California Parking Ticket Status: What "Suspended" and Other Statuses Mean

When you look up your California parking citation online and see an unexpected status — "Suspended," "Delinquent," "Hold," "Collections," or "Appeal Pending" — it is not always obvious what each one means or what action is required from you. This guide explains what each status indicates and what your next move should be.

How to Check Your California Parking Ticket Status

Each major city has its own online portal:

• Los Angeles (LADOT): ladotparking.org — search by citation number or license plate
• San Francisco (SFMTA): sfmta.com — "Citations" section
• San Diego: sandiego.gov/parking/citations
• Sacramento: SacPark.org
• Oakland: oaklandca.gov (parking citations)
• San Jose: pticket.com/sanjose

For smaller cities and some counties, a third-party processor is often used: citationprocessingcenter.com or paymycite.com. The back of your physical citation will list the specific payment and lookup portal.

Common Parking Ticket Statuses in California

Open / Unpaid The citation has been issued and is awaiting action. You have the option to pay or to request an Initial Administrative Review within 21 days of the issuance date.

In Review / Under Review / Protest Pending You have submitted an Initial Administrative Review request. The citation is on hold — late fees are typically not accruing during the review period. No action is required while this status is active. Reviews can take 2–6 weeks.

Denied / Upheld The city's internal review has ruled against your contest. You have 21 days from the mailing date of the denial to request a formal Administrative Hearing. This is Step 2 of the California three-tier process — the stage where independent hearing officers (not city employees) evaluate the evidence.

Hearing Scheduled / Hearing Pending You have requested an Administrative Hearing and the fine deposit has been received. The hearing has been scheduled or is awaiting scheduling. Keep your hearing confirmation documentation and prepare your evidence package.

Delinquent The citation has passed its initial due date without payment or contest. Delinquent status typically occurs 30 days after issuance. Once delinquent, late fees are added — California cities generally double the original fine amount at delinquency. If you see this status and have not yet paid or appealed, contact the city's parking division immediately.

Collections The city has referred the citation to a collections agency or to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. At this stage, additional fees may have been added. Collections status does not eliminate your ability to pay, but the process becomes more involved and the total owed has typically increased substantially. Contact the city (not the collections agency) to request a payoff amount and verify whether any appeal rights remain.

DMV Hold / Registration Hold Under CVC § 4760, unpaid parking citations result in the California DMV placing a hold on your vehicle's registration. Your vehicle cannot be registered or re-registered until the outstanding fines are paid. This status is particularly important because it affects your ability to legally operate the vehicle — expired registration compounds the problem with additional moving violations.

A DMV hold can typically be lifted within a few business days of full payment. If you are making a payment through a collections agency, confirm with both the agency and the city that the hold release will be processed.

Suspended "Suspended" in the context of a parking citation usually means one of two things:

1. The enforcement action is suspended pending a contest or review. This is often the same as "In Review" — the city has paused collection activity while your appeal is being processed. If you recently filed a contest and see "Suspended," this is likely a positive status — it means your contest is active and the city is not pursuing collections.

2. The citation is part of a DMV registration suspension process. In this case, "suspended" may refer to the vehicle's registration status, not the citation itself. California does not technically suspend driver's licenses for unpaid parking tickets (unlike moving violations), but registration suspension under CVC § 4760 can be described informally as "suspended" by city portal systems.

If you see "Suspended" and you have not filed a contest, call the city's parking citation division directly to confirm what the status means for your specific citation.

Dismissed / Cancelled The citation has been dismissed through the contest process, a technical error has been identified, or the city has cancelled it administratively. No payment is due. Confirm the dismissal is reflected in the portal and retain a record of it.

The Registration Hold — What It Means Practically

California Vehicle Code § 4760 authorizes the DMV to refuse registration renewal for vehicles with outstanding parking citations. The DMV implements this through a "registration hold" — also called a "delinquent notice" or "lien" in some systems.

This is not a driver's license suspension. You are not barred from driving by unpaid parking tickets. But your vehicle registration expires, and operating a vehicle with expired registration creates a separate infraction that enforcement officers can — and do — cite.

If you have a registration hold: 1. Identify all outstanding citations through each city's portal — you may have citations with multiple agencies 2. Pay or resolve all outstanding tickets 3. Contact the DMV or use DMV Now to confirm the hold has cleared (can take 2–5 business days after city payment is confirmed) 4. Renew your registration through the DMV

What Parking Enforcement in California Can and Cannot Do

California parking enforcement agencies can: - Issue citations on public streets, parking lots, and specified areas - Place registration holds on vehicles with 5+ unpaid citations (CVC § 22651(i) also authorizes towing at this threshold) - Refer debts to collections affecting credit - Boot or tow vehicles with 5 or more unpaid citations

California parking enforcement agencies cannot: - Suspend your driver's license for parking tickets (that is reserved for moving violations and court-ordered actions) - Issue warrants for unpaid parking citations (parking is an infraction, not a criminal matter) - Garnish wages without a civil court judgment (which requires a lawsuit, not just an administrative fine)

If Your Ticket Has Gone to Collections

Collections referral is the stage most drivers want to avoid. At this point, the city's leniency — including payment plan programs under CVC § 40220 and hardship reduction programs — may still be available, but typically only through the city's own collections or revenue office, not through the third-party collections agency.

Contact the originating city directly (LADOT, SFMTA, San Diego, etc.) and ask to speak with their collections or revenue division. Ask whether you can settle directly with the city rather than through the agency, and whether any hardship reduction applies.

The California Parking Ticket Dispute Guide covers the full enforcement timeline — from citation issuance through the contest process, delinquency, DMV holds, and collections — with city-specific contact information and the exact CVC sections that govern each stage.

FAQ

What does "suspended" mean on an LADOT parking ticket? In LADOT's system, a "suspended" status typically indicates the citation is on hold due to a pending contest or administrative action. If you have not filed a contest, contact LADOT at (866) 561-9742 to confirm the reason.

Can I still fight a parking ticket that is in "delinquent" status? Contest rights under CVC § 40215 are tied to the original 21-day windows. Once those have passed without a filed contest, formal appeal rights are forfeited. However, you may still be able to request administrative relief from the city — contact them directly and explain the situation.

Will an unpaid parking ticket affect my credit score in California? A parking ticket itself does not appear on credit reports. However, once a city refers the debt to a third-party collections agency, the collections account can appear on your credit report and affect your score.