Main Menu Close Menu

mail Contact

Search Close

Translate

Department

Community Development

Department

Community Response

Department

Convention and Cultural Services

Department

Finance

Department

Fire Department

Department

Human Resources

Department

Information Technology

Department

Mayor and Council

Department

Office of Public Safety Accountability

Department

Office of the City Attorney

Department

Office of the City Auditor

Department

Office of the City Clerk

Department

Office of the City Manager

Department

Office of the City Treasurer

Department

Police Department

Department

Public Works

Department

Utilities

Department

Youth, Parks, & Community Enrichment

Category

hiking Activities

Arts & Culture

Camps

Classes & Group Activities

Community Centers

Events & Entertainment

Sports

Swimming

Category

pets Animals & Pets

Animals & Pets

Category

domain_add Building & Planning

Construction

Inspections

Planning

Property Lines & Surveying

Zoning

Category

store Business

Business

Cannabis

Economic Development

Innovation

Suppliers & Vendors

Category

account_tree City Administration

Accountability & Oversight

Boards & Commissions

City Attorney

City Manager

City Structure & Policies

Customer Service

Elections

Mayor & City Council

Transparency

Category

category City Assets & Data

City Buildings & Property

City Vehicles

Records

Transparency

Category

explore City Regions

Council Districts

Neighborhoods

Property Lines & Surveying

Zoning

Category

diversity_4 Community Support

Accessibility

Community Centers

Community Engagement

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Homelessness

Housing

Older Adults

Volunteering

Youth

Category

theater_comedy Culture & History

Arts & Culture

Events & Entertainment

Sacramento History

Category

business_center Employment

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Employees & Retirees

Employment

Volunteering

Workforce Development

Category

directions Infrastructure

Bridges

Drinking Water

Information Technology

Infrastructure Finance

Stormwater & Flooding

Streets & Roads

Trails

Wastewater & Sewer

Category

gavel Law, Code & Compliance

Code Enforcement

Inspections

Law & Code

Permits

Category

payments Money

Accounting

City Budget

Claims, Rebates & Discounts

Debt Management

Economic Development

Grants

Infrastructure Finance

Investment & Cash Management

Payments & Fees

Taxes

Category

park Outdoors & Sustainability

Bicycles

Boating

Camps

Climate & Sustainability

Parks

Scooters

Sports

Swimming

Trails

Trees

Weather

Category

local_police Safety

Alternative Response

Crime

Emergency Management

Emergency Response

Fire

Inspections

Police Department

Prevention & Personal Safety

Stormwater & Flooding

Weather

Category

directions_car Transportation

Bicycles

Boating

Driving

Electric Vehicles

Parking

Public Transportation

Scooters

Traffic

Walking

Category

delete_sweep Utility Services

Drinking Water

Recycling

Trash

Wastewater & Sewer

Back to categories Back to Departments

Search for content

SITE NAVIGATION

Contact Parking Services

Parking Enforcement

Administrative Hearings

Contact Parking Services

Parking Enforcement

open_in_full

City of Sacramento Parking Enforcement ensures compliance of local and state parking regulations to facilitate availability of parking spaces throughout the city, which supports residents, businesses, visitors, and events.

A parking citation is considered an infraction that does not require a court appearance. Payments or submissions to contest may be done online or in-person at the Revenue Division. Court appearances may only be required for certain violations related to abuse of Disabled Person parking, which is a misdemeanor.

Request enforcement

Connect with Sacramento 311 for service requests or report concerns

Citation fines

View information related to fines and codes

Sacramento City Codes (S.C.C.)

Title 10 ordinances for Vehicles & Traffic

California Vehicle Codes (CVC)

Official website for the State of California

Parking operating hours

View days and hours when meters and time limits are enforced

Disabled person parking

Parking with DP placards or plates in the city of Sacramento

Careers

Join our Parking Enforcement team!

What happens after a citation is issued?

The 21-calendar day payment period starts from the issue date reflected on the citation. The driver must do one of the following within those 21 days. Instructions are also printed on the reverse of each citation:

Pay the citation in full, or
Sign up for a payment plan, or
Contest the citation online or submit a contest form in person or by mail.

Citation services homepage

View payment options, payment plans, view photos, or contest citation

Customer service counter

View Revenue Division counter hours

Online citation inquiry form

Submit online inquiry about parking citations, including lost citations

Graphic of person noticing parking citation under windshield wiper of vehicle

open_in_full

Effect of an unpaid parking citation

If the citation is not paid or contested within 21 calender days, the citation becomes delinquent, and the fine is doubled with a new due date for payment. If the citation remains unpaid after the due date passes, an additional $15 penalty will apply, and the citation may be turned over to a third-party collection agency and/or be subject to lien with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

A parking citation will not result in points on a driver's vehicle insurance because parking citations are not considered moving violations.

Unpaid citations will affect the vehicle registration of the registered vehicle owner. When a citation is left unpaid long enough to be sent to the DMV, the lien will not be removed until the full amount of all unpaid parking citations are paid or the registered vehicle owner shows proof of participation in a payment plan.

Failure to renew a vehicle registration may also result in difficulty with obtaining vehicle insurance, as some insurance companies require proof of valid registration.

For residents who require a residential permit to park, all parking citations must be paid in full to obtain a Virtual Vehicle Permit. Residents on a citation payment plan will be issued a Temporary permit valid for 30 days upon receipt of each monthly plan payment. When the plan is fully paid off, they may register for a Virtual Vehicle Permit. Residents may still obtain the maximum number of Visitor permits for their address.

Citation photos

Any photos taken at the time the citation was issued will be posted online within 24-48 hours after issuance.

Only persons with the citation number and license plate number or VIN will have the ability to access citation photos for that specific vehicle.

Absence of a photo may be due to factors such as handwritten citations (no camera available), weather conditions, or low camera visibility. The absence of an photo does not invalidate a citation.

Image of bumpers of vehicles parked in angled parking stalls

open_in_full

Citation payments

Citations must be paid or contested within 21 calendar days from the citation issue date. Instructions on how to pay are on the reverse side of the issued citation.

Payments or contests for citations issued by the City of Sacramento or Sacramento County are accepted in-person at the Revenue Services Division, online, over the phone, or by mail. Online payment and contest options for both agencies are also available on the Citation Services page.

If paying or contesting a citation online, the "issue number" is the citation number. If the first digit of the issue number starts with a "0" (zero), do not enter the "0", only enter all the digits after the "0".

Both agencies offer zero-interest payment plans for drivers who need assistance paying citation balances. Registered owners who maintain their monthly payment plans will be able to renew their vehicle registration through the DMV as long as payment plans are paid on time.

If the parking citation was issued by an agency other than the City of Sacramento, please review the issued citation for payment plan information.

Citation contest process

There is no court appearance or payment required to submit a contest.

Citation contests must be submitted within 21 calendar days from the citation issue date.
The citation issue number is required to contest. If you do not know your citation issue number, click on the Online Inquiry Form link or call Revenue Services during phone hours. Delays with obtaining this information will not provide an extension to the contest deadline.
All fees are "frozen" when a citation is placed on contest.
Please do not submit payment. This will cause delays with your contest process.
A determination of the contest will be mailed to the registered owner's address.

Contests are reviewed in the order received. Depending on the volume of contests, decisions may take from 90 days to six months.

Disposition of contests (review): Results will be mailed via USPS to the address on the contest form.

Held liable: Citation is not dismissed.
Your options are to pay the original amount reflected on the citation or appeal the decision through an Administrative Hearing. The disposition letter will include information on how to request an Administrative Hearing and the deposit required to secure a hearing date. Please read the letter carefully for instructions if you wish to continue with this second review of your citation.
Not liable: Citation is dimissed
No fees will be owed and the case is now closed. If the citation is related to failure to display a Disabled Placard, payment of an administrative fee with proof of a valid placard will be required to close your case.

For citations issued by Sacramento County or Sac RT (Regional Transit) parking facilities, the contest process is conducted through those respective agencies. Please view the citation issued by those agencies for contest information.

How to submit a citation contest

If you feel you were issued a citation in error, you have the option to contest the citation within 21 calendar days from the citation issue date.

Verbal contests will not be accepted over the phone or at the customer service counter of any agency that issued the citation. Customer service agents are not authorized contest officers. Citation contests are reviewed by Citation Contest Officers who are independent from Parking Enforcement Officers who issue citations.

Submitting a contest by mail or email

Please ensure the following are included in the letter or email:

Name, Address, City, State, Zip Code, Daytime Phone number
Citation Number (Issue Number)
Date of the Citation
Location of Citation
Violation Code
Vehicle License Number
For meter-related citations: Meter address and "PKGS" number located on pole (single space meters) or on face of Pay-By-Plate (green kiosks) meters.
The reason for contesting the citation, including any supporting documentation such as pictures or drawings.
Contests relating to disabled placard citations must attach a copy of the Disabled Person Parking Placard and valid Placard Registration

Reminder notice

A reminder notice is sent to the registered owner's address seven days after the citation issuance date that includes all the information from the original citation and the date when the parking penalty becomes delinquent.

Registered owners may inquire about any outstanding citations on their vehicle through the online Citation Inquiry Form. Inquiries are subject to verification of registered owner status. No information will be shared by requestors who are not the registered owner of the vehicle.

open_in_full

Checking status of contested citations

Depending on the volume of contests, decisions may take from 90 days to six months, depending on the review agency where the citation was issued. Due to the research involved to resolve contests, definite timelines for results cannot be provided.

Administrative Hearings

ON THIS PAGE

Search for content

Parking Enforcement