You can pay a parking ticket in St. Louis online at stlouis-mo.gov, by mail to the Parking Violations Bureau, or in person at 229 North 7th Street downtown. You have 30 days from the date the ticket was issued to pay at the original amount. Miss that window and late penalties start stacking fast: a $20 meter ticket becomes $40 after 30 days and $80 after 45.
What You Need First
Have either the citation number printed at the top of the paper ticket, or your license plate number and state of registration. If the ticket blew away or you never found it on the windshield, the city’s online portal will look it up by plate.1City of St. Louis. Pay a Parking Ticket
Paying Online
Go to stlouis-mo.gov, enter your ticket number or plate details, confirm the violation, and pay with Visa or MasterCard. A convenience fee is added at checkout. A digital receipt goes to the email address you provide. Keep it until the city’s records show the ticket as paid.1City of St. Louis. Pay a Parking Ticket
Paying by Mail
Send a personal check, cashier’s check, or money order made out to the City of St. Louis. No cash. Include the ticket in the envelope. The address is:
Parking Violations Bureau (PVB)
PO Box 78459
St. Louis, MO 63178-84591City of St. Louis. Pay a Parking Ticket
The postmark date counts as your payment date, so a check dropped in the mail on day 29 is on time as long as the post office postmarks it that day.
Paying in Person
The Parking Violations Bureau is at 229 North 7th Street in downtown St. Louis. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The office takes cash, checks, money orders, Visa, and MasterCard, and hands you a paper receipt on the spot.1City of St. Louis. Pay a Parking Ticket Hold onto that receipt in case a dispute comes up later.
Fine Amounts by Class
Check the class printed on your ticket against the current schedule before you pay:
- Class 1 ($20): expired meter and street-cleaning sign violations.
- Class 2 ($30): no-parking zones, bus or taxi zones, commercial vehicle zones, yellow curbs.
- Class 3 ($45): double parking, blocking an intersection or alley, tow-away zones, blocking a fire hydrant.
- Class 4 ($100): parking in a space reserved for people with disabilities.li>
These are the amounts before any late penalties are added.
Late Fees and the 30-Day Clock
The 30-day countdown starts the day the ticket was issued, not the day you first noticed it. On a $20 meter violation, the escalation looks like this:
- Paid within 30 days: $20.2City of St. Louis. Parking Violation Fines
- After 30 days: $40 ($20 fine plus a $20 late penalty).
- After 45 days: $80 ($20 fine plus a $60 late penalty).
Higher-class violations follow the same escalation pattern, and the city warns that continued nonpayment can bring additional collection fees on top of the late penalties.1City of St. Louis. Pay a Parking Ticket
Payment Plans for Larger Balances
If your total has already grown past what you can pay at once, the city’s Parking and Towing Assistance Program lets you pay monthly. You need at least $50 in outstanding fines to qualify. The monthly minimum depends on your balance:
- $0–$500: $50 per month.
- $501–$1,500: $100 per month.
- $1,501–$3,000: $250 per month.
- $3,001 and above: 10% of the balance per month.
Call the Parking Violations Bureau at (314) 627-2232 with your plate number to enroll. Your first payment is due the day you set the plan up.3Park Louie. Parking and Towing Assistance Program
Contesting Instead of Paying
If you think the ticket was issued in error, contest it by phone at (314) 627-2232 (Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) or in person at 229 North 7th Street during walk-in hours.4City of Saint Louis. Parking Violations Bureau Bring evidence: photos of the signage where you parked, proof the meter was paid, anything that supports your account.
Contesting does not automatically pause the late-fee clock. If your dispute drags on and you lose, you may owe late penalties on top of the original fine. Ask the representative directly whether the deadline is tolled while your case is under review.
If You Don’t Pay
Once you rack up four or more unpaid tickets that are each at least 30 days overdue, the city labels you a “parking scofflaw.” Vehicles on that list can be booted at any time, and a booted car can be towed immediately. In some cases the police skip the boot and go straight to towing.5City of St. Louis. Boot Removal – Vehicle Getting the car back means paying every outstanding ticket plus boot removal fees at the North 7th Street office. If the car was towed, add at least a $100 towing fee and $25 per day in storage.
There’s a second trap that catches people at registration time. Missouri law says a personal property tax payment isn’t complete unless all parking violation charges and vehicle-related fines are also paid in full.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. RSMo Section 137.298 Since you need a paid personal property tax receipt to renew your Missouri vehicle registration, unpaid St. Louis parking tickets can block you from getting new plates or tags.