Adjudication FAQ

The Parking Violations Bureau does not grant payment extensions. A payment must be received within 21 days of the date the citation was issued, or 14 days from the date of the first overdue notice. Otherwise, late fees will be added, which often double the citation fine. Additional collections fees will be added if the citation remains unpaid after the initial late penalty is assessed.

No. Parking citations cannot be canceled due to an inability to pay. However, you may be eligible for an Installment Payment Plan (IPP).

IPP’s are available for respondents that have vehicles registered in the State of California whose financial situation qualifies them as a very low-income household. Applicants must meet the guidelines in the Federal Register by the United States Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of paragraph (2) of Section 9902 of Title 42 of the United States Code. Qualified individuals must fall within the monthly income of 125% or less of the current poverty guidelines. For more information, click here.

No, for an initial review, you are not required to pay your citation in order to contest. However, per section 40204 of the California Vehicle Code, if you pay your citation without contesting at the same time, the citation will be considered closed and you will not be able to contest your citation.

If you have five or more delinquent parking citations/tickets, your vehicle is eligible to be booted or towed. You should pay your parking citations/tickets immediately.  To pay your parking citation/ticket, click here.

There is a significant delay (often 30 – 90 days) between the time a payment is made at the DMV and the time that the Parking Violations Bureau is notified of the payment. If you paid at the DMV, bring your itemized DMV receipt to one of the Public Service Centers to prevent your vehicle from being booted or towed.

If you were the registered owner at the time the citation was issued, then you are responsible for the citation. When you sell a vehicle, you are responsible for notifying the DMV that the vehicle is no longer in your possession, and for providing the DMV with the name and address of the new owner. If you continue to receive parking citations for this vehicle, it is probably because the DMV still has your name on record as the legal owner. 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 30247
Los Angeles, CA 90030

You will find a Declaration of Non-Ownership on the back of each notice sent to you through the mail. You may also download a copy of the Declaration of Non-Ownership from this website.

No. Parking citations are not criminal violations in California. This means that you will not be arrested for failure to pay parking citations.

However, there are substantial penalties for unpaid parking citations. Late fees can more than double the original citation amount. You will be unable to register your vehicle until the overdue citations are paid. You also run the risk of having your vehicle booted or towed if you accumulate five or more overdue citations. In addition, your income tax refund could be withheld to pay parking citation fines.

Citations must be contested within 21 days of the date the citation is issued, or 14 days of the date of the first overdue notice. Once that period of time has expired, you lose your statutory right to contest that citation. There is no appeal.

There are two exceptions to this rule. If you are contesting your citation on the grounds that the vehicle no longer belonged to you at the time the citation was issued, or you have extenuating circumstances.

You must receive a valid citation letter prior to requesting an Administrative Hearing. If you are not satisfied with the results of the Initial Review, you may request an Administrative Hearing. You must request the Administrative Hearing within 21 calendar days from the mailing date of the Initial Review decision. Once those 21 calendar days have passed, you are no longer entitled to an Administrative Hearing.

• If you are not satisfied with the results of the Initial Review, you may request an Administrative Hearing by submitting a completed Hearing Request Form.
• When you request a Hearing, you may also submit additional supporting document and/or evidence to be reviewed at the Hearing. When contesting the citation, you are responsible for providing ALL evidence to support your case. If you raise a defense, you are responsible for providing proof of that defense. Such evidence may include but is not limited to records, receipts, documents, photographs, and witness statements. Please read the Statement of Rights for your Hearing request type.

A request for an Administrative Hearing can be made:
Online (Administrative Hearings are only available for in-person Hearing), by telephone, mail, or in-Person. Within 15 days of receipt of your request for an in-person Hearing, you will receive a confirmation with the date, time, and Hearing Location. Per California Vehicle Code section 40215(b), only ONE rescheduling is allowed. Learn more here.

State law requires that you pay all fines owed on the citations before you request an Administrative Hearing. If the Hearing Officer rules in your favor, you will be issued a refund approximately 30 days of the date of the Hearing Officer’s decision.

• You may request a Pre-Payment Waiver if you meet the “very low income” criteria established by HUD (United States Department of Housing and Urban Development) guidelines. You must submit all documents to Parking Violations Bureau (PVB) in a timely manner. Failure to provide supporting documentation will result in your Pre-Payment Waiver being automatically denied. ALL approvals or denials of Pre-Payment Waiver will be in writing and mailed to the contestant. The decision rendered on the Pre-Payment Waiver is final and cannot be disputed.

If your Pre-Payment Waiver is approved, the PVB will proceed with the scheduling of a Hearing without the pre-payment of the parking citation and any outstanding penalties.

If your Pre-Payment Waiver request is denied, the parking citation and any outstanding penalties must be paid for the Hearing to proceed. If not paid timely, you will no longer be entitled to an Administrative Hearing.

You may either request an in-person Hearing or an Administrative Hearing by written declaration. If you do not wish to be present for the Hearing, you may select the written declaration option. For written declarations you must submit your written reason for contesting the citation and ALL evidence to support your case. For more information, please download the Hearing Request Form.

Once a decision is rendered, you CANNOT request another Administrative Hearing of the same citation. You have the right to appeal a final decision within 30 calendar days from the mailing of the Hearing Examiner’s Decision. Instructions on how to proceed can be located toward the end of the decision document.

You are required to make full payment before initiating a dispute and the registered owner will be given a 10-day grace period to request a Hearing on the booting process.

You are required to make full payment before initiating a dispute and the registered owner will be given a 10-day grace period to request a Hearing on the booting process.

Vehicles are booted because they have five or more unpaid overdue parking citations. You must pay all fines and late fees, as well as a $150.00 boot fee, in order to have the boot removed. You must also provide proof that the vehicle has current registration.  Contact the booted vehicle (PayLock) 24-hour helpline at (855) 288-2642 and refer to our fact sheet for detailed information.

If you paid for your parking citation at the DMV, you may provide your receipt to the Help Center by emailing forms@bootreleaseline.com. You would still be required to pay for any fees and any other citations not included on your receipt associated with this booting instance. If you would like to initiate a dispute, the registered owner will be given a 10-day grace period to request a Hearing on the booting process.

Yes.

You are required to make full payment before initiating a dispute and the registered owner will be given a 10-day grace period to request a Hearing on the booting process.

No.

Yes.

The City of Los Angeles reserves the right to tow a vehicle at any time under California Vehicle Code Section 22651.7 when a vehicle is boot eligible. There are circumstances that require an immediate tow. However, typically you are given 72-hours to make a payment and retrieve your vehicle before towing.

You should contact one of our Public Service Centers to discuss any details about bills due with your immobilization.

You should contact your rental car company for further assistance.

An officer will automatically be sent to your location within 4 hours during normal release times. You can contact our Help Center for information on releasing hours. If it has past 4 hours from the time you paid during normal releasing hours, please contact our Public Service Center for assistance.

You will be required to pay for all of your parking citations at one of the Public Service Centers. The tow and storage fees can be paid at the Official Police Garage where your vehicle is located. The boot fee is no longer your responsibility after the vehicle is towed.

The amount due is subject to change at any time. Some circumstances in which the amount can change can be but is not limited to additional late fees on boot eligible bills, additional bills becoming boot eligible, or being towed.

No. You are booted for the bills that are on the license plate that was booted. This means that each vehicle you own could receive a separate boot violation if boot eligible.

If the vehicle is not a part of any open investigations, personal property may be retrieved by speaking with the Official Police Garage in which your vehicle was towed.

If you move the vehicle without proper authorization, your vehicle could be subject to immediate tow until full payment is made and you could face criminal or civil charges. Also, your vehicle will be placed on an immediate tow list for life. If your vehicle becomes boot-eligible in the future, you will be immediately towed instead of receiving the typical 72-hour grace period with the boot.

You are required to make full payment before initiating a dispute and the registered owner will be given a 10-day grace period to request a Hearing on the booting process.

https://wmq.etimspayments.com/pbw/include/la/input.jsp

For security purposes, we are unable to provide the name of the person who booted the vehicle. If you have a complaint, email feedback@bootreleaseline.com with the issues about your complaint.

Contact our Customer Care Hotline at (866) 561-9742 immediately for assistance.

Under California Vehicle Code Section 22651.7, a vehicle becomes eligible to be immobilized when it is found parked at any time upon any street in the City of Los Angeles which it’s plate has 5 or more delinquent parking citations.

Motorists can file a damaged vehicle claim with the city clerk at https://claims.lacity.org/.

Contact the Public Service Center for information on qualifying for a payment arrangement.

Yes; however, be aware that your vehicle can be towed at any time while on the streets of Los Angeles without valid registration.

Tax refunds can be garnished for boot eligible bills. Wages will not be garnished.

You are mailed overdue notices to the address listed on the vehicle registration.

Motorists can file a damaged vehicle claim with the city clerk here. The proper claim for damages website is here.

The City of Los Angeles parking citations cannot be discharged through bankruptcy.

You can send any complaints to feedback@bootreleaseline.com and we will do our best to route you or your complaint to the correct department.

Call recordings are not provided to the public. You can request for your call to be reviewed through the Service Center within 14 days of the call. You will need to provide the approximate date and time of the call along with the phone number you called from.

Using your credit card information, you will be able to obtain a copy of your credit card parking receipt as follows:

• For single-space parking meters:  www.myparkingreceipts.com

• For multi-space parking meters
  • On-Street Meters: www.getthereceipt.com
  • Off-Street Meters: www.myparkingreceipts.com