Appeal a ticket | Calgary Parking
Appeal a ticket
If you believe you received a parking ticket in error, you can request an administrative review or appeal. If no administrative review is requested and the ticket remains unpaid, it will become a Violation Ticket within 30 to 40 days from the date it was issued.
What you need to know
You can appeal a ticket through the administrative review process or through traffic court. Before starting an appeal, it’s important to know what can be appealed, when to appeal, what happens if your appeal is approved or denied, and other key details to keep in mind.
What type of ticket can I appeal?
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Administrative review
For tickets, tags, infraction notices or violation tickets that have errors in customer data entry, signage or were incorrectly issued.
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Traffic Court
• You may appeal a Violation Ticket for compassionate reasons (such as health or medical issues) or for special circumstances (such as briefly stopping or volunteering).
• If your appeal is based on personal or situational reasons, or if you wish to request a fine reduction or set up a payment plan, please wait until you receive your Violation Ticket and follow the Traffic Court process.
FAQs
When can I appeal?
Administrative review:
- You may appeal a violation ticket through our administrative review process up to 10 business days before the first appearance date. After the violation ticket is issued, appeals must be submitted by email. At this stage, the fine or payment timeline cannot be paused, as the matter is now with the Provincial Traffic Court.
- If you begin an appeal during the early payment incentive period, the payment schedule will be paused while your review is in progress.
Traffic court:
- Your yellow violation ticket includes a first appearance date. You may attend court on or before this date to speak with a court staff about your options. Alternatively, you can request a court date by completing the yellow violation ticket. Your court date will be mailed to you.
What happens if my appeal is successful?
Administrative review:
- The ticket will be cancelled.
Traffic court:
- The fine amount may be reduced, the payment deadline may be extended or the ticket may be cancelled entirely.
What happens if my appeal is unsuccessful?
Administrative review:
- The fine payment schedule will resume on the day you are notified of the review outcome.
Traffic court:
- You must follow the court’s decision, which may include paying a fine or accepting a conviction.
What else do I need to know before I choose which appeal process?
Administrative review:
- You will have seven calendar days to pay the paused fine amount, or you can wait for the violation ticket to be issued and contact the Provincial Traffic Court by the first appearance date.
Traffic court:
- A violation ticket must be received before contacting the Traffic Court. All court instructions must be followed, regardless of the status of an administrative review.
How to apply
Administrative review process
To start the process, you will need your ticket number, choose how you want to submit your appeal and understand what happens next.
Traffic Court process
If you receive a violation ticket for a bylaw infraction, you must decide whether to plead guilty or not guilty. Make sure you understand your options and ask for help if needed.
Administrative review process
For this process, you will need to:
- Find your ticket number
- Choose how you want to submit your appeal
- Understand what happens next!
Finding your ticket number
To begin the administrative review, please have your ticket number ready. While parking violations are commonly referred to as tickets, they may also be called tags or infraction notices.
You can find your ticket number at the top of your parking ticket.
You can then proceed with selecting a method to appeal your ticket.
Ways to appeal a ticket
There are four ways to appeal your ticket
- Option one: Submit online
- Option two: Send an e-mail
- Option three: Submit in-person
- Option four: Send a letter
Option one: I want to submit online
Tags and infraction notices only.
You can submit your appeal using the online form (one submission per ticket). Submitting online will automatically pause the early payment timeline.
Please make sure you have the following information ready:
- Ticket number
- Licence plate number
- Your contact information
- Details of the error(s) made and supporting photographs
- First four and last four digits of your credit card number (if proving a purchase was made)
- Permit, membership number or ParkPlus account information (the licence plate must be registered and activated on the account)
Option two: I want to send an e-mail
Tags, infraction notices, and violation tickets.
If a violation ticket has been issued, your request must be received at least 10 calendar days before the scheduled court appearance date.
Please make sure you have the following information ready:
- Ticket number
- Licence plate number
- Your contact information
- Details of the error(s) made and supporting photographs
- First four and last four digits of your credit card number (if proving a purchase was made)
- Permit, membership number or ParkPlus account information (the licence plate must be registered and activated on the account)
Please note that the early payment discount is not paused until the request is manually processed in the system. Until then, ticket fines may continue to increase.
Option three: I want to submit in-person
Tags and infraction notices only.
Please make sure you have the following information ready when visiting the Impound Lot (400 39 Ave. S.E.):
- Ticket
- Your contact information
- Details of the error(s) made and any supporting documentation
- First four and last four digits of your credit card number (if proving a purchase was made)
- Permit, membership number or ParkPlus account information (the licence plate must be registered and activated on the account)
Please note that the early payment discount is not paused until the request is manually processed in the system. Until then, ticket fines may continue to increase.
Option four: I want to send a letter
Tags and infraction notices only.
You may also mail or fax an appeal request:
- Ticket
- Your contact information
- Details of the error(s) made and any supporting documentation
- First four and last four digits of your credit card number (if proving a purchase was made)
- Permit, membership number or ParkPlus account information (the licence plate must be registered and activated on the account)
Please note that the early payment discount is not paused until the request is manually processed in the system. Until then, ticket fines may continue to increase.
Fax: 403-537-7001
Mailing address:
400 39 Avenue S.E.
Calgary, AB T2G 5P8
What happens next?
Once your appeal is submitted, we will review the details and notify you when a decision has been made. We will investigate your appeal and provide a decision within 14 business days. Review times may be longer during busy periods, such as after street cleaning and toward the end of the year, due to a higher number of requests.
You can check the status of your request in two ways.
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Online form
Make sure you have:
• Ticket/tag number
• The licence plate number of the vehicle
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By phone
Make sure you have:
• Ticket/tag number
• The licence plate number of the vehicle
You will be notified
After a decision is made, you will get the results by email or mail. The message will include any steps you need to take next.
Please be aware that you can only appeal tickets that have not been paid.
Contact us
403-537-7000 (option 1)
parkingappeal@calgary.ca
Did you know?
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Most cancelled tickets are due to incorrect licence plate entries
One of the most common reasons for ticket cancellation is entering an incorrect licence plate number when paying for parking. If this happens to you, we encourage you to submit an appeal.
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The fastest way to appeal and pause your fine is online
The quickest way to submit an appeal and pause the early payment rate of your fine is through the online form. Other methods require manual processing and may result in delays.
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The court handles yellow violation tickets
If you receive a yellow violation ticket in the mail and it is too close to or past the scheduled court date, the ticket is now with the court. At this point, Calgary Parking has limited ability to assist. Please submit your appeal as soon as possible after receiving the ticket.
