Pay or dispute a ticket

If you get a ticket in the City of Waterloo, you can make a payment or request a screening review to dispute it. This includes:

  • parking tickets
  • bylaw-related tickets such as noise, licensing, lot maintenance, etc.

On this page

  1. Pay a ticket
  2. Find a lost ticket
  3. Dispute a ticket
  4. Request an extension
  5. Contact us

Pay a ticket

We DO NOT accept Visa Debit or Debit Mastercard for online payments. Unpaid tickets will incur late fees and be forwarded to Service Ontario for collection.

To pay a parking ticket, you will need:
  1. The license plate number that is attached to the parking ticket
  2. The number on the top of your ticket, labelled “Penalty Notice Number”, underneath the barcode
To pay a bylaw-related ticket, you will need:
  1. The last name or the name of the business the ticket was made out to
  2. The number on the top of your ticket, underneath the barcode, starting with an “E”
Pay online:
  • your ticket may take up to 15 days after it was issued to show up in our online system, no late fees will be applied until 30 days after the ticket was issued
  • you can only use a Visa card, a MasterCard, or an American Express card to pay online

Pay ticket online

Reasons you may get an error message when paying online

  1. Your ticket isn't in the system yet. Some tickets may take up to 15 days to appear in our online system. No late fees will be applied until 30 days after the ticket was issued. 

  2. You tried to pay with a debit card, Visa Debit or Debit Mastercard. You can only use a traditional credit card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express) to pay your ticket online.

  3. You put in the wrong information. Double-check your ticket number and licence plate number. Contact us if you're not sure.

  4. You got a Speed Camera or Red Light ticket. These are issued by the Region of Waterloo and must be paid through the Region’s website.

  5. You picked the wrong ticket type. There are 3 options: “Parking Ticket”, “Personal Ticket” or “Business Ticket.” Personal and Business tickets are both for bylaw-related fines such as noise, licensing, lot maintenance, etc.

Other ways to pay your ticket:

Pay in-person

To pay in-person you must:

  • visit the municipal enforcement counter at City Hall 
  • have either a Debit card, a Debit Visa card, a Debit MasterCard, a Visa card, a MasterCard, cash, a cheque, or a money order

We DO NOT accept American Express cards for in-person payments.

Pay by drop box, or by mail

To pay by drop box or by mail you must:

  • drop off a cheque or money order (payable to the City of Waterloo) at the after hours box located outside the William Street entrance to city hall
  • mail a cheque or money order (payable to the City of Waterloo) to:

Municipal Enforcement Services
City of Waterloo
100 Regina St. S.
PO Box 337, Station Waterloo
Waterloo, ON
N2J 4A8

Find a lost ticket

If you can’t find your ticket or think it’s lost, you will have to contact Municipal Enforcement Services.

When you contact us, please include your licence plate number for parking tickets, or your full name or name of business, for bylaw-related tickets. We will need that information to find your ticket. 

Contact us in one of three ways:

  1. By emailing municipalenforcement@waterloo.ca
  2. By phoning  519-747-8785
  3. By visiting in person, at the Municipal Enforcement Services Desk at City Hall

Dispute a ticket

Request a screening review

You have 30 days to dispute your ticket through a screening review. Remember:

  • do not pay the ticket if you're requesting a review
  • no late fees will be added while you wait
  • wait times can be up to 16 weeks
  • you will receive a confirmation email when you submit your request

You will receive the decision in-person, by email or mail.

Request a screening review

Request a hearing review

If you disagree with the screening review decision, you can request a hearing review. You must make this request within 30 days of your screening review decision, and:

  • hearings can be virtual or in-person, and are usually held monthly
  • hearing officers are independent, third-party arbitrators
  • if you miss your hearing, you will be charged a fee

Hearing review decisions are final.

Request related documents during your dispute

If you wish to access city documents related to your ticket, please complete a request for disclosure form at least 10 days before your hearing review date. You must have an active dispute for your ticket when making this request.

If you are not disputing a ticket, you must submit a Freedom of Information Request to access city documents related to your ticket. 

Request an extension 

Contact us to request an extension if you cannot pay or dispute your ticket within 30 days. We will only grant an extension if there are extenuating circumstances.

Contact us

Contact us at 519-747-8785 or amps@waterloo.ca if you have any questions or need:

  • accessibility accommodations, like a sign language interpreter
  • translation support
  • help filling out request forms or don't have reliable access to a computer or the internet