You have 15 days from the date on a Toronto parking ticket to pay it or ask for a screening review. Toronto no longer runs the old early resolution and trial request system for these tickets. The City now uses the Administrative Penalty System, which has two levels of review, screening first and then a hearing review, and both start online.
What the ticket is and who issues it
A parking ticket in Toronto is a penalty notice under the City’s Administrative Penalty By-law. Enforcement officers issue them on streets and in lots, including Green P lots run by the Toronto Parking Authority. If you’re looking for a court date and a trial request form, you won’t find one for a standard parking violation. The City page says the notice is handled through screening and hearing reviews instead.
Your options in the first 15 days
Count 15 days from the date of issue. In that window you can pay the amount on the notice or request a screening review. Only one screening review is allowed per ticket.
Payment ends the matter. The City states that once a full or partial payment is made, the violation is affirmed and resolved, and any further right to review is waived. So don’t pay a ticket you plan to fight, even part of it.
If you miss the 15 days
You aren’t automatically locked out. From day 16 to day 60 after the notice date you can ask for an extension of time to dispute, but you need to show extenuating circumstances. Requests after 30 days must be made in person. Day 60 is the final deadline for dispute options.
The City doesn’t say what counts as extenuating beyond that phrase. If you have a reason, such as a hospital stay or a notice sent to an old address, keep the paperwork and attach it.
How to submit a dispute online
Use the City’s parking violation lookup at secure.toronto.ca/webapps/parking. The steps are short.
- Enter the violation number and your licence plate. For tickets 16 to 30 days old the City may ask for a driver’s licence or RIN instead.
- Choose the screening review and fill in the online form explaining why the ticket is wrong.
- Upload photos and documents.
- Come back to the same lookup to check the status.
You can also have a lawyer, a licensed paralegal or another person allowed under the Law Society Act act for you. The vehicle owner is the one who gets the ticket, so it’s the owner who disputes it.
What evidence helps
The City’s stated grounds for cancelling a penalty include that the violation did not occur. Build your case around that. Photos of the signs at the spot, taken from where a driver would read them, are the most direct proof. Add a wide shot showing where the car was and a close shot of anything unclear, such as a faded or blocked sign.
A parking receipt or app record with the time and location helps if the ticket says you overstayed or didn’t pay. Timestamps matter, so don’t crop them out. If the plate or the location on the notice is wrong, show that with the notice itself next to your own documents.
Undue hardship is a separate claim. The City asks for documents showing you can’t pay because of a significant drop in income, an illness, an unexpected expense or another cause, and it requires a Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment. Be truthful. Giving false or misleading information or evidence is an offence under the Administrative Penalty By-law.
What happens at the screening review
A screening officer looks at your explanation and evidence. According to the City page, the officer can affirm the penalty with no change, vary it, give more time to pay, or cancel it.
Speed is the catch. The City’s page currently says screening can take up to 10 months, so you’ll wait. Don’t assume that silence means the ticket has gone away, and check the lookup now and then. If a screening appointment is scheduled and you miss it, a $64.18 non-appearance fee applies.
The hearing review
If you disagree with the screening decision, you have 15 days from the decision date to ask for a hearing review by the Administrative Penalty Tribunal. You can request it online through the same lookup. A missed 15-day window can be extended up to 60 days from the screening decision if you have a reason.
Hearings are held remotely online unless you ask for an accommodation, which you can do on the application or through [email protected] or 416-396-4277. The hearing decision is final, with no further review. Miss your scheduled hearing and the City won’t reschedule it, and a $96.28 non-appearance fee applies.
Penalty amounts and added fees
The City says penalties range from $15 to $500 depending on the violation. The exact figure for your ticket is printed on the notice. This article does not list per violation amounts because no City page it draws on confirms them, so check the notice itself. Fees can then be added on top.
- Address search fee: $15.39, if the ticket is unpaid and no screening was requested within 15 days
- Late payment fee: $32.10, if not paid or disputed within 30 days
- Plate denial enforcement fee: $32.10, if unpaid at 60 days
- Screening non-appearance fee: $64.18
- Hearing non-appearance fee: $96.28
Paying by card adds a processing charge: 1.50% on debit and 2.35% on credit. On a $60 ticket that’s 90 cents by debit or $1.41 by credit.
What happens if you ignore a ticket
The City’s collection timeline runs like this. Between days 16 and 30 you get an overdue notice with the address search fee added. On day 31 a late fee is applied, with no separate warning. Around day 40 a notice of default shows the full amount due. At day 60 the plate denial fee is added and the matter goes to the Ministry of Transportation for plate denial.
Plate denial means your Ontario plate sticker can’t be renewed, and payment can then only be made at a ServiceOntario location. The City also uses collection agencies, and it may tow a vehicle with three or more outstanding violations when no payment or dispute has started and more than 120 days have passed since the last one.
A $60 ticket left alone for 60 days grows by at least $15.39, $32.10 and $32.10, so it costs about $139.59 before any other fees. Disputing on time costs nothing to file.
Should you dispute or pay
Pay if the ticket is right and the amount is small. Dispute if you have evidence the violation didn’t happen, or if a sign, a payment record or a wrong plate points to a mistake. The wait is long, but a valid dispute on time stops the late fees from starting. To see what a stop would have cost you in the first place, use the Toronto parking cost calculator. For the wider household picture, the Toronto cost of living calculator helps. See also the TTC Fare Cap calculator, and the full set of tax calculators.
Sources
- Dispute Your Parking Violation or Request an Extension, City of Toronto
- About Parking Violations, City of Toronto
- Parking Violation Fees, City of Toronto
- Collection Process for Parking Violations, City of Toronto
Common questions
How long do I have to dispute a Toronto parking ticket?
Can I still request a trial?
What happens if I pay part of the ticket?
What if I ignore the ticket?
Last reviewed: . Figures come from the official sources listed above. How we check the numbers and our editorial policy.