Regulated parking
⏱️ 5 min read
Finding a space is not enough: you also need the right to stay there. In town especially, parking is often regulated by blue E-series signs and road markings. Compulsory disc, ticket machine, reserved spaces, alternate-side parking: here is how to read these rules without risking a fine or having your vehicle towed away.
✨ Key takeaways
- Regulated parking = allowed subject to conditions, indicated by blue E-series signs.
- In a blue zone, the disc is compulsory; default maximum duration: 2 hours.
- In a paid space, the ticket-machine ticket must be visible behind the windscreen.
- Reserved spaces (disabled persons, deliveries, taxis, charging) are not open to everyone.
- Alternate-side parking: E5 prohibited from the 1st to the 15th, E7 from the 16th to the end of the month.
- Always read the additional panel: it sets the exact condition (duration, dates, category).
Regulated, prohibited or free: the difference
Regulated parking is neither free nor prohibited: it is allowed subject to conditions. You may park, but you must follow a specific rule indicated by the sign or the marking: display a disc, pay, limit your stay, or leave the space to certain users. Failing to meet the condition amounts to parking unlawfully.
The blue zone: the parking disc
In a blue zone, parking is free of charge but limited in time. You must display a parking disc behind your windscreen showing your time of arrival. The disc makes your parking time checkable: it allows a check that you do not exceed the permitted duration.
- You set the disc's arrow on the mark that follows your arrival time (for example, arriving at 10:20 → you indicate 10:30).
- The default maximum duration is two hours, unless the sign or an additional panel says otherwise.
- The disc requirement generally applies on working days, during the times shown; outside those times, parking is often unrestricted.
- Once the disc is set, you may not change the time while the vehicle remains parked.
Paid parking: the ticket machine
In a paid parking space, you must pay a fee at a ticket machine (or via a mobile app). You receive a ticket to display visibly behind the windscreen, showing the time until which you are in order. The parking sign is supplemented by the word "paying" and, often, by the rates and the time slot concerned.
Reserved spaces
Some spaces are reserved for a specific category of users or vehicles. They are indicated by a parking sign bearing the symbol or wording of the permitted category, often reinforced by road markings. Parking there without being entitled to is penalised, sometimes heavily.
- Disabled persons: space recognisable by the wheelchair pictogram. Reserved for holders of the special parking card, which must be displayed visibly behind the windscreen.
- Deliveries: zone reserved for loading and unloading during the times shown. You may not park there for any other purpose.
- Taxis: space reserved for taxis on duty.
- Electric vehicle charging: space reserved for vehicles being charged at the charging point. Parking an unplugged (or combustion-engine) vehicle there is not allowed.
Time-limited parking
Outside standard blue zones, a sign may limit parking to a specific duration by means of an additional panel (for example "30 min"). The parking disc then also serves as proof of your arrival time. The principle is the same: display the disc and respect the maximum permitted time.
Semi-monthly alternate-side parking
In some narrow streets, parking is allowed on only one side at a time, and that side changes with each half of the month. This is semi-monthly alternate-side parking. It is indicated by signs E5 (prohibited from the 1st to the 15th) and E7 (prohibited from the 16th to the end of the month). The aim is to share parking fairly between the two sides of the street.
- Sign E5: parking prohibited on this side from the 1st to the 15th of the month (so you park on the other side during that period).
- Sign E7: parking prohibited on this side from the 16th until the end of the month.
- In practice, the switch of sides takes place on the last day of each period, generally between 19:30 and 20:00.
The main E signs to know
| Sign | Meaning |
|---|---|
| E9a | Parking allowed (base sign, often supplemented by an additional panel). |
| E5 / E7 | Semi-monthly alternate-side parking (E5: 1st–15th; E7: 16th–end). |
| "Wheelchair" symbol | Space reserved for disabled persons (card compulsory). |
| "Disc" additional panel | Parking disc compulsory (blue zone / limited duration). |
| "Paying" additional panel | Paid parking: visible ticket-machine ticket compulsory. |
Take care not to confuse these blue signs (parking allowed subject to conditions) with the red and blue signs prohibiting parking or stopping, covered in the lesson Where parking is prohibited.
❓ Frequently asked questions
How do I set my parking disc correctly?
Set the disc's arrow on the mark that follows your arrival time, then place the disc visibly behind the windscreen. If you arrive at 14:10, indicate 14:30. You may no longer change the time while the vehicle remains parked.
May I park in a "disabled persons" space for a few minutes?
No. That space is strictly reserved for holders of the special parking card, with no tolerance whatever the duration. Parking there without a valid card exposes you to a heavy fine and to the vehicle being towed away.
What do the E5 and E7 signs in a street mean?
They organise semi-monthly alternate-side parking. E5 prohibits parking on its side from the 1st to the 15th of the month; E7 prohibits it from the 16th to the end. You therefore park on the side where the sign currently in force is not present, switching sides mid-month.
Are the disc or payment compulsory on Sundays and at night?
It depends on the sign. Most often, the obligation applies on working days during a specific time slot shown on an additional panel; outside those times, parking is unrestricted. Always check the additional panel before leaving your vehicle.