Ever thought you are paying an excessive amount of money each year to park your car near your house?

Comparing the prices of parking permits from Watford Borough Council, Hertsmere Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council, Dacorum Borough Council and St Albans District Council there is a distinct difference.

Both annual visitor permits and residents’ permits increased in price in April last year and each council provides their own pricing for these necessary items.

In all zones in Watford, except for zones M/N, the first permit in each household costs £25. The second permit in each household costs £55. Residents are only able to have two permits per home.

Permits for motorcycles are charged at £25 whether they are the first or second permit in the household.

However in zones M/N the price for the first permit is £6 and the second is only £12. Motorcycle permits cost £6 whether they are the first or second permit in the home.

Disabled badge holding drivers can obtain their permits free of charge upon presentation of a valid disabled badge.

Unlike Watford in Hertsmere, residents can purchase up to four permits for one household.

The first permit is priced at £25 and the second one is £40 – cheaper than the second permit in Watford.

However for a third permit, it would cost £70 and a fourth would increase the price up to £100.

Borehamwood Times:

In Three Rivers, zones A, B, C, C1, E and RG charge £60 for the first permit and for a second it will cost £110 with motorcycle permits being £25 – the most expensive for one permit.

Those living in zone D the price for one permit is £30 which is increased to £55 for the second. For motorcyclists £13 is what the council is charging in zone D.

For zone BED residents, only one permit is allowed for each household. This is priced at £60 for a car and £25 for a motorcycle.

A residents parking permit in zones NS, NL and GS the price is £60 for the first and £110 – similar to those in zone A – however the charge for a motorcycle permit is £22 - £3 cheaper than zone A.

Zones OW, OZ and W charge £30 for permit one with the second being half the price of zone A at £55. Motorcycle permits are priced at £22.

The cheapest and reasonably priced permits coming under Dacorum Borough Council. The council offers up to three permits and a motorcycle.

For the first car it is priced at £25 which is increased up to £40 for both the second and third car. A motorcycle permit is the cheapest yet at just £10.

Annual residents’ permits in St Albans is the most expensive out of all the areas. For a full day permit in zones A, B, C, F, G, H, L, M, N, Q, S, HA, HR, OC and HC are priced at £39.54.

However the price for the second permit in these zones increases up to £137.33 followed by £299.64 for a third car – the most expensive of all the permit prices.

For zone K the price starts at £51 for just one permit. For a second residents have to pay £179.52 followed by £326.40 for a third.

Zone E and U offer the most expensive prices for permits across all the areas with the first price starting at £52.02.

For a second residents’ must pay £181.11 followed by £332.93 for a third – the highest price of any permit in all five boroughs.

In all Harpenden zones, permit prices stay the same and each household is able to purchase up to three permits.

For one car residents pay £31.21 which is doubled to £62.42 for a second one. The price for a third permit increases up to £140.45.

What do you pay for your parking permit? Comment below or email steven.brown@london.newsquest.co.uk.