It’s not just you: the city of Madison has been gradually issuing more parking tickets for cars that overstay their welcome. City officials say that’s due to increased driver activity and gradually restored staff levels following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We had cut back a little bit on enforcement during the pandemic,” Amy O’Rourke, city of Madison parking enforcement supervisor, tells Isthmus. “As we slowly started to pick back up, the numbers have increased over the years as we’ve gotten to normal enforcement levels again.”
Isthmus requested a report of all tickets issued for ordinance code violations related to expired time limits between 2019 and June 2024. In 2019, the city issued 47,602 expiration-related parking ticket citations. In 2020, as more people worked from home due to the pandemic and the city stopped enforcing parking limits, O’Rourke says, that number dropped to 22,132 tickets.
The number of tickets gradually increased over the years before slightly decreasing in 2023 — 31,850 tickets were issued in 2021, 40,283 in 2022, and 39,983 in 2023. From Jan. 1 to June 30 of this year, parking enforcement issued 21,785 expiration-related parking tickets. O’Rourke expects the total number of tickets issued in 2024 to be “very similar” to 2023’s number.
Of last year’s 39,983 citations, the vast majority (96%) were issued for expired meters and two-hour street parking violations. The fine for an expired meter is $25, and $40 for exceeding two-hour limits on non-metered street parking.
Staffing has mostly returned to pre-pandemic levels, though three of the 30 alloted full-time parking enforcement positions are currently vacant. More staffing allows for “better coverage” of parking enforcement areas and higher levels of enforcement, says O’Rourke.
All revenue from parking tickets goes to Madison’s general fund. In 2023, the city collected around $4 million in ticket revenue. Despite this haul, O’Rourke says parking enforcement prefers to educate drivers about how to comply with ordinance codes rather than give out tickets. She says that in the 21 years she has worked for the division, the city has never imposed quotas on the number of tickets to be issued each month.
How should drivers avoid tickets? O’Rourke advises those parking in the city to pay attention to signage, particularly in downtown areas, and to review local parking ordinances and rules.
