To pay or contest a parking citation

• To pay or contest your parking citation online.
• To pay in person, visit the cashier at the City of Carlsbad, 1635 Faraday Ave., Carlsbad, CA 92008.
• To pay by mail, send check or money order using the envelope provided with your ticket to:

To contest parking citation

City and state parking ordinances are created to ensure the safety of visitors and residents alike, and as such will be strictly enforced within the City of Carlsbad.

To contest a parking citation, a request must be made to the Finance Department for a parking citation review within 21 days of issuance of the parking citation, or within 14 days of the mailing of the notice of delinquency. The three methods for starting this process are:

• By Phone - 760-602-2402 to request form be mailed.
• In Writing - complete the Parking Citation Request for Review.
• In Person - gather all supporting documentation and bring to the City of Carlsbad, Finance Department.

The completed Parking Citation Request for Review form, along with the original parking citation, must be returned to the city's Finance Department.

The Traffic Officer in the Police Department will review the citation, the issuing officer's statement of facts, and the statement to determine if the citation is valid.

• If the citation is determined to be invalid, a letter will be sent to applicant and the citation will be dismissed.
• If the citation is determined to be valid, applicant will be notified by mail. Applicant will then have two options:
  • to pay the citation immediately
  • or request an administrative hearing no later than 21 days following the mailing of the results of the review.
    • Failure to comply in a timely manner with this requirement will result in waiver of applicant's right to further review of the citation.
    • If an administrative hearing is requested, funds must be paid in the amount equal to the value of the citation including any penalties.
    • To request a hearing, complete the Request for Neutral Examination of Parking Citation form and submit it to the Finance Department.
• If the administrative hearing determines the citation is valid, and applicant still wishes to contest the citation, they may go to the website shown below to request a court hearing:
  • www.sdcourt.ca.gov
  • Request a court hearing (De Nova) in civil court and deposit a $25 fee.
  • This request to the court must be made within 30 days of the mailing of the hearing examiner's decision.
  • The court hearing will consist of a review of the facts presented at the administrative hearing.
  • No new evidence can be submitted at the court hearing.

Handicapped citation

On occasion, a citation is issued to an individual who forgets to properly display a handicapped placard. The City of Carlsbad Police Department will dismiss the fee if the registered placard owner appears with the following documents:

• Handicapped placard
• Valid placard registration
• Valid California driver’s license or California identification
• Original citation

Bring or mail documents to:

City of Carlsbad
1635 Faraday Ave
Carlsbad,CA 92008
760-602-2430

or

Carlsbad Police Department
2560 Orion Way
Carlsbad,CA 92010
760-931-2100