Unity5: 3 Key Ways Technology Optimises Parking Permits for Municipalities

Parking Permits for Municipalities: 3 Key Ways Technology Streamlines Operations

Parking permit management is a critical public service, yet many U.S. municipalities remain tied to physical hangtags, manual residency checks, and paper-heavy workflows. Not only do these processes create administrative tasks, but they can create budgetary drains and resident frustration. Forward-thinking municipalities are modernizing their operations by adopting digital solutions like Zatpermit.

By automating the permit lifecycle, from application to enforcement, municipalities can resolve common “pinch-points” such as high printing costs, residency fraud, and seasonal “City Hall bottlenecks.” Here are the three key features transforming municipal operations:

1. Real Time Integrations with LPR and Automated Residency Verification

The most effective software integrates directly with 3rd parties to deliver time and cost efficiencies as well as reducing incorrect ticketing.

License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology. When a resident buys a digital permit, their plate is instantly added to an allow list.

Automated residency checks, the most time-consuming task for city clerks is verifying that an applicant truly lives within a specific zone. Modern software automates this via:

• Geospatial Limits: Automatically approving or rejecting applications based on whether an address falls within defined boundary lines.
• Digital Document Uploads: Residents can submit IDs or leases via smartphone, allowing staff to review evidence digitally rather than over a counter.
• Hoarding Prevention: Systems automatically enforce permit caps per household to ensure fair access to dense neighborhood street space.

2. Digital, Customer Centric Solutions

Moving to digital permits eliminates the need for physical hangtags. A 24/7 self-service portal provides significant advantages:

• Reduced Overhead: Cities save thousands on printing and postage.
• Instant Updates: If a resident changes vehicles, they update their plate online, and the permit is active immediately.
• Convenience: Citizens can view, manage and renew permits and payments from their laptop or smartphone, eliminating the need for a trip to City Hall.
• Reporting: Municipalities benefit from the data being collected via an online platform and the associated reporting functionality being available.

3. Flexible Rates and Rules Management

Municipalities often have varying rules for districts and business cores with tiered rates and rules for their application. Robust software handles this complexity by allowing for:

• Customized Rules: Ensuring an “Employee Permit” is valid in a specific lot but not on a residential street.
• Temporary Permissions: Easily managing 24-hour guest passes for specific zones.

This flexibility optimizes curb space, protecting residential streets while keeping commercial areas accessible for shoppers.

Why Choose Unity5?

Unity5 is the partner of choice for 1 in 3 local authorities in the UK because it prioritizes integration, customer experience and flexibility:

• No Hardware Lock-In: Unlike providers that force you to buy proprietary cameras or kiosks, Unity5 is hardware agnostic. It integrates with your existing infrastructure from cameras, to citation software and payments apps.
• Customer Experience: A simple customer interface, WCAG 2.2 compliant and mobile responsive, with the complexity built into the configurable back office.
• Proven Scale: Trusted by major cities in Europe, our technology is built to handle the most demanding permitting operations with high reliability.

Speak to one of our friendly experts today by booking a no obligation discovery call.

About Unity5

Unity5 is the creator of Zatpark - SaaS Solutions For Parking, Enforcement and Environmental Management - Designed for private parking companies and public sector bodies, Zatpark delivers world-class features completely controlling and automating the full lifecycle of parking enforcement data, from issue to recovery action and every step in-between. Built-in ANPR, Moving Traffic Violation Management and dedicated Permit and Kiosk solutions, Zatpark, Zatmobile, Zatpermit, Zatenviro, and Zatpark Flexible Enforcement provide end-to-end management of all your PCN and FPN activities