City of San Diego illegally collected millions in parking ticket late fees: Judge

A judge has ruled that the city of San Diego illegally collected millions of dollars in parking violation late fees and penalties over the course of about three years, potentially entitling more than 174,000 people to refunds.

The ruling stems from a class-action lawsuit involving parking citations issued within San Diego city limits between Feb. 22, 2022, and March 31, 2025. According to the ruling, the city owes plaintiffs more than $16 million.

The lawsuit alleges the city failed to follow requirements in the California Vehicle Code when issuing notices for parking citations. Under state law, the city must mail an initial notice giving recipients 14 days to pay a parking ticket without penalty.

A judge found that the city instead sent notices with late fees already added, according to the lawsuit.

The lead plaintiff, Toya Hacia-Welch, received a parking ticket in downtown San Diego on Feb. 2, 2022. She claims she never received a paper ticket on her car. A notice of delinquency arrived weeks later on April 6, listing a total amount due of $112.50, including fines and penalties if paid by April 20.

According to the lawsuit filed with the Superior Court of California, the notice did not include the option to pay the base fine of $57.50 within 14 days, as required by law.

According to a joint filing, the lawsuit now includes more than 306,000 citations.

The city of San Diego denies the allegations. The city has not responded to the judge’s ruling nor NBC 7’s request for comment in time for publication.

The city’s website still states: “The court has not determined whether plaintiff or the city are correct. There is no money available now and no guarantee that there will be.”

According to lawsuit documents, the city now (as of April 2025) provides at least 21 days notice before adding penalties, fees or interest to the original ticket amount.

Attorneys representing the more than 170,000 people affected declined to comment.

More information is available on the city of San Diego’s website.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.