How to Pay a California Parking Ticket (and Payment Plans If You Can't Afford It)

Paying a California parking ticket is straightforward if you know which portal to use. Payment plans are also available under state law if the fine would create financial hardship. Here is everything you need to know — including the deadlines that determine whether late fees apply.

How to Pay a Parking Ticket in California by City

Payment goes directly to the issuing agency, not the state. Look up the city or agency that issued your ticket on the citation itself.

Los Angeles (LADOT)

• Online: ladotparking.org → Pay a Citation
• Phone: (866) 561-9742
• Mail: Parking Violations Bureau, P.O. Box 30420, Los Angeles, CA 90030

San Francisco (SFMTA)

• Online: sfmta.com → Drive & Park → Citations → Pay
• Phone: 311 or (415) 701-2311
• Mail: SFMTA Customer Service Center, 11 South Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94103

San Diego

• Online: sandiego.gov/parking/citations
• Phone: (866) 470-1308
• Mail: Parking Administration, P.O. Box 129038, San Diego, CA 92112-9038

Sacramento

• Online: SacPark.org
• Mail: Revenue Division, 915 I Street, Room 1214, Sacramento, CA 95814

San Jose

• Online: pticket.com/sanjose
• Phone: (800) 294-8258
• Mail: City of San José, P.O. Box 11023, San José, CA 95103-1023

Oakland

• Online: oaklandca.gov → Parking Tickets
• Phone: (800) 500-6484
• Mail: Parking Citation Assistance Center, 270 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612

Smaller Cities

Many smaller California cities use third-party processors: - citationprocessingcenter.com — used by Sacramento County and others - pticket.com — used by San Jose and several other cities - paymycite.com — used by various jurisdictions

Check the back of your citation for the payment address or website specific to the issuing agency.

Payment Deadlines and Late Fees

California parking tickets have a payment deadline that, if missed, triggers late fees and eventually a DMV registration hold.

Standard timeline: 1. Citation issued 2. 21-day window to pay OR contest without late fees 3. First delinquency notice mailed — typically doubles the fine 4. Second delinquency notice — further fees added 5. DMV registration hold under CVC § 4760 — your vehicle registration cannot be renewed until the debt is paid 6. If 5+ unpaid citations: vehicle eligible for booting under CVC § 22651(i)

The exact late fee schedule varies by city. In Los Angeles, an unpaid citation roughly doubles in total cost after both delinquency notices. In San Francisco, similar escalation applies.

The most important thing: paying within 21 days avoids the penalty escalation entirely.

Payment Plans for California Parking Tickets

If you cannot afford to pay the full amount, California law mandates a payment plan option under California Vehicle Code § 40220.

Who Qualifies

Payment plans under CVC § 40220 are available to individuals who demonstrate financial hardship — typically those whose income falls below certain thresholds (often tied to federal poverty guidelines). The law does not specify a strict income cutoff, leaving some discretion to the agency.

Application Window

You have 120 days from the date of the citation to apply for a payment plan. After 120 days, this option may no longer be available and you'll need to negotiate directly with the agency or deal with collections.

Payment Caps

For amounts under $500, the payment plan is capped at $25 per month. This means even a $200+ citation becomes manageable at $25/month with no additional interest charges.

How to Apply

Contact the issuing agency directly. Most major California cities handle this through their citation portals or by phone:

• Los Angeles: ladotparking.org → Hardship / Payment Plan, or call (866) 561-9742
• San Francisco: Call 311 and request a payment plan application
• San Diego: Call (866) 470-1308 and request the payment plan form

You will need to provide income documentation. The application process is not automated — you'll speak with a staff member or submit a form.

Payment Plan vs. Contesting

These are not mutually exclusive, but they operate on different tracks. If you apply for a payment plan, you are effectively acknowledging the citation. If you want to contest the citation, you must do so within the 21-day review window, which runs independently of the 120-day payment plan window.

If you intend to contest: file your Initial Administrative Review within 21 days first. During the review period, late fees do not accrue. If your protest is denied and you don't want to continue to Stage 2, you can then apply for a payment plan.

What Happens If You Don't Pay at All

Ignoring a California parking ticket does not make it go away. The consequences escalate:

1. Late fees: The fine grows with penalty additions from each delinquency notice
2. DMV registration hold (CVC § 4760): You cannot renew your vehicle registration until all fines are paid. This affects you at the DMV renewal — you'll be required to pay before registration is processed.
3. Boot and tow (CVC § 22651(i)): Five or more unpaid citations make your vehicle eligible for booting by parking enforcement. If your car is booted, you'll pay the unpaid fines plus a boot removal fee and potentially tow/storage charges.
4. Collections: Unresolved parking debts eventually go to debt collectors. This appears on your credit report.

Out-of-state drivers: California participates in the Non-Resident Violator Compact. Unpaid parking tickets in California generally do not result in suspension of your out-of-state license, but if your vehicle returns to California with five or more unpaid citations, it can be booted.

Should You Pay or Contest?

Before paying, it's worth spending five minutes reviewing whether the citation has contestable grounds.

Strong reasons to contest before paying: - The signage for the restriction was missing or obscured - The meter was inoperable (rejected all payment methods) - You believe there was a measurement error (fire hydrant distance, daylighting distance) - You had a valid disabled person placard that you forgot to display (CVC § 40226 reduces your fine to $25) - Any factual error on the citation itself (wrong plate, wrong time, wrong location)

Reasons to just pay: - The violation is clear-cut and you have no evidence contradicting it - You're within a day or two of a deadline and don't have time to build a proper case - The citation amount is small enough that the time investment isn't worth it

Key rule: Paying the fine waives your right to contest. If you pay, you're done. If you might want to contest, file the Initial Administrative Review first — it's free and pauses the late-fee clock during review.

Whether you're paying or contesting, the deadlines are what matter most in California's parking citation system. Our California Parking Ticket Dispute Guide includes a deadline tracker for all three stages of the dispute process, city-specific portal links, and complete instructions for requesting a payment plan or hardship waiver under CVC § 40220.