Traffic & Parking

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Our goal is to efficiently respond to calls for service, and effectively enforce parking laws and regulations that provide for the safe and efficient flow of traffic and parking for our residents and visitors.

Pay Parking Citation

The Glendale Police Department does not accept any form of payment. If you have questions regarding your parking citation, you may contact our parking citation service center at (866) 470-3088. Please have your citation information ready when calling.

Pay Online

Pay online at https://www.dsparkingportal.com/glendale. Please have your citation available as you will be required to enter some citation information. Most major credit cards and debit cards displaying the Visa or Mastercard logo are accepted. There is a $3.95 fee for this service.

Pay by Phone

Call (866) 470-3088 to pay by phone. Please have your citation available when calling. Most major credit cards and debit cards displaying the Visa or Mastercard logo are accepted. There is a $3.95 fee for this service.

Pay by Mail

Do not send cash. Check or money order payable to the City of Glendale. Please be sure to write your citation number on your check or money order. If you were not provided an envelope, please submit payment to the following address:

The City of Glendale
Parking Enforcement Service Center
P.O. Box 6010
Inglewood, CA 90312-6010

How to Contest a Parking Citation

The City of Glendale adheres to the guidelines prescribed by the California Vehicle Code with regard to the contesting of parking citations. Contesting a parking citation is a three step process. In order to participate in this process you MUST adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Administrative Review

You must submit your request within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the date the citation was issued, or fourteen (14) calendar days from the mailing of a Notice of Parking Violation. Click here to contest your citation online.

2. Administrative Hearing

If your citation was upheld in Step 1, you may proceed with an administrative hearing. Please be sure to carefully follow the instructions on the Administrative Review Decision - Liable form that was mailed to you. State Law requires that you submit payment owed on the citation when proceeding with this step except as provided in Section 40215 (b) of the California Vehicle Code.

Your request and payment must be received no later than twenty-one (21) calendar days of the mailing of the results of the Administrative Review in Step 1. Failing to meet these requirements will result in your citation being upheld and you will have waived your ability to further contest the citation.

3. Court Appeal

If the citation is upheld in Step 2, you may file an appeal of the finding with the Los Angeles Superior Court, 111 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. You must obtain a Notice of Appeal form from the court. There is a court imposed filing fee of $25 for this process. The appeal must be filed within thirty (30) calendar days of the mailing of the Administrative Hearing officer’s findings. A copy of the appeal must also be filed with the City of Glendale, Office of the City Attorney, located at 613 E. Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206-4394. Your failure to timely file this appeal will result in your waiver to have the matter heard by the court.

If the presiding Judge dismisses your citation, the $25 filing fee along with your parking fine will be refunded to you.

Parking Enforcement Holiday Schedule

The following days shall be deemed as holidays for the purpose of parking enforcement:

The first day of January - New Year’s Day
The third Monday in January - Martin Luther King Day
The third Monday in February - President’s Day
The last Monday in May - Memorial Day
The nineteenth day of June - Juneteenth
The fourth day of July - Independence Day
The first Monday in September - Labor Day
The eleventh day of November - Veteran’s Day
The twenty-fifth day of December - Christmas Day
The day designated by The President of the United States as Thanksgiving Day.
The Friday following the day designated by The President of the United States as Thanksgiving Day.
Any day or part of a day, which may be designated by the council as a holiday.

Parking Enforcement FAQs

I need information for posting signs on private property to detour unauthorized parking.
Section 22658 of the California Vehicle Code explains the requirements for the proper posting of signs and should be reviewed prior to any posting. Click here to view examples of signage.

I sold this car. Why am I still receiving outstanding citation notices in the mail?
If you were the registered owner on file at the time the citation was issued, then you are responsible for the citation. When you sell or transfer a vehicle, you are responsible for notifying the DMV within five (5) days of the sale or transfer. Release of Liability forms are available at the DMV.

I paid for my parking citation(s), why do they still show outstanding at DMV?
There is a delay in updating information to the DMV. This process typically takes about 45 days. If you need proof of payment for parking citations in order to register your vehicle, you will need to obtain an “Abstract” for your paid citation(s) from our office to complete your registration.

My registration is expired, will my car be towed?
Your vehicle is subject to being impounded and cited if your registration is expired in excess of (6) months.

Will my car be towed if I do not pay for my parking citations?
Your vehicle is subject to being impounded should you have five (5) or more outstanding parking citations. In order to retrieve your vehicle you must have current registration, pay all of your outstanding parking citations as well as storage and release fees.

Will I be arrested if I do not pay my parking citation(s)?
You will not be arrested for non-payment of parking citations; however, failure to pay by the due date will result in the penalty being increased and subject you to additional collection activity.

May I get a payment extension on my parking citation?
Payment plans are not available unless you meet the requirements under CVC 40220. Low Income Individuals: CVC 40220 allows for installment payments to qualifying low income individuals who apply within one hundred and twenty (120) days from the issuance of parking violation, or within ten (10) days after an administrative hearing determination, whichever is later.Click here for more information, including about applying and determining if you qualify.

Is it possible to perform community service instead of paying for my parking citation?
Community service is not available to settle your parking citations.

I parked in a disabled space and forgot to hang my Disabled Placard. Do I still have to pay the citation?
It is your responsibility to display your Disabled Placard in order to park in a disabled space or anywhere where you may be exempt from certain parking restrictions as provided by law. Disabled placard violations may be reduced to a $25 administrative fee under certain circumstances. To be considered for a fine reduction, you must submit a statement explaining the reason your placard was not properly displayed at time of violation, and send copies of your valid placard, disabled placard ID and driver’s license via the contest process, within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the date of issuance of the parking citation, or fourteen (14) calendar days of the mailing of a Notice of Parking Violation. Click here to contest your citation. Failure to contest and submit documentation as stated above will result in the penalty being increased and additional collection activity.

How do I handle a City of Glendale correctable parking citation (C.V.C. 5200 and 5204)?

CVC Sections 5200 and 5204 require vehicle inspection and evidence of violation correction. The fine may be reduced to $10.00 when proof of correction is completed and signed-off by the Glendale Police Department within twenty-one (21) calendar days of citation issuance.

Traffic Accident Reports

To better serve our citizens and their insurance carriers, we have partnered with LexisNexis to make available for purchase via their secure website a majority of our traffic accident reports.

Instead of driving to the police station and waiting in line at the Records Bureau, you may access your traffic accident report online, for a nominal convenience fee. A copy of a traffic accident report is still available in person for $16.00. The Records Bureau public counter is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., excluding holidays.

Important: Please allow a minimum of seven (7) days from the date of the collision before attempting to purchase your report online. Also, note that some reports that require criminal investigation by our Traffic Bureau may be delayed and/or not available online (such as hit and run accidents or collisions resulting in a fatality). If you have any questions regarding these types of reports, please contact the Records Bureau at (818) 548-3135.

If you need assistance locating your report online, please contact the LexisNexis eCrash Help Desk at 1-866-215-2771.

Click Here to access LexisNexis eCrash in English.
Click Here to access LexisNexis eCrash in Spanish.

Towing & Impound

Impounded Vehicles

The Glendale Police Department charges a vehicle release fee of $77.00 for impounded vehicles. Vehicles are usually impounded for licensing and registration violations. The towing company charges fees in addition to this fee.

To obtain a release of an impounded vehicle, you must present all of the following at the Glendale Police Department:

Valid driver's license or have a licensed driver with you.
Proof that you are the current registered owner or legal owner.
Payment of the $77.00 release fee. Cash ONLY.
Most licensing violations mandate that the vehicle is impounded for 30 days. It can't be released prior to that time. However, there are some exceptions that are listed below:

30 day impounds may be released earlier than the 30 days with reinstatement of the driver's license and proof of current vehicle insurance.
Extenuating circumstances. A hearing officer can approve an earlier release based on extenuating circumstances.

After complying with the above steps, you will be presented with a vehicle release form. You must take this form to the towing company. You are responsible for any storage and tow fees that the towing company charges. You pay those fees directly to them.

The towing companies used by the Glendale Police Department:

Mid Valley Tow - 524 Riverdale Drive, Glendale, CA 91204
818-546-1510
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday. All after hour inquiries, please call 818-546-1510.

Gays Towing - 1521 Flower Street, Glendale, CA 92101
818-244-0015
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday. All after hour inquiries, please call 818-244-0015.

Crescenta Valley Tow - 4456 Cloud Avenue, La Crescenta, CA 91214
818-248-1466
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Stored Vehicles

The Glendale Police Department does not charge a release fee for stored vehicles. However, you are still responsible for any storage and towing fees charged by the tow company. Vehicles are usually stored as a result of traffic accidents, illegal parking, or as a result of the driver being arrested for a non-licensing violation.

Storage Hearing

Under the provisions of Section 22852 CVC, you have the right to a hearing to determine the validity of a stored vehicle. If you choose to contest the validity of the storage, you shall request the hearing in person, writing, or by telephone at the Glendale Police Department.

Your request for a hearing shall be received at the Glendale Police Department within (10) days from the date of the notice. If you request a hearing, it will be conducted within 48 hours of the request, excluding weekends and holidays. The vehicle storage hearing is an informal process to determine whether or not a vehicle was lawfully stored.

If the hearing officer determines the storage to be unlawful, the storing agency will be responsible for the towing storage charges. Your failure to request or attend a scheduled hearing shall satisfy the Post-Storage Validity requirements of Section 22852 CVC.

If you have any questions, or if the vehicle is no longer owned by you, please contact the Glendale Police Department at 818-548-3131.

Towing and Hearing Fees

Glendale Police Department Fees

Hearing Fee: $86.00 (Cash only)
Release Fee: $77.00 (Cash only)

Towing Company Fees

Tow Schedule of Rates & Charges (PDF)
Towing Fee (towing from a location to the tow yard are based on an hourly rate): $145.50
Storage Fee (24 hour storage fee): $45
VTACR Fee: $271 (City of Glendale fee, charged by the towing company).

Release of Personal Property from Impounded or Stored Vehicle

22651.07 V(c) Prior to paying any towing, recovery, or storage-related fees, a vehicle owner or his or her agent or a licensed repossessor shall have the right to all of the following: (1) Receive his or her personal property, at no charge, during normal business hours. Normal business hours for releasing collateral and personal property are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., inclusive, except state holidays.