Parking Operations
& Support FAQ

If you have any questions regarding a parking citation/ticket, you can call us on our 24-Hour Customer Care Hotline: (866) 561-9742. Parking citations/tickets can be paid or contested online.

No. The Parking Violations Bureau does not grant payment extensions.  Penalties will be applied unless payment is actually received in a Public Service Center office within 21 days of the date the ticket was issued, or 14 days from the mailing date on the Notice of Delinquent Parking Violation. If payment is received after the due date, penalties will be added, which often doubles the original fine. Additional collections fees will be added if the citation remains unpaid after the initial late penalty is assessed. You may qualify for an Installment Payment Plan (IPP). This will spread payments across three months with 40% down and 30% each subsequent month. To apply for an IPP, click here.

Vehicles will only become eligible to be booted or towed if the vehicle has five or more delinquent tickets. Vehicles with fewer than five delinquent tickets will not be booted or towed. However, a hold will be placed on the annual Vehicle Registration until the parking citations  are paid.

It can take a long time for the DMV to forward payments for citations to the City. It is not uncommon for it to take 60 days for the City to receive your payment. This is especially important where your vehicle may be at risk of impoundment or immobilization due to unpaid parking citations. Your vehicle could still be booted or towed because parking citations are not considered paid until the payment is actually received by the Parking Violations Bureau, not the DMV. To minimize the chance that you get additional notices or to lessen the chance that your vehicle is booted or towed, we recommend that you bring your itemized DMV receipt to one of our Public Service Centers.

A motorist’s right to contest a parking citation is limited.  You must contest your citation either within 21 days of the date the citation was issued, or within 14 days of the date of the Notice of Delinquent Parking Violation, which is the first mailed notice.  If you submit your request for review after that time, you are not statutorily entitled to a review. 

If you were unable to submit your request for review before the deadline, you can request a late review.  You should submit proof as to why you were not able to comply with the deadline in addition to the information as to why you are contesting the citation.   Grounds could include: ​ you did not own the vehicle at the time the citation was issued, the sole registered owner of the vehicle died or an emergency prevented you from contesting within the time required. You cannot appeal if your request for an untimely review is denied.  Click here for information on how to contest a citation. 

The registered owner at the time the citation was issued is responsible for the citations issued during his/her ownership. When one sells a vehicle, one is required to notify the DMV within 5 calendar days that the vehicle is no longer in his/her possession, and to provide the DMV with the name and complete address of the new owner.

If you continue to receive letters and notices for parking citations on a vehicle that has been sold, gifted or donated, the DMV may still list you as the registered owner of the vehicle. You must go to the DMV and fill out a Release of Liability. Once you have done so, you must also fill out a Declaration of Non-Ownership form, submit the documentation as listed on the form, and send it to the Parking Violations Bureau at the following address:

Parking Violations Bureau
P.O. Box 30420
Los Angeles, CA 90030

A Declaration of Non-Ownership appears on the back of every notice mailed to the contesting party or you can download a copy.

Where one’s financial situation qualifies as a very low-income household under guidelines established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Hearing Payment Waivers are available. The waiver does NOT cancel the fine or penalties. It simply allows one to attend a Hearing without first paying the fine required by state law. Fines and penalties will still be owed if the ticket is found to be valid.

To qualify for this waiver one must provide detailed income information as part of the payment waiver request. The Parking Violations Bureau will consider all forms of income, including parental support in determining waiver eligibility.

Download a waiver or to request a waiver, please call the Customer Service Hotline at any one of the following numbers:
(866) 561 – 9742 or
(213) 623 – 7046 TTY

Some parking violations have escalating fines.  This means that the City can impose higher fines if the motorist commits the same violation more than once.   If you receive one of these citations, please call the Parking Violations Bureau at (866) 561-9742 to find out how much you owe.

It is your responsibility to supply all evidence you want considered at the time of review.   Each decision will be based on the documentary evidence in the possession of the evaluator at the time of the review.  While there may be some overlap in the information (proofs) recommended for submission, the information is for reference only and providing the documents listed under any of the headings below is not a guarantee that a citation will be dismissed.   Click here for a list of documentation you may wish to consider submitting.

When you do not pay the full amount of the fine listed on your citation, you will usually be subject to penalties.   For equipment violations (“fix it tickets”), the City is required to accept a $10 civil fine instead of requiring payment of the fine amount listed on the citation.  For failure to display a valid disabled person/veteran placard where the placard would otherwise excuse the parking violation, the City has the option to accept a $25 administrative fee instead of requiring payment of the fine amount listed on the citation.  You must provide adequate proof that you qualify to pay the lesser amount and must submit your reduced payment along with your proof.  If your evidence is adequate and your reduced payment is accepted, your citation will be closed.

That depends.  If you are disputing the validity of the citation because the required equipment (plates or tabs) were actually on the vehicle and you believe the citation was issued in error, you can file a claim to contest the citation like any other citation. 

If your vehicle was actually in violation, you may qualify to pay a $10 civil fine instead.  State law (CVC §40225) affords you the opportunity to prove to that you have corrected or “fixed” the equipment violation and to pay the $10 civil penalty.  If you do not provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that you have corrected the equipment violation, your citation will not qualify to pay a civil penalty and will be responsible for the fine listed on your citation. 

In order to qualify for the civil penalty rather than to pay the listed fine, you must submit all of the information below:

1. Proof of correction.
   • This can either be by submitting a dated photograph of the correction.
   • This should be accompanied with copies of the new registration where replacement tabs or plates have been issued, or proof of correction from a law enforcement agency (signed), and 
2. The $10 civil penalty,
3. All late payment penalties due, and
4. One of the following:
   • Vehicle Registration proving the vehicle is currently registered
   • Proof of Temporary Operating Permit valid at the time of citation issuance; or
   • Registration for newly issued replacement tabs (if the tabs were stolen).

As with any other citation, you need to prove this.   You should submit some official documentation, such as a police report, showing when the vehicle was reported stolen and some proof of when it was recovered (police report or tow yard documentation) or insurance paperwork showing it was never recovered.

CAPP stands for the Community Assistance Parking Program. This program is administered by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and was approved by the City Council on February 14, 2017 to allow homeless individuals do community service in lieu of paying for a parking citation.

No. The Program is specifically for individuals who are homeless.

No. Only parking citations issued by the City of Los Angeles qualify for the CAPP Program. No moving violations qualify.

Yes. If your vehicle has been towed/booted, you can apply for CAPP.

No, to contest your citation, you need to contact one of the Parking Violations Bureau (PVB) Offices in person or by calling 1(866) 561-9742, by mail or online.

You are limited to a maximum of two contracts, with a maximum combined total of 10 citations and up to a combined value of $1,500 of fines and penalties per 12-month rolling period, which begins on the start date of the contract.

No. The first contract must be completed before a second contract can be issued.

You are required to complete your community service hours within 90 days of signing your community service CAPP contract.

Yes, upon completion, the service provider will notify the Los Angeles Department of Transportation CAPP Program and an abstract will be issued which can be picked up at any of the four Public Service Centers.

The CAPP program has a pre-approved list of service providers and family solution centers in LA County. Please call CAPP for further details at (213) 978-4400. Some of our pre-approved service providers include: Weingart, the Dream Center, and the Union Rescue Mission.

“SP”: means service provider. This refers to providers of homeless services or regional community-based non-profit agencies funded to provide homeless services to homeless and at-risk-of-homelessness individuals and/or families. Examples of SPs that work with CAPP include: Weingart, Union Rescue Mission, or the St. Francis Center.

“FSC”: is a Family Service Center. These are regional community based non-profit service providers funded to provide standardized assessments and coordinated access to housing and supportive services, specifically designed for homeless families in LA County. The Homeless Care Managers and the Family Response Team will be located at the FSC.

Yes.

Yes, participation in the program is not dependent on an applicant’s immigration status. As long as someone meets the CAPP requirements, they can participate.

No. If you are experiencing homelessness or in need of housing, please contact (213) 683-3333.

Yes. The CES survey is required before entering in CAPP.

It depends. Please ask a CAPP representative at (213) 978-4400. The service provider must comply with the CAPP policy & regulations. CAPP does not allow “double dipping,” or getting credit for a service that someone is already scheduled to do.