San Francisco parking violations generate millions

It’s no secret that finding a parking space in San Francisco is next to impossible with the increasing number of drivers.

With scarce parking spaces, drivers sometimes find themselves parking in tow-away zones, double parking, or blocking residential drive ways. And in rare cases, on sidewalks. Drivers pay a steep price for such violations.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) issued a total of 1,365,871 parking citations in 2015, according to a 2015 SFTMA report. Here’s the breakdown:

• 509,844 (37.3 percent) were street cleaning citations
• 265,970 (19.5 percent) were parking meter violations
• 163,996 (12 percent) were residential permit parking citations
• 44,182 (3.2 percent) were tow-away zone violations

San Francisco has one of the most expensive parking violation systems in the country, according to CBS SF.

Photo by Incase

The revenue from San Francisco parking citations generated a whopping $88,261,220 in 2015 alone. As of July 1, 2017, parking violations and fines have increased:

• $73 for a street cleaning violation
• $110 for parking in an intersection
• $98 for tow-away zone (outside of downtown)

Despite the increase in fines, San Francisco streets are still crowded with vehicular commuters and ride-hailing services. The latter group’s rampant double parking in bike lanes, according to a Reddit forum, has also helped generate even more coin for the city.

• 2015 SFMTA Factsheet [SF MTA]
• San Francisco Treasurer Looks To Give Low-Income Residents A Parking Break [CBS SF]