Parking tickets generally don’t affect your car insurance premium in Ontario because they aren’t treated like speeding tickets. However, ignoring a parking ticket can still have consequences, including problems renewing your licence plate when fines remain unpaid.
For this article, our team reviewed Ontario’s defaulted vehicle-fine guidance, Toronto’s parking-violation dispute process, and FSRA’s rating-factor guidance.
Keep reading to learn why ordinary parking tickets usually do not affect car insurance, what can happen if you ignore one and how to identify tickets that follow different rules.
Read More: See How Demerit Points Work in Ontario
Do Parking Tickets Affect Your Car Insurance Rates?
Ordinary municipal parking tickets generally do not affect Ontario car-insurance rates because they are not moving convictions on your driving record. Check the issuer and offence before assuming that rule applies.
Parking tickets are non-moving violations:
Non-moving violations don’t reflect on your driving record, unlike moving violations, such as speeding or reckless driving tickets.
Parking Tickets Are Generally Tied to the Vehicle or Registered Owner :
An ordinary parking ticket is generally associated with the vehicle or registered owner rather than recorded as a moving conviction on the driver’s record. That is why a parking ticket generally doesn’t affect your insurance premium the way a moving conviction can.
However, a police-issued moving violation is different, so check the offence and the issuing officer.
Unpaid tickets can still block a plate renewal, while speeding charges, other moving offences, camera penalties and private-lot invoices follow different rules.
Read More: Do Parking Lot Accidents Affect Insurance?
Common Reasons Why Drivers Get Parking Tickets
Parking rules vary by municipality, but common violations include the following:
- Parking in an area marked as no parking can result in a ticket or fine.
- It’s common for drivers to lose track of time and fail to return to their vehicles before the meter expires.
- Accessible parking spots are designated for persons with disabilities. Parking in these spots without authorization can result in a ticket.
- Parking too close to fire hydrants is prohibited to ensure emergency services have quick access to water.
Read More: Review Ontario Fire-Hydrant Parking Rules
Tips for Preventing Parking Tickets
Even if they don’t affect your auto insurance, parking tickets can become expensive, especially if you receive several of them. A few simple habits can help you avoid parking violations:
Pay attention to signs:
Always read nearby signs carefully before parking. Check for no-parking signs and meter rules in the area.
Check the Payment Method and Set a Reminder:
If you’re using timed parking, set a reminder on your phone so you can return before your parking period expires.
Use Parking Apps When Available :
Some municipalities offer parking apps that let you pay remotely and, where permitted, extend your parking time. Turn on a reminder before the paid period expires, but still follow any posted maximum stay.
Double-check your payment details:
When using mobile payment solutions for parking, double-check your licence plate number, parking zone and other payment details before confirming.
What Type of Ticket Did You Receive?
When you got a ticket, start by identifying the issuer and offence. An ordinary municipal parking penalty generally applies to the vehicle and doesn’t result in a moving conviction. But police-issued moving violations and camera-based penalties follow different rules. Unpaid vehicle fines can still affect plate renewal under Ontario’s defaulted-fines guidance. Dispute deadlines can vary by municipality, so check the deadline shown on the ticket or the issuing municipality’s website.
Disputes, deadlines and unpaid penalties
Follow the dispute or payment instructions on the ticket and the issuing municipality’s current webpage. In Toronto, you have 15 days from the penalty-notice date to pay or dispute, followed by a screening review, where eligible, and then a hearing review if required. Other municipalities may have different deadlines and procedures. See Toronto’s current dispute process.
Leaving a parking penalty unpaid can result in additional fees, collection activity or problems renewing your licence plate. Toronto’s collection process states that an unpaid penalty can be the reason for plate denial. That consequence is separate from demerit points or a moving conviction.
Read More: See How Demerit Points Work in Ontario