To enhance the availability of public spaces for parking, Sharjah Municipality, UAE announced the extension of paid parking hours throughout the emirate up to midnight from July 1, 2026, with the objective of facilitating the increasing commercial and urban development in the emirate. The new system is giving way to paid parking in Sharjah City, Kalba, Khorfakkan, and Al Dhaid on a daily basis between 8:00 am and 12:00 am. The plan harmonizes the hours of operation for all paid parking zones by making it more similar to blue sign parking zones through an expanded operating schedule for the yellow sign parking zones.
Although the revised timings this time, parking will continue to be free on Fridays and official public holidays (except any premium designated areas, with parking charges remaining in force seven days a week including official public holidays). The shift is due to Sharjah’s swift urbanization, high population growth and burgeoning tourism industry says Hamed Al Qaed, the Director of Public Parking Department in Sharjah Municipality.
He said that the municipality had done a thorough investigation on parking demand, usage and feedback from the public before the introduction of new operating hours. Al Qaed said the decision has come in line with the cities’ urban and demographic and tourism renewal. Meeting increased demand for paid parking access, extending its hours of operation to midnight will also limit the frustrations of random parking and boost space usage, officials said.
The municipality also noted the inconvenience experienced by people who subscribe to a season ticket or people who go to restaurants or cafés in the evening where they do not have any available parking after 10.00 pm. New hours should make it easier for people to park in Condit Park and more convenient for residents and visitors to visit.
The number of paid public parking spaces in Sharjah is currently around 124,000. The revised hours only meant paid parking, not the smart parking, which uses a different fee system in designated areas, including popular tourist spots, and its applications were excluded. Al Qaed affirmed the prices of seasonal subscriptions would not change, despite the additional operating hours. In addition, there will be extra value that subscribers will enjoy, as the amount of time they are exempted will be raised from 14 hours a day to 16 hours.
The motorists have been urged to abide by the new parking guidelines and to settle the parking fees through Sharjah Municipality’s means, such as using the SMS parking service and the Digital Sharjah mobile application. It is also possible for drivers to subscribe to parking season with the municipality, which also offers a variety of municipal parking plans.
The amended parking policy aims to optimise usage of public parking, enhance traffic flow on busy streets and ensure Sharjah continues to remain a premier choice for residents, businesses and visitors of Sharjah, the municipality said.
