About
Parking schemes help people living in busy areas find a place to park near their homes. These schemes are needed in areas where:
- there are more cars than parking spaces
- lots of visitors come to the area
- commuters park near train stations or workplaces
There are different types of permits for residents, care workers, landlords, and businesses.
Apply for a parking permit
Resident and visitor parking permits are managed by MiPermit. Here are the types of permits available:
- Virtual Annual Resident’s Permit
- Annual Visitor’s Permit
- Visitor Scratchcards
- Care Worker’s Virtual Residential Parking Permit
You can apply for Resident Permits, Visitor Permits, and Visitor Scratchcards through the MiPermit website.
A virtual permit works in a similar way as your road fund licence. Our Civil Enforcement Officers use handheld devices to check if a vehicle has a valid permit.
If you have a Blue Badge, this will now act as your permit. You do not need to apply for a virtual permit, unless you are likely to remove the Blue Badge from the vehicle. If you are likely to remove the Blue Badge from the parked vehicle, you may wish to consider buying a permit.
Parking Services is responsible for the administration of current on-street resident parking schemes.
The easiest way to apply for or renew your Resident’s Permit is online. If you are unable to do this, please phone 0345 520 7007.
A Resident Permit does not guarantee a parking space and does not entitle drivers to contravene any other parking restrictions if they are unable to find a space in their permit zone.
To apply for, or renew, a resident’s parking permit online you will need:
- To be eligible to purchase or renew the permit. You can find eligibility details in the Parking Permits Terms and Conditions
- Your Council Tax Reference Number. If you have recently moved into a property and have not received a Council Tax reference, email parking@somerset.gov.uk. Please provide a copy of your purchase, tenancy agreement or proof of residency. This will help to set up your account on MiPermit with your email.
- An email address and phone number
- A credit or debit card to pay for the permit, registered to the address the permit is for.
- To read and agree to the Parking Permits Terms and Conditions
Paying for your permit online
At the end of your application, you will need to enter your credit or debit card details. If your application for a Virtual Resident’s Permit is accepted, you will get an email to confirm it is live.
Any annual Visitor Permits or Visitor Scratchcards will be posted to your home address within 5 working days.
If we have any questions about your application, we will contact you by email or phone.
If you are not eligible for a parking permit, we will notify you by email and refund the fee to your credit or debit card.
Permit costs
- The first Virtual Resident Parking Permit costs £60.
- The second Virtual Resident Parking Permit costs £100.
- If you have off-road parking, you can only get one Virtual Resident Permit, which costs £60.
- An Annual Visitor Parking Permit costs £100.
- Visitor Scratchcards are priced at £3 for 10, and you can purchase up to 100 scratchcards per year.
Discounts
The cost of the permit is reduced for low-emission vehicles as follows:
- Vehicles with emissions up to 100g CO2/km – 100% discount (free)
- Vehicles with emissions between 101g -110g CO2/km – 50% discount
- The discount applies only to the first permit application
You will need to provide the correct Vehicle Excise Duty Band when applying and upload a copy of the V5C document. Somerset Council will check and confirm this information.
Renewing your permit
We will email you a reminder four weeks before your permit expires.
All permits need to be renewed annually. You can start the renewal process up to one month before your current permit expires. If you get a new vehicle or change your address, you must update your details either online or by phoning 0345 520 7007.
Parking permits are managed on our behalf by MiPermits.
Add your property to a permit zone
If your property is not currently in a permit zone, it cannot be added because this would reduce the parking available to residents already in the zone. If you believe your street would benefit from a permit zone, please see the section ‘Getting a new resident parking scheme for your area’ for more details on how to apply.
For newly built properties within an existing permit zone, you are not eligible for resident parking permits. Developers should have considered parking needs during the planning process. Similarly, if a single property within a permit area is converted into multiple units, the original allocation of permits remains the same and is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. This ensures fairness, as the on-street parking capacity has not increased despite the development.
You can view all parking restrictions on a map in Somerset, including resident parking zones.
Update your car details for a parking permit
If you have already registered for a virtual permit through MI Permit, you can amend your vehicle details by logging into your account and making the changes. Your new vehicle will be updated immediately.