To pay a New Orleans ticket, first identify which kind you have, because the city runs three separate systems that do not share websites, phone numbers, or mailing addresses. Parking tickets go through the Parking Violations Bureau. Moving violations go through Municipal and Traffic Court. Red-light and speed-camera tickets go through the Photo Safety Program. Sending payment to the wrong one is the most common mistake, so check the citation before you pay.
Paying a Parking Ticket
Parking citations offer four payment channels. Online, use the city’s parking portal and look up your ticket by citation number, license plate, notice number, or payment plan number; the portal shows photos and violation details before you pay.1City of New Orleans. City of New Orleans Parking Portal
The other three options:2City of New Orleans. Pay Parking Ticket
- Phone: (504) 525-0088, with your ticket number and a credit or debit card.
- Mail: check to Parking Violations Bureau, PO Box 52828, New Orleans, LA 70152-2828. Write the ticket number on the memo line and allow three to five business days for the payment to clear.
- In person: the Cashier’s Office at 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1W09, or the City Auto Impound Lot at 400 N. Claiborne Avenue. Both take checks and credit or debit cards. Cash is not accepted.
Paying a Traffic Ticket (Moving Violation)
Moving violations run through Municipal and Traffic Court, not the parking system, and the rules are stricter. Your citation carries a First Appearance Date printed on the front, and your payment or response has to reach the court on or before that date.
Options:3City of New Orleans. Pay Traffic Ticket / Moving Violation
- Online at traffic.nola.gov. Only Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted. If your ticket was written by a Louisiana State Trooper (it will read “Department of Public Safety and Corrections—Office of State Police” at the top), enter the prefix letter “S” before the citation number.
- Phone: (504) 658-8500, with a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card.
- Mail: money orders only. No cash, personal checks, or credit cards. Make the money order payable to the City of New Orleans, include your ticket number, name, address, and daytime phone number, and mail to Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans, 1601 Perdido St., New Orleans, LA 70112. The envelope must be postmarked on or before your appearance date.
- In person: Municipal and Traffic Court, 727 S. Broad Street, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Cash, money orders, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted here.4Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans. Home
Paying a Camera Ticket
Red-light and speed-camera notices come through the Photo Safety Program. You will need the notice number and PIN printed on the ticket the city mailed you.5City of New Orleans. Pay Camera Ticket
- Online at violationinfo.com, using your notice number and PIN.
- Phone: (504) 658-8082.
- Mail: check or money order payable to City of New Orleans, with the notice number written on the front of the payment. No cash. Send to City of New Orleans, Photo Safety Program, P.O. Box 742503, Cincinnati, OH 45274-2503.
- In person: the Administrative Hearing Center at 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1W09, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Bring a check, credit card, or debit card. Cash is not accepted.
If You Can’t Pay All at Once
For parking and camera tickets, the city runs installment plans through its partner PromisePay. There are no fees or interest, and you can set one up online with a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or ACH bank transfer.6City of New Orleans. Amnesty Late Fee Forgiveness Program The city also runs periodic amnesty programs that waive late fees; if one is open when you check, that is the cheapest time to clear old tickets.
For a traffic ticket, you can ask Municipal and Traffic Court for a Time to Pay Schedule, but you have to appear in person by your appearance date to request it. If the court approves a schedule, each installment has to be paid on or before its due date.3City of New Orleans. Pay Traffic Ticket / Moving Violation
What Happens if You Ignore the Ticket
Unpaid parking tickets accumulate late fees, and a vehicle with three or more outstanding parking violations older than 90 days becomes eligible for booting and towing. Removing a boot requires paying every outstanding ticket plus a removal fee.7City of New Orleans. Get Boot Removed from My Vehicle Unpaid tickets do not go on your credit report directly, but if the city hands the debt to a collection agency, the collection account can sit on your credit for up to seven years.
Traffic tickets escalate faster. If you do nothing by the First Appearance Date, the court sends your information to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. That can trigger suspension of your driver’s license, added OMV fees, and further fees from your home state’s motor vehicle department if you are licensed elsewhere.8Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans. Tickets Driving on a suspended license can bring criminal charges and blocks you from renewing your registration.
If You Want to Fight the Ticket Instead
Paying a ticket admits the violation. If you want to contest it, parking and camera tickets go through an administrative hearing (online, by mail, or in person at 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1W09, on or before the hearing date on the citation), and traffic tickets require appearing in person at 727 S. Broad Street before your First Appearance Date to request a trial.9City of New Orleans. Contest a Parking Ticket8Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans. Tickets For a parking ticket, if you contest and lose you owe the original fine with no late fee added.