Palermo ZTL: hours, cameras and who can drive in

Checked on 22 October 2026 against the city's ordinances and official pages.

Photo: Maurizio Moro5153, CC BY-SA 4.0

Right now in Palermo

Worked out with Italian time and public holidays from the official hours. The sign at the gate always prevails.

In central Palermo you can drive past the camera first and pay afterwards. Drivers who enter the ZTL Centrale without a permit are in the clear if they buy and activate a day pass by midnight the same day, or by 6am the next morning after a night-time entry. Not every car qualifies, though: petrol cars from Euro 0 to 2 and diesels from Euro 0 to 3 cannot have one.

The zone also leads a double life. By day it is closed from Monday to Friday; by night it closes again on Fridays and Saturdays, from 11pm in winter but from 8pm between May and October. During the day on Saturdays and Sundays, anyone can drive in.

The zones and their hours

ZTL Centrale

The historic centre, from Piazza Giulio Cesare outside the main station to Via Cavour, and from Porta Nuova to Porta Felice, Via Roma included. The roads around the edge stay open, as does access to the Ospedale dei Bambini. The city does not publish a list of its cameras; the only one named officially is at Porto Salvo, by the Cala. Several passes within 15 minutes count as a single entry.

It is active at these times:

Outside these hours, access is free.

ZTL Mondello

Piazza Mondello and the surrounding streets of the seaside village: Via Torre di Mondello, Via Piano di Gallo, Via Gallo and part of Via Mondello. A new order sets the dates each year: in 2026, 8 May to 30 September, with the closure also running to 1am before public holidays. Viale Regina Elena then becomes a pedestrian area behind bollards, with no hours stated.

It is active at these times:

Outside these hours, access is free.

There are no cameras here: the municipal police check on the spot.

ZTL Vergine Maria

The village of Vergine Maria: Via Nostra Donna del Rotolo, Piazza Vergine Maria and a few courtyards and lanes down to the Lungomare Colombo seafront. Bollards control the entrances. Residents, suppliers with a pass and guests of local accommodation may enter.

It is active at these times:

Outside these hours, access is free.

There are no cameras here: the municipal police check on the spot.

Who can drive in

Visitors: hotels, rental cars, tickets

Staying in a hotel

Only accommodation located inside the ZTL can register your number plate. A hotel outside the zone gives you no right to drive in. It must do so on the same day you drive in. Give your plate number to reception as soon as you arrive.

Tickets for non-residents

Visitors can pay to drive in: €5 day pass, petrol Euro 3 or newer, diesel Euro 4 or newer; €2.50 day pass, hybrid, LPG or natural gas. It can be paid after you drive in, but no later than midnight the same day.

Rental cars

The fine notice goes to the rental company, which names you as the driver and usually charges an admin fee, before the fine itself reaches you, sometimes months later. A registration made in time by your hotel covers a rental car just as well: all that counts is the number plate.

Buying is not enough. You can get the pass online, in AMAT's PalerMobilità app, as a scratch card from AMAT sales points (including the kiosk at the main station) or from ACI offices. Then activate it: by text to 339 994 2927 (“ztl”, plate, code), in the app or online. Since 4 May 2026 Telepass can also pay automatically, but only from midnight on the day after you sign up.

Watch out on Saturday evenings. If you drive in freely in the afternoon and are still inside, driving or parked, when the night ZTL starts, you need a pass. The pass for Saturday night can be activated from 6am on Saturday.

Hotels and garages. Accommodation inside the zone registers your plate afterwards: Monday to Thursday by midnight, Friday to Sunday by 6am for a night-time entry. Arriving with your luggage and leaving at the end are free; on the days in between, guests pay for a pass. Repair garages in the zone can also register a customer free of charge if they drove in within the previous 3 hours.

Other cases. Fully electric cars get a free permit, though stamp duty and fees still apply. With a foreign disabled parking badge, email ztlcentrale@amat.pa.it with your registration document and both sides of the badge. The ZTL is often suspended by order for major festivals (Christmas, Holy Week, the Festino of Santa Rosalia).

Palermo in numbers

Where official sources disagree

If you drive in without a permit

Driving past an active gate without a permit costs €83 to €332 (article 7 of the Italian Highway Code), cut by 30% if you pay within 5 days. Since the 2024 reform, when the passages are recorded by camera rather than by an officer on the spot, only one fine per calendar day applies for the same ban, even if you drive through several times (article 198). No licence points are deducted. If you think you were entitled to enter (hotel, disabled badge), contact the office named on the notice before paying: a late registration can sometimes still be sorted out.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Palermo ZTL active on Sundays?

Only until 6am, at the end of Saturday night. After that you can drive in freely all day.

I drove past a camera without a pass. Is it too late?

No, as long as you buy and activate a pass by midnight the same day, or by 6am the next morning after a night-time entry. After that it can no longer be done.

Can my car get the day pass?

Yes if it is a petrol car of Euro 3 or newer or a diesel of Euro 4 or newer (€5), or a hybrid, LPG or natural gas car (€2.50). Older vehicles are excluded.

My hotel is in the historic centre. What should I do?

Give your number plate to reception: the hotel registers it by midnight, or by 6am if you arrive at night over the weekend. Arrival and departure are free; on the days in between you need a pass.

Can I drive to Mondello in the evening?

Out of season, yes. In season Piazza Mondello is closed from 8pm to midnight (1am on Saturdays) and no passes are sold to visitors; only hotels, restaurants and clubs issue them to their guests. Motorbikes go in freely.

Sources

Based on the city's own ordinances, rewritten in plain language. Only the ordinance in force and the sign at the gate are legally binding.