Citations

A: To pay a citation, visit the Parking Portal and enter the citation number and the vehicle license plate information to search for the citation. 

If you are having difficulty locating your citation, confirm that you have entered the correct license plate number. In California, the format is typically 1ABC123, 123ABC1, or for Disabled License Plate holders enter the “DP” based on where it is displayed on the license plate (front of the sequence or rear of the sequence). Additionally, certain states may omit the use of the letter O or the number zero, in which case, enter the license plate number with both variations to locate the citation.
 

A: Depending on the vehicle’s registered state, the license plate number sequence may or may not have an O or a zero. Attempt to locate the citation using the appropriate character.

For reference, California’s license plate sequence is currently 123ABC1. The sequence for other years may be viewed on Wikipedia's California License Plate page. You may also find similar articles for other states to confirm their sequences.

A: Appeals must be submitted through the Parking Portal. The back of your citation has brief instructions along with the QR Code that leads to the Parking Portal. For more detailed information, please visit the How to Appeal page.

If you are experiencing difficulty with the online process, please email tps-citations@ucsb.edu to request a “Handwritten” Appeal Form. This may be submitted via email or in person, however the appeal will be entered into the Parking Portal and responses will be through the online system.

A: In accordance with California Vehicle Code regulations, citations are dismissed, reduced, or upheld through the appeal process. Please submit an appeal in order to have your citation reviewed for one of these outcomes.

A: Citation appeals should only be submitted by the person who received the citation or the legal registered owner of the vehicle. Third parties, including UCSB department representatives, are not advised to appeal as they will be held responsible for the Adjudication Office decision, to include having to pay the fine if the citation is upheld at appeal. 

A: The California Vehicle Code provides individuals 21 days to pay or appeal a citation. If no appeal is submitted within 21 days and no payment is made, the citation is delinquent. Once the citation is delinquent, a delinquency fee of $48 is added if unpaid by the end of 35 days and it will be sent to the CA DMV as a registration hold with an additional $10 DMV fee. 

For vehicles registered with another state, rather than being sent to the CA DMV, any unpaid citations will be sent to a collections agency. 

A: If you did not receive a confirmation in your email, first check your Spam folder for “Appeal Confirmation Email” from “do-not-reply@tps.ucsb.edu”

If there was no confirmation email received, login to your account on the Parking Portal and under the “Citations” section, you will be able to “View Your Appeals” to determine if the specific citation appeal has been received and its current status. 

Alternatively, if you “View Your Citations” you will be able to see any citations that are still eligible for an appeal. If the citation is eligible for an appeal, this means that an appeal was not submitted. If it is not eligible for an appeal, the reason is noted. 

A: Once an appeal is submitted, there is no further action required from you until a decision is made and you are notified. The initial 21-day timeline refers to an individual’s opportunity to appeal a citation. While the appeal is in review, the citation aging is paused, no payment is necessary, and late fees will not be added.

Once a decision is made, if the appeal was not accepted, you have 21 days to pay the citation before it is considered delinquent and the additional fees are added.

A: If you are not satisfied with the results of your First-Level Appeal, you must pay the full citation fee in full within 21 days of the emailed and mailed “NOTIFICATION OF DECISION” letter. As a paid citation is generally considered to be closed, immediately upon paying the citation, email tps-citations@ucsb.edu with your Administrative Hearing request.

Please include the citation number and license plate number in the email. Level-2 Administrative Hearings are held via ZOOM once a month, on the second Thursday of every month at 12:00 PM and you may not select a specific time.

If unsatisfied with the Level-2 Administrative Hearing decision, you may proceed to Level-3 with the Santa Barbara Superior Court. Please see the How to Appeal page for specific details.

A: California Vehicle Code 40215 only permits appeals within the 21 day window that begins with the citation issuance. This information is noted on the back of the citation and any mailed notice of parking citation does not change the requirement as communicated. 

While you may have extenuating circumstances, the appeal window closes after 21 days.

A: CVC 40220, last updated for 2026 by California Assembly Bill 1299, allows for a payment plan for qualifying indigent persons.

The registered owner may request an indigency determination, a request for indigency determination can be made by requesting an application from the Parking Services office. Upon application submission, the following documents are required: proof of income and/or proof of receipt of benefits as outlined in the application and a copy of the current vehicle DMV registration.

If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Citation Administration unit by phone at (805) 893-3680 or email at: tps-citations@ucsb.edu.

A: California Government Code 68632 allows for a qualifying indigent person to proceed with a Level-2 Hearing without paying the initial fees. 

The registered owner may request an indigency determination fee waiver, a request for indigency determination fee waiver can be made by requesting an application from the Parking Services office.

Upon application submission, the following documents are required: proof of income and/or proof of receipt of benefits as outlined in the application and a copy of the current vehicle DMV registration. If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Citation Administration unit by phone at (805) 893-3680 or email at: tps-citations@ucsb.edu.

A: As a renter that was operating the vehicle at the time of citation, you are responsible for the citation. Each rental company has their own specific terms and conditions regarding citations received while the vehicle was in your possession. Typically, you are responsible for the citation and if a citation is received, it is in your best interest to address the citation before the notice of parking citation is sent to the rental company.

When a rental company receives a notice of parking citation, they will review their records to determine who the renter was at the time of the violation. They will then assess any fees that are permissible in their agreement with the renter and send the renter information to UCSB TPS. 

When the renter information is received by UCSB TPS, we will associate the citation with the renter and regenerate the notice of parking citation. A renter who is interested in appealing a citation must submit an appeal within 21 days of the updated notice of parking citation.

Rental companies, at their discretion, may choose to pay the citation, however if the citation has not been paid, then the renter is responsible and if the citation is marked as delinquent. In delinquency, an additional fee of $48 is added and it may be sent to a collection agency to resolve.

A: Any fees assessed by a rental company are part of the terms of your rental agreement and UCSB TPS has no ability to affect the agreement you entered into with the rental company. Please contact them to discuss these fees.

A: If the concern is not related to an appeal for a citation and you would like to speak to someone regarding enforcement of UCSB’s Parking Regulations, it would be best received by the Parking Enforcement Supervisor. Please see the Contacts page on how to reach them.

A: If you would like to speak to someone in the Citations Administration Office, please email tps-citations@ucsb.edu or call the message line at (805) 893-3680 to request a call back.  When leaving a message include your call back number, the citation number and the vehicle license plate number.

A: You can submit citation payments online through the Parking Portal, in person at UCSB TPS Permit Sales, by mail alongside your annual DMV registration renewal, or in person at a local California DMV branch.

If you are affiliated with UCSB and pay online this will immediately remove any short or long-term UCSB Parking Permit holds or any potential scofflaw status that would make you eligible to be immobilized or towed.

A: When paying outstanding citation fines with UCSB TPS, the citations will show as cleared in the Parking Portal, and then the record is electronically sent to the CA DMV. The CA DMV system may take up to 45 days to remove the citation from their records. 

If you need to register your vehicle as soon as possible, the Citation Adjudication Office can issue a “Notice of Disposition of Parking/Toll Violation” form (also known as a DMV Abstract) to provide to a physical CA DMV Office so that you may register your vehicle while the electronic system updates are pending. Please contact us via phone at 805-893-3680 or email us at tps-citations@ucsb.edu to request an abstract.

A: When paying outstanding fines at the CA DMV, the documentation you are provided advises you that it may take up to 45 days for a citation balance to be cleared by the issuing agency. This is because the CA DMV must transfer funds to UCSB Transportation & Parking Services and depending on the day the payment is made, it may fall into the next scheduled CA DMV disbursement period.

If you provide the CA DMV documentation to TPS, we place the citations on hold so that they are not considered into the count for scofflaw status, which could lead to vehicle immobilization.

A: After two citations for a class 1 ($48 penalty) violation, the fine amount accumulates by $10 for each additional class 1 violation. Thus, the fine for a third such violation is $58, a fourth is $68, and a fifth is $78. The fine for a sixth or subsequent class 1 violation is $88.

When a citation is delinquent, $48 is added to the corresponding fine amount and another $10 is added when it is sent to the CA DMV as a registration hold.

Additionally, some fines are set based on a government ordinance and all fines can be reviewed on the Parking Violations Rates page.

A: Scofflaw status is when there are 5 or more unpaid citations on a vehicle. When your vehicle is classified as a scofflaw, it is eligible to be immobilized or towed for the unpaid citations if found in violation of parking regulation on UCSB property.

Please make sure to address all outstanding citations to prevent your vehicle from being classified as a scofflaw.

A: If your vehicle was immobilized, you must pay all outstanding citations and the immobilization fee to have the vehicle released to you. If this is not completed, your vehicle may be towed off UCSB property and stored at an impound yard. 

Once the citations are paid, you may call the Citations Administration office at 805-893-3680 from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM to have the vehicle released. After 4:00 PM, you may call UCPD at 805-893-3446 for information on how to have the vehicle released. 

A: After a vehicle has been taken to an impound yard, retrieving it requires clearing all unpaid citations, holding a valid and current vehicle registration (which includes settling any CA DMV fees and fulfilling requirements like smog checks or outstanding citations from other agencies), and possessing active vehicle insurance. Additionally, to receive a release form from the UCSB Police Department, you must present proof that these conditions have been met.  

Note: If your registration has expired and the citations have been transferred as a vehicle registration hold, contact Citations Administration Office via email at tps-citations@ucsb.edu or via phone at (805) 893-3680, to request a DMV Abstract/REG197 form.

Releasing a vehicle from the impound yard requires a release authorization from the UCSB Police Department as well as payment of the yard's impound and storage fees.