Read our Mini Guide on Parking Enforcement

Vehicles parked in an obstructive manner

Most roads are public highway which means that anyone may park on the road so long as they are not blocking a driveway or one of the wheels is over a dropped kerb.

It is completely legal for a vehicle to be parked on the highway in front of your house and you do not have an automatic right to park there.

MK City Council may issue fines if a vehicle is breaking a legal parking restriction which are shown by lines and signage such as double yellow lines. You can report a parking regulation breach to the Parking team by emailing MKParking@milton-keynes.gov.uk or call 01908 691691. Please note that we cannot enforce on photos sent to us retrospectively.

Thames Valley Police have powers to issue fines or remove vehicles that are causing an obstruction and present an immediate danger to the public - this may be a vehicle parked on Keep Clear zig zags, a vehicle blocking a private drive, a vehicle blocking visibility or parking in a way that prevents emergency vehicles from getting access through a street. Call 101 to report an obstruction.

Commercial vehicles parked in residential locations

A commercial vehicle is permitted to park in a residential street if it does not have a gross laden weight of over 3.5 tonnes, which is about the size of a builders' truck. Milton Keynes City Council does not have any jurisdiction over this. 

If the vehicle is causing a serious obstruction to other vehicles, pedestrians and the mobility impaired, please contact the police on 101.

Any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes (medium and heavy goods vehicles) must have an operating licence and should return to an Operating Centre or Designated Parking Area overnight.

The operating licence should be displayed on the vehicle. If parked in a residential area, the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA) or police should be informed of the name and number on the licence or the index number at the time that vehicle is parked. Call 101 to report to the police.

Double yellow lines

From 1 January 2024, our process for requesting double yellow lines has changed. Any request must be made by your local parish, community or town council. Please visit the Double Yellow Lines requests page to find out more. 

Double yellow line means 'no waiting at any time', unless there are signs that specifically indicate seasonal or time restrictions.  Unless there is signage showing the restriction times and days, the restrictions are in force every day including Bank Holidays.

Double yellow lines are installed following a lengthy legal (statutory) process including a public consultation and a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) which makes the restrictions legally enforceable. They are usually in place due to improve road safety at the specific location.

When looking at locations for installing double yellow lines we will also consider whether the problem may simply be pushed into nearby streets and if the problem is significant and historical. Individual parked vehicles causing obstruction issues should be reported to the police on 101.

Read our Mini Guide on Verges, Lines and Kerbs

Wheel clamps and removal of vehicles

MK City Council does not clamp or remove vehicles that are parked in contravention of parking restrictions either on the public highway or in our off-street car parks.

If a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) remains unpaid, the debt is passed to the council's certificated bailiffs. If necessary, the bailiffs will clamp and/or remove a vehicle if they have been unsuccessful in recovering the debt owed by other means. Abandoned vehicles and vehicles without a valid vehicle excise licence may also be clamped and/or removed.

Read our Mini Guide on Parking Enforcement to find out what legal powers MK City Council has for parking enforcement and implementing new restrictions. 

Parking Annual Reports

Each year we publish our annual report including details about how much revenue Council-owned parking bays have made.

MK City Council has over 21,000 parking bays that it earns revenue on. Many of these are located around the city centre and are either Premium or Standard tariffs. The large number of bays means that parking charges generate a lot of income for the council, around £12m on average. By law, this income is ring-fenced so it may only be spent on certain things including highways and transport projects. It is also used to help subsidise the concessionary bus fares for MK residents.