1 What is a disabled bay?
If you have a valid Blue Badge and find it very difficult to reach your vehicle, you can apply for an on-street parking bay - especially if you don’t have access to a driveway or garage.
These bays aim to provide a disabled parking space outside your home or as close as possible. However, they aren’t reserved for one person - anyone with a valid Blue Badge can use them.
These bays are advisory only, which means they aren’t legally enforceable. The police and West Sussex County Council can’t take action if other drivers park there without a Blue Badge.
If the bay is in a Controlled Parking Zone and has clear signs, it is enforceable. Only Blue Badge holders should park in these marked bays.
2 Who can apply for a disabled bay?
An applicant must meet the criteria below before the application will be considered for a disabled bay. These include:
- being disabled and hold a Blue Badge, valid for at least 6 months
- not being able to walk or severely struggle to get from your home to the vehicle
- being the main owner or driver
- living with the main owner or driver
- being an in-home carer residing at the property for at least 4 days out of 7
- having no suitable, alternative place to park their vehicle off-street
Meeting the criteria does not automatically ensure a disabled parking bay. The local Area Highway team will need to consider any site-specific constraints such as (but not restricted to):
- whether the location is situated on a junction or a bend in the road
- if there is a restricted width of carriageway which could compromise road safety
- existing parking restrictions including narrow road width or significant volume of existing disabled bays
- if you already have a suitable or potentially suitable off-street parking option available to you
- other disabled parking bays are available within reasonable distance
We cannot accept applications for disabled parking bays outside of West Sussex Public Highways.
3 Apply for a disabled parking bay or repainting of an existing disabled parking bay
Before starting your online application, make sure you have the following information ready.
Where applicable you will need to attach:
- a copy of your Blue Badge
- photographs showing where you would like the bay
- proof of vehicle ownership (V5C) Motability or lease agreement
- pictures of the existing bay if applying for repainting of a bay
- a letter or report from a doctor or other medical professional that explains the disability
If you do not have the facility to scan documents, your local library will be able to help.
Disabled bay online application form (external link)Once we have received your completed form, it may take up to 4 weeks to assess your application. We will contact you once we have made a decision.
If your application is approved, it will be added to a schedule of works with our contractor. It may take a further 3 months until the bay is marked out.
4 Controlled Parking Zones
If you live in a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) and have a Blue Badge, you might be eligible for a free first permit to park in a residents-only or shared-use bay. In that case, you may not need a designated disabled bay.
If your application is approved, we’ll install a sign and make the bay official through a Traffic Regulation Order. This legal process can take time. As a temporary solution, we may be able to provide an advisory bay before the formal process is complete.