Sacramento Parking Ticket: How to Pay or Contest a Citation

Sacramento has two separate parking enforcement systems — City of Sacramento and Sacramento County — and which one you deal with depends on where your ticket was issued. Both operate under California's standard three-step dispute process, but they use different portals and different mailing addresses. Getting that detail wrong can cost you your appeal window.

How Much Is a Parking Ticket in Sacramento?

Sacramento fines are generally lower than Los Angeles or San Francisco, but they're rising as new enforcement priorities take effect:

• Street sweeping: approximately $45–$65
• Expired meter: $40–$60
• Red zone / No parking: $75–$91
• Daylighting violation (new 2025, CVC § 22500(n)): $25 initial fine — Sacramento started issuing warnings in early 2025 and will transition to monetary enforcement on July 1, 2025

The daylighting law (AB 413) prohibits parking within 20 feet of the approach side of any crosswalk — even if the curb is unpainted. Sacramento is among the first cities rolling out enforcement under this new statewide law.

Late fees add 50–100% to unpaid fines. Unresolved citations eventually result in a DMV registration hold under CVC § 4760.

City of Sacramento: How to Pay or Contest

Payment portal: SacPark.org or the city's parking citation portal at cityofsacramento.gov

Mailing address: Revenue Division, 915 I Street, Room 1214, Sacramento, CA 95814

Contesting a City of Sacramento Citation

Step 1 — Initial Review (free, 21 days) Submit your contest online, by mail, or in person within 21 days of the citation date. Include a written statement with the specific legal basis for your contest and any supporting evidence — photos, receipts, or screenshots of the parking schedule.

Step 2 — Administrative Hearing (fine deposit required) If Step 1 is denied, request a hearing within 21 days of the denial mailing date. You must deposit the full fine amount in advance unless you qualify for a low-income waiver (CVC § 40220). An independent hearing officer reviews the case.

Step 3 — Superior Court Appeal If the hearing goes against you, appeal to Sacramento Superior Court within 30 days. Filing fee is $25, refundable if you win.

Sacramento County: How to Pay or Contest

If your citation was issued by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Parking Enforcement unit — typically outside city limits — you'll deal with a different system:

Portal: citationprocessingcenter.com

Mailing address: Sacramento County Sheriff's Parking Enforcement, P.O. Box 10479, Newport Beach, CA 92658-0479

Sacramento County uses Citation Processing Center, a third-party vendor common among smaller jurisdictions in California. The legal process is identical (CVC § 40215), but all correspondence and payments go through this third-party system. Don't be confused by the Newport Beach mailing address — it's a processing center, not a local office.

The contest deadline is still 21 days from the citation date, regardless of which system handles your ticket.

Effective Defenses for Sacramento Parking Violations

Street Sweeping: Signage Problems

CVC § 22507.6 requires the city to post adequate signage before a street sweeping restriction is enforceable. If the sign at the neighborhood entrance was missing, obscured by vegetation, or damaged, document it with photos. You can also file a California Public Records Act request to obtain the city's sign maintenance logs — this shows whether the sign was recently reported or replaced, which supports a "signage wasn't compliant" defense.

Sacramento publishes its street sweeping schedule online. If your ticket was issued outside the posted hours (e.g., the schedule says sweeping ends at 10:00 AM and your citation was issued at 10:05 AM), print a screenshot of the schedule as evidence. That time discrepancy alone can support a dismissal.

Broken Meter: CVC § 22508.5

If a Sacramento parking meter couldn't accept any form of payment — coins, card, or the SFpark/city app — you may park for the posted time limit without penalty. Record video evidence of the failed payment attempts with the meter number visible. Report the broken meter to the city immediately and keep the reference number for your contest.

Daylighting Citations (New in 2025)

Sacramento began warning drivers under the new Daylighting Law (CVC § 22500(n)) in early 2025. If you received one of these citations before July 1, 2025 (the city's announced start of monetary enforcement), that timing is relevant context for a contest — though it's not an automatic defense since the state law became effective January 1, 2025. Include any confusion around signage or lack of local notice in your statement.

If your citation was issued after enforcement began, measure the actual distance from your vehicle to the crosswalk. At 20+ feet, you're not in violation. At under 20 feet, the defense becomes whether the crosswalk was marked, how measurement was conducted, and whether any signage explained the new restriction.

Registration Tab Parking Citations

Some Sacramento drivers receive citations for expired registration tabs displayed on the vehicle (CVC § 5204(a)). This is technically a "fix-it" infraction in many circumstances — distinct from a traditional parking fine. If the registration was valid but the tab wasn't displayed correctly, proof of current registration can get this dismissed. Contact the issuing agency to confirm whether a correction certificate applies.

Sacramento Parking App: What to Know

Sacramento's paid parking uses both physical meters and mobile payment via apps including ParkMobile. If you paid via app and were still cited, your digital receipt with the license plate number, zone, start time, and end time is your strongest evidence. App receipts are time-stamped and tied directly to your plate — they carry more weight than a paper meter receipt.

Save the receipt immediately after any paid session in Sacramento. SFMTA and other CA cities have similar systems, and digital receipts consistently outperform paper ones in contest proceedings.

Key Deadlines to Track

Missing any deadline permanently closes that stage of the process. If you just found a Sacramento citation, start the 21-day clock immediately.

The California Parking Ticket Dispute Guide covers both City of Sacramento and Sacramento County processes with contest letter templates, portal-specific instructions, and the three-step deadline tracker.

Frequently Asked Questions

My Sacramento ticket says "SacPark" — is that the city or the county? SacPark.org is the City of Sacramento's parking system. If your citation lists the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department as the issuing agency, use citationprocessingcenter.com instead.

Can I contest a Sacramento parking ticket by email? The city typically accepts online submissions through its portal — this functions similarly to email. Check the back of your citation for the specific submission method required for your ticket type.

How long does Sacramento's Initial Review take? Typically 4–8 weeks. The citation is on hold during this time, so no additional fees accrue while the review is pending.

What if I got a ticket in a Sacramento suburb (Roseville, Elk Grove, Folsom)? Those cities have their own parking enforcement systems and may use different third-party portals. Check the back of your ticket for the specific agency and portal. The same California legal process (CVC § 40215) applies everywhere in the state, but the portal and mailing address will differ.