Parking Enforcement Workers
Patrol assigned area, such as public parking lot or city streets to issue tickets to overtime parking violators and illegally parked vehicles.
Also known as: Civilian Pay Technician (Civilian Pay Tech), Enforcement Officer, Enforcement Safety Officer, Meter Maid, Parking Control Officer, Parking Enforcement Officer (PEO), Parking Enforcement Specialist, Parking Enforcement Technician, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Declining)
What You'd Do
- Patrol an assigned area by vehicle or on foot to ensure public compliance with existing parking ordinance.
- Maintain close communications with dispatching personnel, using two-way radios or cell phones.
- Write warnings and citations for illegally parked vehicles.
- Respond to and make radio dispatch calls regarding parking violations and complaints.
- Train new or temporary staff.
- Identify vehicles in violation of parking codes, checking with dispatchers when necessary to confirm identities or to determine whether vehicles need to be booted or towed.
- Perform simple vehicle maintenance procedures, such as checking oil and gas, and report mechanical problems to supervisors.
- Observe and report hazardous conditions, such as missing traffic signals or signs, and street markings that need to be repainted.
- Investigate and answer complaints regarding contested parking citations, determining their validity and routing them appropriately.
- Maintain assigned equipment and supplies, such as hand-held citation computers, citation books, rain gear, tire-marking chalk, and street cones.
- Provide information to the public regarding parking regulations and facilities, and the location of streets, buildings and points of interest.
- Appear in court at hearings regarding contested traffic citations.
- Make arrangements for illegally parked or abandoned vehicles to be towed, and direct tow-truck drivers to the correct vehicles.
- Perform traffic control duties such as setting up barricades and temporary signs, placing bags on parking meters to limit their use, or directing traffic.
- Enter and retrieve information pertaining to vehicle registration, identification, and status, using hand-held computers.
- Prepare and maintain required records, including logs of parking enforcement activities, and records of contested citations.
- Mark tires of parked vehicles with chalk and record time of marking, and return at regular intervals to ensure that parking time limits are not exceeded.
- Provide assistance to motorists needing help with problems, such as flat tires, keys locked in cars, or dead batteries.
- Collect coins deposited in meters.
- Locate lost, stolen, and counterfeit parking permits, and take necessary enforcement action.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.