Do you have to pay for parking tickets issued by private lots?

We've all been there. An appointment runs late or you enter your licence plate wrong and you return to your car to find a ticket under your wiper blade. Someone in your social circle may advise ignoring the ticket. But what happens if you do? And how much power do private parking companies have to make you pay?

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[diablo]

Received a ticket in whistler, moved to Ontario and changed plate and never paid Whistler. It was a private lot.

[lynnewilliams]

No you do not have to pay tickets from a private lot BUT do not park there again without paying or you could get towed.

[joehenderson]

In 2016 I got a $60.00 parking ticket that went up to $100.00 after 7 days. They called me a bunch of times in 2018 telling me to pay. Never did. They sent me a notice in the mail saying they would take legal action if I didn’t pay. Still didn’t pay and nothing ever came of it.

[Jordan-xliy]

Heh, one time I parked and took 6 footsteps to a machine, paid the toll for 2 hours, only to come back out to a $70 ticket because it turns out the giant lot I was in had been sub divided between Diamond and IMPark. That's when I stopped being a law abiding citizen and refused to pay at some point the fine grew over $200, and then one day they just stopped :)

[anatolykatyshev]

Ones some guy parked on my driveway in the morning. I blocked his car with mine and left. In the evening he didn't say sorry and requested to unblock. I asked him to leave my property. He called police, they came and charged him for trespassing.

[hbz_]

Collection agencies are forbidden from submitting any motor vehicle / parking offence unpaid amounts to credit agencies like Equifax, TransUnion, etc.

[paulstafford]

You do NOT have to pay a ticket issued by a private parking lot. They will threaten you with going to court which they won't do because the cost of taking you to court is usually more than the ticket. Private parking lot tickets do NOT affect your credit rating at all. The only power private lots have is to tow your vehicle from their lot if you owe them money. DO NOT PAY PRIVATE PARKING LOT TICKETS !

[patrickanderson]

I paid for 12 hr parking in Edmonton before and the ticket printed came out as only good for an hour. I left and came back a couple hours later and got a ticket for it.
I tried to get ahold of the company but all their website options were all about how to pay and nothing about contacting for discrepancies. It was clear what the only goal of this company was.
So, given that, I just didnt ever pay and made sure to not use their parking lot again.

[annacanada]

Diamond in Vancouver fined me for a ticket when I paid and was not expired on time. I had proof of this and submitted it. They still sent me threatening letters and collection notices. But I never replied. They stopped after 7 months.

[rrjprivate]

got a $80 ticket for parking in grocery store underground parking for 5 mins because i didn't have my phone to use their app. I will never shop there again and i literally shopped there everyday as its just up the street from me .The city issued the ticket saying unauthorized parking on private property.So i guess now they think we MUST have a phone on us at all times wtf is this

[kartikkr]

When I was in BC (lower mainland), the tickets were $75-80 depending on where you parked and got ticketed. Getting your license plate changed was $18 with ICBC. So, do the math.

[DoggosintheHouse]

Ripoff rates from downtown private parking lots.... yet another reason why letting office workers work remotely is better for everyone... except, I guess, the people who own downtown private parking lots.

[bradlevantis]

Depends on jurisdiction too. In Ontario private property owners can get provincial authority to issue tickets.

[nishantvshah]

I parked in a private lot back in 2022 when i had gone to give an exam. After i came out the machine wouldnt accept any cards (i tried 3). I went and complained to the guys but none of them seemed to know what to do. After almost 30 mins i gave up and left.

I got a ticket asking me to pay 120$. The original charge was 12$..

I received a call from a collection agency in a few days demanding me to pay. I told them clearly ill pay 12$ which i rightfully owe. They tried to persuade me by brining it down to 40$ (as if they were doing me a huge favour). I didnt budge.


They called me thrice and my response was the same always. Ill pay u 12$ which i rightfully owe..not a penny more.

They stopped calling.

[---llqe]

When I do need to park in private garage lots, I just try and get a spot where it's hard for a tow truck to maneuver (like last spot between a pillar and wall, or squeezed in between cars). I don't do this all the time, but when I need to for 15-30 min, I risk it.

[JD-mwtp]

In 2013 there was a ruling in supreme court of canada that private companies cant report to your credit bureau. All collections notices for PRIVATE parking can be ignored. Just dont get enough that you get towed or just change youre plate number.

[richardkusimenkah]

I have never paid and impark ticket/diamond parking ticket. However, I'm at a Point where if I get towed I'll most likely have to pay what ever amount I owe which is hundreds of dollars.They sent my a letter stating this. So I just make sure I pay for parking at all costs.

[jbmaljbmal]

Move to vancouver, there is no going to court . I haven't paid any parking tickets here since the 1960's . They hand the collection over to a collection agency but I don't pay them either . The same goes for the 2 tickets I got in last 60 years from private lots .

[nttk]

Nice! I like how CBC just did a piece on how to rob a business. Please do more :)

[treynolds]

Worked security in Cobourg at the hospital and we stopped giving out tickets due to it being private parking and we really had no power.