Los Angeles' Parking Enforcement Losses Top $300 Million Over the Past Decade

As the 2024–2025 fiscal year draws to a close, Los Angeles anticipated roughly $110 million in revenue from parking fines. However, the true cost of enforcement tells a different story: the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) may have spent over $60 million more than it collected from ticketing drivers this year.

The last time LADOT’s parking enforcement operation turned a profit was back in 2016. Since then, the city has accumulated more than $315 million in losses tied to managing its parking citation system. While issuing parking tickets is the primary responsibility of LADOT’s traffic officers, they also assist with traffic control during outages and major events.

Payroll records from the LA City Controller show that, following a broader citywide trend of overspending, some traffic officers earned more than their annual salaries through overtime in 2024. Even before factoring in the estimated $25 million cost of processing parking tickets, the parking enforcement division is projected to operate at a loss of over $40 million for the year.

Adding to these expenses, the division expects to pay about $10 million in liability claims in the coming fiscal year. Over the past ten years, these payouts have totaled more than $125 million.

The recently proposed city budget attributes much of the parking citation deficit to unpaid fines. However, considering the accrual of late fees and interest, the city should, in theory, be recovering more revenue—unless an unusually high number of tickets were issued to homeless individuals, who qualify for citation waivers through the Community Assistance Parking Program. Those classified as low income still must pay full fines, meaning only a limited number of tickets are permanently unpaid.

Looking ahead, the 2025–2026 proposed budget projects another loss, with Los Angeles expected to lose over $55 million from issuing parking citations.