Banff Council Approves $12 Peak-Season Parking, a 71% Increase

Banff town council has approved an updated bylaw that includes changes to parking rates and business licence fees, while temporarily holding some enforcement-related fee increases due to the rollout of a new provincial ticketing system.

The most debated change was an increase to peak-season paid parking, with the hourly rate rising from $7 to $12. Off-season parking rates will remain unchanged.

Council linked the decision to ongoing congestion pressures, which are expected to intensify with the return of high volumes of summer visitors under the federal Canada Strong Pass, which provides free national park entry.

“There’s no real end in sight to the popularity here in summertime,” said Mayor DiManno, noting Banff recorded 1.8 million vehicle entries in July and August last year and is expecting to surpass that figure in 2026.

Coun. Fullerton said the increase is intended to address both revenue needs and persistent parking congestion during the town’s busiest months, adding the additional revenue would help reduce reliance on taxation and rebuild municipal reserves. He described Banff as a “premium destination” and pointed to comparable resort communities, noting that parking in Vail, Colo., costs about $14 per hour.

“We’ve seen no change in visitor behaviour with the rates we’ve set for paid parking,” said Fullerton. “If $12 an hour in peak season is enough to influence behaviour, we may see some decrease in congestion, although I don’t think that’s very likely. The main goal was to fund initiatives that reduce taxation and help rebuild the general reserve, and this was the best path forward.”

Fullerton said previous increases in paid parking that went from $3 an hour in 2022 to $7 an hour in 2025 did not alter visitor behaviour.

The increase drew opposition from Coun. Standish, who warned against raising fees too quickly and proposed an amendment to limit the increase to $10 per hour.

“You don’t want to cook the golden goose. I would prefer small steps rather than a substantial increase,” said Standish.

The amendment failed, with the majority of council supporting the original proposal.

The bylaw also includes a 2%increase to parking rates at the lower level of the Bear Street parking structure, replacing a previously proposed 10% hike.

An increase to business licence fees is also set to occur under the revised bylaw, raising the base rate from $235 to $260 for both resident and non-resident businesses. The additional revenue will fund winter street lighting on Spray Avenue, Bear Street, and north Banff Avenue.

The updated fees bylaw took effect Jan. 1, 2026, with the town expected to notify residents and businesses ahead of the upcoming adjustments.