If you're a Blue Badge holder, you can ask us to put white lines for an advisory disabled parking space near your home.
Who can apply
You can apply for an advisory disabled parking space outside your house if you:
- have a Blue Badge
- live at the address where you're asking for a bay
- regularly use a vehicle which is kept at the address when you apply
- struggle to park near your home
- not have suitable off-street parking, such as a drive or garage
If you're applying for a space for your carer's vehicle, they must live at your address.
Where you can ask for a parking bay
You can only ask for an advisory parking bay near your home, not at any other location such as at the house of a friend or family member. If we approve your application we might not be able to offer you a space right outside your home, but we'll put it as close as we can.
What an advisory bay is
To help disabled residents park as close to their home as possible, we can mark the highway with an advisory disabled parking bay.
What the markings mean
Disabled bays are marked in white. They are advisory only and have no legal standing.
While a bay is intended for the person who applies for it, other disabled drivers can use it. Although we ask able-bodied drivers to park elsewhere, anyone can use them.
Apply online
The application should be completed by the person who will be using bay or on behalf of that person.
To qualify for an advisory bay, you'll need:
- your Blue Badge number
- your Blue Badge expiry date
- a copy of your Blue Badge if it's been issued by another local authority
- a copy of your Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C) or Motability document
Apply for a disabled parking bay
After you apply
We'll usually visit the location before making our decision, but you don't need to be there when we do.
We'll write to tell you our decision within 8 weeks.
If your application is successful, it can take up to three months to finish the bay. In some circumstances, it might take longer, depending on your location, the weather and our contractors.
When we may not be able to offer a bay
We may not be able to provide a parking bay, even though you meet the criteria, because:
- it will have an effect on local planning
- it would cause disruption to traffic
- the address is on housing society or association land, when you'll need to speak directly with them
- advisory bays aren't available for Class 3 invalid carriages, or mobility scooters
- changes to the way we manage traffic could mean that a bay may be moved or removed
How to appeal
You have a right of appeal if your application isn't successful and you disagree with our decision. Write to us and let us know any more details you think we should consider. We'll look at your new information and reply with our decision.
Use our disabled bay contact form or write to us:
Disabled Bays - Permits Team
Bristol City Council
PO Box 3399
Bristol
BS1 9NE
Residents' Parking Scheme
If you already live in a residents' parking area and successfully apply for disabled parking, we will install a statutory bay during our next review. This means that only Blue Badge holders will be able to park there.
If your area joins the residents' parking scheme and you already have an advisory bay, we'll automatically change it into a statutory bay. There's no need to contact us.
For more information, email us at respark@bristol.gov.uk.
Contact us
Use our disabled bay contact form to contact us about:
- disabled bay application
- disabled bay installation
- disabled bay repaint
- no longer needing a disabled bay
- other disabled bay queries
Related information
- This scheme does not form part of the statutory function of Bristol City Council
- Bristol City Council does not provide disabled bays on the public highway to meet the needs of individual organisations, including any requirements under the Equalities Act 2010.