Bologna ZTL 2026: Cameras On 7-20 Daily, EUR 6 Day Ticket
ZTL Centro Storico · Italy · Active since 2004
Source: official source · Verified: 2026-09-30
Bologna's Sirio cameras guard the ZTL 07:00-20:00 every day; Zona T, Università and two special ZTLs are closed 24/7. Day ticket EUR 6, activated before entry. Fine EUR 83-332.
Locally the zone is called ZTL Centro Storico Bologna (Italy) — that is the wording on the boundary signs, on the official portal and on any penalty notice, so it is the phrase to search for once you are there.
Next
- Check your own car against Bologna — enter your fuel and Euro class, get a yes or no in one step.
- Ferrara has a zone too — the nearest one to Bologna, and the rules are not identical.
- If a fine arrives after you get home — who pays on a hire car, and what is actually enforceable across borders.
Practical answers for Bologna
- When is the Bologna zone active?
- Historic-centre ZTL (Sirio): every day 07:00-20:00. Zona T, Università, San Francesco-Pratello, Moline-Capo di Lucca and pedestrian areas: 24h. T-Days: Sat 08:00-Sun 22:00 and holidays 08:00-22:00 pedestrians/bikes only
- How much does it cost to drive into Bologna?
- N/A · No sticker required - camera enforced Get it wrong and the penalty is EUR 83-332 (art. 7 c.14 Codice della Strada); 30% off if paid within 5 days.
- Do I need to register or buy anything first?
- Entry is controlled by permit or residency, not by your engine’s emission class — a brand-new car still needs authorisation.
- Who is exempt in Bologna?
- Electric vehicles, Residents with permit, Disabled badge holders, Emergency vehicles and Public transport. Exemptions are usually not automatic — most require registering your number plate in advance.
Bologna ZTL Centro Storico Map
Shaded: ZTL Bologna - Zona Università, ZTL Bologna - Centro Storico, ZTL Bologna - ZTLS Moline-Capo di Lucca, ZTL Bologna - Zona T, ZTL Bologna - ZTLS Pratello-San Francesco — the parts of the zone mapped in OpenStreetMap so far (other sectors may exist but are not drawn) — zoom in to see which streets fall inside, and confirm the signs at the edge on arrival.
Requirements
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Exemptions
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Bologna’s historic-centre ZTL is watched by the Sirio cameras every day from 07:00 to 20:00, Saturdays and Sundays included. Inside it, Zona T, the university area, the special ZTLs of San Francesco-Pratello and Moline-Capo di Lucca and the pedestrian areas are closed 24 hours a day. Without a permit you can buy a EUR 6 day ticket, activated before you drive in; hotel guests enter free once the hotel passes on the plate. Unauthorised entry costs EUR 83-332.
Your case: A hire car changes only who receives the notice, not whether it arrives: the rental firm pays, then bills your card with an admin fee months later. Driving in Italy sets out how ZTL and emission-zone penalties actually travel across a border, and which ones do not.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| ZTL (Sirio cameras) | every day 07:00-20:00 |
| Closed 24/7 | Zona T, university area, San Francesco-Pratello, Moline-Capo di Lucca, pedestrian areas |
| Entry criterion | permit, ticket or hotel registration (not Euro class) |
| Visitor ticket | EUR 6 for one day, EUR 15 for four days; activate before entry; max 3 day tickets a month |
| Hotel guests | hotel passes the plate to the Comune, even on arrival; free |
| Electric cars | free pass (contrassegno), non-residents included |
| Hybrids | permit for residents and local companies only since 1 January 2026 |
| Fine | EUR 83-332 (art. 7 c.14 CdS); 30% off within 5 days |
| In force since | ZTL 2004, Sirio cameras 2005 |
| Winter Euro-class ban | 1 Oct 2026 - 31 Mar 2027, weekdays and ecological Sundays 08:30-18:30 |
Can your car enter Bologna?
Enter your vehicle's fuel + Euro class → instant verdict for Bologna (ZTL). Fine if wrong: EUR 83-332 (art. 7 c.14 Codice della Strada); 30% off if paid within 5 days.
Bologna’s ZTL: what closes when
| Zone | Closed | Cameras |
|---|---|---|
| Historic-centre ZTL | every day 07:00-20:00 | Sirio |
| Zona T (Via Rizzoli, Via Ugo Bassi) | 24 hours | Rita |
| University area | 24 hours | gates on Via Bertoloni and Via Belmeloro |
| Special ZTLs San Francesco-Pratello and Moline-Capo di Lucca | 24 hours, 7 days | cameras since 1 March 2022 |
| Pedestrian areas and areas with retractable bollards | 24 hours | — |
On T-Days Zona T is open only to pedestrians and cyclists, from 08:00 on Saturday to 22:00 on Sunday, and 08:00-22:00 on public holidays.
Where the Sirio gates are
The Comune lists active gates on these streets: Via Santo Stefano, Via San Vitale, Via Alessandrini, Via Marconi, Via Riva di Reno, Via San Felice, Via Sant’Isaia, Viale XII Giugno, Via D’Azeglio, Via Borgo di San Pietro, Via Finelli, Via Mascarella, Via Capo di Lucca, Via Bocca di Lupo, Via degli Angeli, Via Saragozza and Via Chiudare. The always-closed zones have their own cameras.
The ticket for drivers without a permit
| Ticket | Price | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| One day | EUR 6 | expires at midnight on the day of validation |
| Four days | EUR 15 | four consecutive days |
Buy it online or at a Sosty counter and activate it before entering, waiting for the confirmation message; after 20:00 the system no longer accepts validations. Per plate and month: three day tickets or one four-day ticket. The ticket is not valid in Zona T, the university area, Azzo Gardino, the special ZTLs, bus lanes or pedestrian areas.
Hotel guests
- Give your plate to the hotel or B&B, even when you arrive.
- The accommodation sends it to the Comune: for you, access is free.
- For blue-line street parking the accommodation sells a EUR 9 pass, valid for 24 hours from validation, which includes a Tper bus day ticket.
The hotel authorisation does not open the always-closed zones; if the accommodation is inside one, it tells you the authorised route in and out. Customers of garages and car workshops get a similar form to display on the windscreen.
Electric and hybrid cars
Electric cars enter with a free pass (contrassegno), which non-residents can also request before entering; with it they may use the ZTL, Zona T, the university area and the special ZTLs, and park free. For hybrids, since 1 January 2026 the virtual permit is issued only to residents and companies based in Bologna.
Fines
The Comune does not publish its own amount for unauthorised entry, so article 7 comma 14 of the Codice della Strada applies: EUR 83 to EUR 332, reduced by 30% if paid within five days.
Winter 2026/27: Euro-class restrictions
From 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, in the built-up area, on weekdays and ecological Sundays, 08:30-18:30:
| Vehicle | Weekdays | Ecological Sundays |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | not allowed up to Euro 4 | not allowed up to Euro 5 |
| Petrol, petrol/LPG, petrol/CNG | not allowed up to Euro 2 | not allowed up to Euro 2 |
| Mopeds and motorcycles | not allowed up to Euro 2 | not allowed up to Euro 2 |
Every Sunday of the season is an ecological Sunday except 28 March 2027. When Arpae forecasts three consecutive days above the PM10 limit, emergency measures also stop Euro 5 diesels. Electric and hybrid cars, car-pools with at least three people and, on weekdays, vehicles enrolled in Move-In may always circulate.
Driving on to the rest of Italy
Speed limits, alcohol rules and required equipment are in the Italy driving guide; winter-tyre rules are in Italy tyre laws. The general emergency number is 112.
Sources
- Comune di Bologna, limited traffic zone: comune.bologna.it
- Comune di Bologna, Sirio cameras and gates: comune.bologna.it
- Comune di Bologna, Zona T and T-Days: comune.bologna.it
- Comune di Bologna, ZTL access ticket: comune.bologna.it
- Comune di Bologna, hotel, garage and workshop customers: comune.bologna.it
- Comune di Bologna, electric vehicles: comune.bologna.it
- Comune di Bologna, hybrids from 1 January 2026: comune.bologna.it
- Comune di Bologna, air-quality measures 2026/27: comune.bologna.it
- Regione Emilia-Romagna, PAIR 2030 vehicle restrictions: regione.emilia-romagna.it
- Codice della Strada, art. 7 c.14: normattiva.it
Recent changes to this page
- Checked against the Comune di Bologna's ZTL, Sirio, ticket, hotel, electric-vehicle and air-quality pages. The Sirio cameras run every day 07:00-20:00, not Monday to Friday only. There is no 'Settore Ravone' and no three-zone structure: the always-closed areas are Zona T, the university area, San Francesco-Pratello, Moline-Capo di Lucca and the pedestrian areas; the Ravone camera upgrade was removed. The ZTL dates from 2004 and the Sirio cameras from 2005, not 2019. Electric cars enter with a free pass, available to non-residents. The unsourced EUR 163 figure was replaced by the statutory EUR 83-332. Added the 17 gate streets, the EUR 6 and EUR 15 tickets, the hotel procedure and the winter 2026/27 Euro-class restrictions.
- Re-read against the Comune di Bologna ZTL portal: the three-zone structure (ZTL T, ZTL Universita, Settore Ravone), the Mon-Fri 07:00-20:00 camera window and the EUR 83 access penalty all stand as published, and nothing on the page contradicts them.
- Retitled around the map readers search for, aligned the opening hours with the page's own verified Mon-Fri window (it read "daily") and added a single pointer to the Italian fine mechanics.
- Title, description and introduction rewritten from this page's own data (no shared template wording).
- Re-verified EUR 83 base fine and three-zone structure (ZTL T + ZTL Universita + Settore Ravone) with comune.bologna.it.
- Confirmed 2026 weekday hours Mon-Fri 07:00-20:00 — ZTL T pedestrianisation extends some weekend afternoons.
- Added Settore Ravone enforcement note after camera upgrade on Via Saffi / Porta San Felice approaches.
Part of the TyreMap Emission-Zone Dataset — 596 verified European emission zones, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Comune states that the Sirio cameras check access every day from 07:00 to 20:00. After 20:00 the Sirio gates switch off, but Zona T, the university area, the special ZTLs and the pedestrian areas stay closed 24 hours a day.
With the digital ticket: EUR 6 for one day or EUR 15 for four consecutive days, bought online or at Sosty counters and activated before you enter. Each plate may use three day tickets or one four-day ticket a month. It is not valid in Zona T, the university area or the special ZTLs.
Give your plate to the hotel or B&B, even on arrival; the accommodation passes it to the Comune and access costs you nothing. For street parking, the accommodation sells a EUR 9 pass valid for 24 hours that includes a Tper day ticket.
Electric cars can, with a free pass (contrassegno) that non-residents may also request before entering. For hybrids, since 1 January 2026 the virtual permit is issued only to residents and companies based in Bologna.
The Comune does not publish its own amount, so article 7 comma 14 of the Codice della Strada applies: EUR 83 to EUR 332, with 30% off if paid within five days. It has nothing to do with the car's emission class.
From 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, 08:30-18:30 on weekdays in the built-up area, diesel cars up to Euro 4 and petrol cars up to Euro 2 may not circulate. On ecological Sundays the diesel ban extends to Euro 5. Electric and hybrid cars are exempt.
EUR 83 to EUR 332, the same as for locals. Rental car? It reaches you — the rental company charges it to the card on file under your contract, plus an admin fee. Driving your own car is different from what most guides claim: the EU's cross-border traffic system (Directive 2015/413) covers only eight road-safety offences — speeding, red lights, drink-driving and the like — and emission-zone violations are not among them. The word "emission" does not appear once in the directive. Even the 2024 update that applies from 20 July 2027 adds access restrictions only where they exist for road safety, such as pedestrian and school zones, and it explicitly excludes charge-based zones. A notice can still reach your home address, and an unpaid fine can resurface if you drive back.