.

The new regime to deal with illegal and anti-social parking sees the capital divided into six separate geographic zones, each with its own enforcement patrols.

There is a guarantee that at least one enforcement officer will be on duty in each zone during peak hours from Monday to Saturday inclusive.

There will be reduced coverage on Sundays, Bank Holidays and during nighttime.

Dublin City Council says the new arrangement will prioritise responding to complaints from members of the public about illegal and obstructive parking.

Zones 1-4 are on the outside of the city. In these residential areas, patrols will focus on public complaints regarding parking.

Zone 5, on the outer rim of the city, will have a focus on the movement of traffic with an emphasis on removing and relocating offending vehicles.

Zone 6, in the heart of the city, will see its patrols operate on foot.

Dublin City Council said that parking laws are not changing. The changes are about expanded enforcement built around an more area-based model for enforcing parking rules.

According to the Dublin City Council website, the cost of de-clamping will be set at €125. The cost of recovering a towed vehicle is twice that, at €250. There will also be an additional storage charge of €35 per day.

In September, Kenneth Murphy, parking enforcement officer at Dublin City Council said because it was a new contract, with a new provider and a new enforcement model there would be a transitioning period.

"We expect to see the full benefits of the new enforcement contract in 2027," he said.