If you’ve just gotten a parking ticket in St. Louis, you have 30 days from the date on the citation to pay it or contest it before the fine starts multiplying. Tickets are handled by the Parking Violations Bureau inside the city Treasurer’s Office, and the fine on your citation depends on what you were cited for.
What Your Ticket Costs
St. Louis sorts parking violations into tiers. The amount printed on your citation should match one of these:
- Meter and street cleaning violations: $20. This is the most common ticket, covering expired meters and parking during posted street sweeping times.
- Minor parking violations: $30. Things like parking in a bus, taxi, or commercial vehicle zone, or next to a yellow curb.
- Public safety violations: $45. Blocking a fire hydrant, double parking, parking in a tow-away zone, blocking an intersection or alley, or impeding traffic flow.
- Disabled parking violations: $100. Parking in a space reserved for people with disabilities without a valid placard or plate.
- Commercial vehicle violations: $100.
These amounts have been in effect since October 2021.1City of St. Louis. St. Louis Parking Violation Fines The number on your citation is the base fine, before any late penalty.
How to Pay
You’ll need the eight-digit ticket number printed on your citation and your license plate number. Payment has to arrive within 30 days of the issue date.2City of St. Louis. Pay a Parking Ticket Three options:
- Online at stlouis.aimsparking.com. Enter your eight-digit ticket number or plate information and pay with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover.2City of St. Louis. Pay a Parking Ticket
- In person at the Parking Violations Bureau, 229 North 7th Street, between Olive and Pine Streets, St. Louis, MO 63101. Office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.3City of St. Louis. Parking Violations Bureau
- By mail with a check or money order payable to the City of St. Louis, sent to the mailing address printed on the citation. Mail early enough that it arrives inside the 30-day window.
For questions about a ticket’s status or whether your vehicle has been towed, call the Parking Violations Bureau at 314-627-2232 during office hours.3City of St. Louis. Parking Violations Bureau
How to Contest the Ticket
If you think the citation was issued in error, you have the same 30 days to challenge it. There are two ways in:
- In person. Bring the citation and any supporting evidence to the Parking Violations Bureau at 229 North 7th Street during office hours. Staff will schedule a hearing date.
- By mail. Send a written explanation, your citation, and any supporting documentation to Parking Violations Bureau (PVB), PO Box 78459, St. Louis, MO 63178-8459. The bureau will respond by mail with a decision or a hearing date.
Contesting pauses the late-penalty clock while your case is pending. If the ruling goes against you, you’ll owe the original fine and need to pay promptly before penalties start running again. Keep copies of everything you send.
What Happens If You’re Late
Penalties stack quickly, and the jump at day 45 is the one that catches people out.
- After 30 days, a penalty equal to 100 percent of the original fine is added. A $20 meter ticket becomes $40.
- After 45 days, the penalty rises to 300 percent of the original fine. That same $20 ticket now costs $80.4City of St. Louis. St. Louis Parking Violation Fines – Section: Late Payment Schedule
Beyond 45 days, additional collection fees can apply. The city tracks outstanding tickets in a database tied to your license plate, so the balance follows the vehicle regardless of who was driving.
What Happens If You Keep Ignoring It
St. Louis labels any vehicle owner with at least four parking tickets unpaid for 30 days or more a “parking scofflaw.” Once your vehicle is on that list, it can be booted at any time it’s parked on a public street.5City of St. Louis. Boot Removal – Vehicle A booted vehicle is also eligible for immediate towing, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police can tow scofflaw vehicles without booting them first.
Getting a booted vehicle released means paying every outstanding ticket, every late penalty, and a $50 boot fee at the Parking Violations Bureau. You then take the payment receipt back to the vehicle to have the boot removed.5City of St. Louis. Boot Removal – Vehicle That option disappears once the car has actually been towed.
If it’s been towed, you still clear the ticket balance and boot fee at the bureau, which issues a Vehicle Release Form telling you where the car is stored and the deadline to claim it. At the storage facility, bring the release form, your vehicle registration, and a driver’s license, and pay the tow fee of $100, storage at $25 per day, $60 if a dolly was used, and labor at $80 per hour.6City of St. Louis. Towing – Retrieval of a Towed Car A vehicle left at a city storage facility for 30 or more days is sold at public auction.5City of St. Louis. Boot Removal – Vehicle
Unpaid St. Louis tickets can also block your vehicle registration renewal in Missouri. Missouri can prevent owners from renewing until all outstanding St. Louis parking tickets are resolved, which applies at any license office in the state. Moving elsewhere in Missouri doesn’t shake the balance loose.