Getting a parking ticket in Madison is frustrating, but it does not have to be confusing. The City of Madison gives you several clear, official ways to resolve a citation, and the one you choose depends on whether you plan to pay it, question it, or fight it.
One deadline matters more than the rest: a review request must be submitted within ten days of the citation. If you think the ticket was a mistake, that clock is the one to watch.
This guide walks through each option the way the City publishes it, verified September 2026. The City’s Parking Citation Information page always controls, and fines, hours, and the court schedule can change — check the live pages before you act.
Your Five Options
When you receive a citation, you have five choices, straight from the City’s citation page. You can pay online, pay by mail with a check or money order, pay in person, request a review to determine whether the ticket was issued in error, or request a court date to contest it.
The right choice depends on your situation. If you agree with the ticket, paying online is fastest. If you believe it was a mistake, a review is the cheaper first step. If you want to argue it before a judge, court is the path.
How to Pay Online
The quickest option is the City’s online portal at parkingtickets.cityofmadison.com, which accepts Visa and MasterCard. If you do not have computer access at home, you can pay online from a Madison Public Library computer or from a kiosk at the City of Madison Traffic Engineering and Parking Office.
You do not have to pay one ticket at a time. The portal lets you pay multiple citations in a single session, so you can clear everything you owe at once.
Paying by Mail or in Person
To pay by mail, send a check or money order — never cash — to the City Treasurer’s Office at 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Room 101, Madison, WI 53703.
For in-person payment, the full-service location is the Court Services public entrance in the City-County Building at 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, ground floor GR-10, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. It accepts cash, money orders, checks that meet certain requirements, and Visa or MasterCard.
A few situations require you to pay at Court Services specifically. The location accepts cash only. You must also go there if authorities impounded your vehicle, you have a large volume of unpaid fines that requires a database search, or you cannot produce the ticket or late notice needed to identify the citation.
Beyond the full-service center, the City Treasurer’s Office, the Parking Division, and the Madison Police Department’s South and West districts can also receive in-person payments. The Citation Payment Methods page has the full details.
Look Up What You Owe
If you have lost the physical ticket, you can still find it. The City’s Parking Citation Look-Up portal lets you view outstanding citations by license plate or vehicle identification number, which is also how you pull up an older citation you no longer have a paper copy of.
Once you have found your citation, you can open a digital copy of the ticket from the same portal if you need the citation number or the exact wording of the violation.
If your registration has been suspended for nonpayment, keep the timing in mind. Online payments can take up to three business days to apply to your balance, and the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles may take up to five business days after payment to clear the suspension.
Request a Review If the Ticket Was an Error
Here’s the active-voice version:
If you believe the City issued your ticket in error, you can ask the City to review it before you pay. You can request a review for situations such as paying the meter, having a valid and active permit, or having permission to park in the area.
Here’s the active-voice version:
To request a review, complete the online form within ten days of the citation date and provide a detailed explanation of why you believe the citation was issued incorrectly. You can submit the review online without visiting an office. If your review is denied, you still have the option to request a court date, so a denial does not end your options.
Contest the Ticket in Court
If you want to contest the citation, call Court Services at 608-266-4170 to schedule a court date. Parking court is held on Tuesdays and is by appointment only. If your case cannot be resolved at that first appearance, it will be set for trial on another date.
Once a case is in court, you enter a plea. The Municipal Court explains the three options. Pleading guilty admits the violation. Pleading no contest means you neither admit nor deny it but want to finish the case and pay — it is usually the fastest route, but it is final.
A not-guilty plea leads to a telephone pretrial conference with the City Attorney.
You must enter your plea on or before your assigned court date; if you do not, you will be found guilty. You do not have to appear in person if you enter your plea on time. Payment is due within 90 days of your original court date, and you can request a payment plan if you cannot pay all at once.
Paying the citation in full before your court date counts as a no-contest plea, so if you have already decided to pay, there is no need to appear.
What Tickets Cost
Fines vary by violation. The City publishes a full violation-code schedule with each fine, including the higher amount that applies if the vehicle is towed.
A few common examples: an expired street meter is $25, or $90 if towed. Parking overtime in a metered zone is $35, or $100 if towed. A no-parking-anytime violation is $30, or $95 if towed. Parking in a handicapped space is $150, or $215 if towed, and parking in a fire lane is $100, or $165 if towed.
A residential permit violation is $105, or $170 if towed. During a declared snow emergency, the City charges $20 for parking on the wrong side of the street and $85 if it tows your vehicle. For the complete winter parking rules, read our Madison winter parking rules guide.
What Happens If You Do Not Pay
Ignoring a ticket does not make it go away, and the costs can grow. Unpaid citations can lead to suspension of your vehicle registration with the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles — the City’s citation page notes that it can take up to five business days after payment for the DMV to clear a suspension once you have paid.
A vehicle parked illegally or in a tow-away zone can also be towed. The tow fee is separate from the citation itself, so you will receive two charges: the violation and the tow fee. If your vehicle was towed, contact Schmidt’s Towing at 608-257-0505.
Getting Help
For questions about payments or refunds, contact Court Services at 608-266-4170, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. For other parking questions, the Parking Office is at 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 109, reachable at 608-266-4761 or parking@cityofmadison.com.
Fines, hours, and the court schedule can change, so treat this as a starting point. The City’s Parking Citation Information page is the authoritative, up-to-date source.
