San Diego's Superior Court has ordered the city to pay $16.5 million to drivers who were charged late fees on parking tickets in a manner that violates California law.
A city spokesperson declined to comment on the ruling itself, saying that it was still under evaluation.
The case centers on a provision in the California Vehicle Code that requires cities to give drivers 14 days after a delinquent notice is mailed before late fees can be charged. According to the original complaint, the city was charging late fees too early in some cases and failing to put the late fee law in writing in mailed delinquency notices. The city has since changed its policy as of April 2025.
The plaintiff in the case said she did not know she had a parking ticket until a delinquent notice arrived in her mailbox two months after the ticket was issued, demanding $112.50 — roughly $60 for the original ticket and $52 in late fees. Despite many attempts for recourse, including speaking out publicly at a San Diego City Council Meeting in November of 2022, she was never awarded a refund of her late fees.
She argued the late fees were unlawfully applied and that the same thing had happened to many other drivers.
The court agreed.
The city declined to comment on the ruling, saying it was still reviewing it. The city also said it had changed its late fee policy as of April 2025 and that the lawsuit only covers tickets dating back to Feb. 25, 2022.
The city can still appeal the ruling.
Drivers who may be eligible for a payout were sent postcards by the city a few months ago. The city has a webpage dedicated to the ruling with more information. The main plaintiff in the case declined to comment, and neither of her attorneys returned our request for comment before the time this article was published.
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