Annapolis Parking Ticket: Fines, Payment, and Appeals

An Annapolis parking ticket is handled by one of two private vendors, not by a city office, and you have 15 days to pay before penalties start. Premium Parking issues and collects citations in the downtown historic district (Zones I and II). Metropolis, which also appears as SP+ or Annapolis Parking, handles everywhere else in the city.¹ Which vendor wrote your ticket determines where you pay and where you appeal, so check the citation itself before doing anything else.

How to Pay

Pay online through the portal that matches your vendor. Premium Parking tickets go through that company’s enforcement portal; Metropolis tickets go through the Annapolis Parking payment site. Both accept credit and debit cards. The city’s parking citations page at annapolis.gov links directly to both, which is the safest starting point if you’re not sure which vendor issued the ticket.¹

To look up the citation you’ll need the citation number printed on the ticket and your license plate. If you’ve lost the physical ticket, try searching by plate alone; most systems will surface any outstanding citation attached to the vehicle. Entering your information on the wrong vendor’s portal returns nothing, which is usually the first clue people are in the wrong system.

What the Fine Will Be

Base fines under the FY 2026 schedule start at $50 for an expired meter, overtime parking, or a yellow-curb violation. A posted no-parking or no-stopping zone is $100. Red-curb areas, bus stops, and fire hydrant zones are $300. Blocking a fire station driveway or parking in a disabled space without a valid placard or plates is $500 — the highest base fine on the schedule. Off-street violations inside city garages are $25 plus a $5.25 processing fee and the cost of the parking session.²

What Happens If You Don’t Pay

The Annapolis City Code applies two different penalty tracks, and both start running at day 15.

For most standard parking fines (City Code 12.20.240), an unpaid citation picks up a $10 surcharge at 15 days. After 23 days, another $15 is added and the city notifies the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.²

For violations under City Code 12.32.190, the penalty is heavier. The entire fine doubles after 15 days, and the MVA is notified at the same time.² A $50 ticket becomes $100 the day after the deadline passes.

The MVA notification is the consequence that catches most people. Under Maryland Transportation Code Section 26-305, once the city reports an unpaid citation, the MVA can refuse to register or transfer the registration of the vehicle involved. You won’t be able to renew your tags until the balance is cleared. The MVA can also charge its own administrative fee, and for drivers the state classifies as chronic offenders it can suspend the registration outright.³

Paying doesn’t lift the hold instantly. The city has to affirmatively notify the MVA that the citation has been resolved, and that step takes additional time. If you’re close to a registration deadline, pay well in advance.

How to Appeal

You have two options: an administrative appeal through the vendor, or a trial in Maryland District Court.

Appealing Through the Vendor

Start with the vendor that issued the ticket. Premium Parking takes appeals through the same portal used for payment. Metropolis has a separate appeal page for its citations.¹ Grounds that tend to succeed include a broken meter, a valid permit that wasn’t visible to the enforcement officer, and missing or obscured signage. Photos taken at or near the time of the violation make a real difference. Take them before you move the car if you can.

Requesting a Trial in District Court

If the vendor denies your appeal, or you’d rather skip the administrative step, you can request a trial in the District Court of Maryland. You have 30 days from the date you received the citation.⁴ Check the “Request a Trial” box on the ticket, sign and date it, and mail it to:

District Court Traffic Processing Center
P.O. Box 6676
Annapolis, MD 21401⁴

The court will mail you a hearing date. Bring evidence: photos, receipts showing meter payment, or documentation of a valid permit. Missing the hearing has the same effect as leaving the ticket unpaid. The MVA can be notified of your failure to appear, which triggers the registration hold under Section 26-305.³

1
Annapolis, MD. Parking Citations
2
City of Annapolis. Fiscal Year 2026 Fines Schedule
3
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code 26-305 – Effect of Parking Violations on Vehicle Registration
4
Maryland Courts. Traffic Citation Information