Finding the zone code on the street

Every parking zone has a code of usually four or five digits, sometimes with a letter. That zone code is what enforcement links to your session, and so the piece of data that tells you for certain you are paying in the right zone. You find it in two places: on the sign and on the ticket machine.

On the parking sign

At the entrance of a paid zone and along the street are blue signs with a white P. Below hangs a sub-sign with the paid hours and the zone code, often preceded by "zone" or "gebiedscode" (area code). Some municipalities put the code large on a separate sign, others small in a corner of the sub-sign.

On the ticket machine

On the machine the zone code is usually at the top or next to the screen, often with the municipality's logo and the hourly rates. Machines in the same zone have the same code.

How to use the code in the app

If you often park in the same place, memorise the code and type it straight in. That is faster than searching the map.

No sign nearby?

Walk to the nearest machine or to the start of the street. If you find nothing, open the map in the app and tap the zone your car is in; its code appears on the card at the bottom of the screen. If your car is clearly within one zone, that is the right one. If you are torn between two zones, pick the zone of the sign closest to your car. See also Choosing the right zone.

Several codes on one sign

In some cities one sign carries several codes, for example a separate code for a zone with a fixed day rate or for evening parking. Use the code next to "mobiel parkeren" or "parkeerapp". When in doubt, Parking zone shows under Rates what applies to that zone; a zone with a day rate carries the badge Day pass on the map.

How zones and areas relate is in The difference between zones and areas.