Due to considerable parking pressure in urban areas caused by visiting, delivery, commuter and resident traffic, it has become increasingly necessary in recent years to implement so-called "parking space management". This means that parking within a parking management zone is only permitted with a parking ticket, parking meter or parking disk. Parking space management is also intended to make living in urban areas more attractive again and thus reduce settlement pressure on rural areas and the urban exodus, especially where private parking spaces (within walking distance) are not available or not sufficient.

In particularly congested parts of cities (e.g. often inner city areas), residents' parking areas can be set up in the interests of those who live in these areas and special parking permits can be used to create opportunities for long-term parking specifically for the benefit of the residents of the affected district. This is often done with the additional signs "Residents with parking permit ... free" or "Only residents with parking permit ... ". However, the reservation must not exclude visitors and commuters by car from the cities. Therefore, only some of the parking spaces in the cities can be reserved. Another way to create special parking rights is to exempt residents in parking management zones from the obligation to park with a parking ticket, parking meter or parking disk.

In order to be able to prove their entitlement to permanent parking in the managed area to control bodies, i.e. in particular police and municipal traffic control officers, the person who actually lives and is registered in this area must have a resident parking permit and display it clearly in their vehicle.