LADOT Launches Early Pay LA Offering Payment Discounts for Parking Citations

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At Mayor Garcetti's directive, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation has implemented an economic relief measure that will allow motorists an early payment discount on citations. The Early Pay LA program will award a $20 discount for the most common parking citations paid within 48 hours and remain in effect until June 30, 2021.


“Early Pay LA is one of several new programs we hope will ease the financial sting of parking tickets while still allowing us to enforce rules,” said LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds. “No one wants to see that ticket on their windshield, but Early Pay LA gives people a chance to get a break on the cost if they can pay quickly.”  


Starting today, the new early bird program will reward discounts for early payment on citations in the following categories:

  • Residential street sweeping 
  • Overnight/Oversize parking districts
  • Vehicles displaying recently expired permits within preferential parking districts

In addition to this new program, the City of Los Angeles offers several programs to assist low-income individuals and individuals experiencing homelessness with outstanding parking citation debt as well as relief programs to allow for citation amnesty.


The department's existing programs to provide economic relief include:

  • Community Assistance Parking Program (CAPP): LADOT offers the CAPP for individuals experiencing homelessness that allows them to pay their parking citations through volunteer community service or through enrollment in a homeless service program. As of June 30, 2020, LADOT assisted 1,070 participants to complete 14,238 community service hours for a total of $559,783 worth of citations converted to community service.
  • Low-Income Payment Plans: LADOT worked with the state legislature to shape bills that created or modified payment plans for indigent and eligible low income motorists. Depending on the existing payment plan, the city may waive all late fees for eligible motorists and allow up to 18 months to pay off the base citation fines.
  • The citation amnesty program grants a one-time opportunity for those with citations over three years old the chance to have all late fees waived and pay the base citation amount(s) over a period of time thereby clearing DMV holds, tax intercepts, and/or tow orders.
  • The unemployment citation amnesty program assists those who lost their job during the pandemic by allowing them to have late fees waived and pay only the base citation amount over a period of time. 

More information on LADOT’s citation relief programs is available on LADOT’s Parking Violations Bureau website.

LADOT continues to adjust operations to assist residents and businesses comply with physical distancing requirements and limit the spread of COVID-19. These include LA Al Fresco outdoor dining for restaurants, a Slow Streets program to designate streets in residential areas for active use, online hearing and permitting procedures, elimination of pedestrian push buttons at intersections with high pedestrian activity, food and retail pick-up parking zones, switching traffic signals to "night mode" to reduce speeding, meal delivery by transit services, fare-free rides on all DASH routes, and service changes on transit lines. More information about LADOT's response is available at ladot.lacity.org/coronavirus.