Shoppers and visitors in downtown Tillsonburg can now take more time to enjoy the area on Saturdays, as the town has officially extended the parking limit from two hours to three hours.
The new three-hour limit is in effect from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the downtown core. This change follows a decision by the Town of Tillsonburg council to move away from the previous two-hour restriction that had applied Monday through Saturday. The two-hour cap was originally put in place to ensure enough parking space turnover for visitors.
The adjustment comes after discussions involving local business organizations. The Downtown Tillsonburg BIA, led by Executive Director Mark Renaud, had advocated for keeping the two-hour limit to encourage short-term visits. Meanwhile, the Tillsonburg District Chamber of Commerce pushed for eliminating the limit entirely to help boost local shopping and dining experiences.
Town enforcement records provided the data for the decision, showing that only about 3.6 parking tickets were issued per Saturday between August 2024 and November 2025. This indicated that there was not a high demand for space turnover on those days, despite the area seeing significant activity. In 2024, downtown recorded 211,400 unique visitors, with Saturdays serving as the busiest day of the week.
To ensure the new policy works for everyone, Deputy Mayor David Beres requested that town staff monitor the situation and report back to council in one year. This review will allow the town to revert to the two-hour limit if the three-hour policy causes parking shortages in the future.
