Bengaluru's new draft parking rules propose four-pronged expansion of paid parking

Five years after the Karnataka government notified the Bengaluru parking policy, the Urban Development Department (UDD) has issued a fresh draft of rules seeking a major overhaul of the paid parking system in the city. The draft, titled Greater Bengaluru Authority (Parking) Rules, 2026, comes as Bengaluru's city corporations explore new revenue sources. While paid parking was a key plan for the newly formed corporations, all civic bodies except the central corporation failed to implement it, largely due to lack of demand.

The UDD now plans to implement the system through four different methods: developing on-street parking where feasible, developing off-street parking on corporation-owned land, leasing vacant plots for parking, and permitting vacant plot owners or aggregators to provide parking services.

The rules propose that each city corporation constitute a parking task force to oversee the preparation and implementation of area parking plans, identify suitable parking areas, and monitor the operation of parking services within its jurisdiction. The area parking plans and any revisions will be reviewed by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) or the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority to ensure compliance with the parking policy and the Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Bengaluru. The Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority will be the competent authority to approve the plans in consultation with the Bengaluru City Police.

For on-street parking, city corporations will be required to develop parking on designated roads in accordance with approved area parking plans. The draft also provides for off-street parking on unused corporation and government land, unallotted civic amenity sites, and, where properties are redeveloped, integration of multi-level parking into corporation properties. Temporary surface parking may be developed on land under litigation until the legal dispute is resolved.

Vacant private plots could also become a source of parking capacity. City corporations may lease residential, commercial, or industrial vacant plots for parking, with minimum lease periods depending on the infrastructure: three years for surface parking, 10 years for mechanised parking, and 15 years for a concrete multi-level car park. The rules also allow vacant plot owners and third-party aggregators to operate public parking, subject to conditions on access-road width, ownership or lease documents, and exclusive use of the plot for parking.

The draft rules propose incentives for vacant plot owners who use their land to provide off-street public parking by exempting them from property tax. Owners providing multi-level or mechanised parking with a capacity of up to 200 PCUs, but at least 30 PCUs, will be eligible for a 100% exemption from applicable property tax and service charges. For surface-level parking with a capacity of at least 15 PCUs, the plot will be assessed as a vacant site, and 50% of the applicable property tax and service charges will be exempted.

The draft also proposes creating more off-street parking facilities around metro stations, major bus stations, and suburban railway stations to encourage commuters to use public transport. This move is aimed at improving first-mile connectivity. Transit agencies operating within the Greater Bengaluru Authority limits will have to provide off-street parking on land available with them, particularly in peripheral areas and interchange stations, to facilitate a park-and-ride system. These parking facilities will also be open to members of the public who are not using public transport.

To encourage park-and-ride, transit agencies may offer lower parking rates to public transport users compared to other users. The draft also proposes the use of integrated technology for parking and transit ticketing.