MISSOULA — The Missoula City Council voted to approve parking violation fines on Monday night, with the Missoula Parking Commission aiming to deter repeat offenders.
Fines for meter violations — based on the number of violations within 180 days of one another — will increase to $10 for the first repeat violation, $20 for the second, $30 for the third, and $40 for four or more.
Watch to learn more about the changes coming to downtown Missoula:
The fines for improper parking violations, like parking in a no-loading zone, will increase to $20 for the first violation, $40 for the second, $60 for the third, $80 for the fourth and $100 for five or more. The number of violations resets however after one year of no violations.
The fines for parking without a permit in a residential parking area will increase to $20 for the first violation, $40 for the second, $60 for the third, $80 for the fourth and $100 for five or more. The number of violations again resets after one year of no violations.
It is important to note that fines will not escalate on any single license plate within a single day.
The parking commission says that increasing the fines will help deter repeat violators.
“Eighteen to 20% of our parkers for whom that first warning isn't a steep enough penalty. And subsequent violations that max out at $20 is not a steep enough penalty,” said Missoula Parking Commission director Jodi Pilgrim.
With the hope that the increased fines will deter repeat violators, the parking commission expects that their annual revenue will go down.
“It's projected that our parking fine revenue will decrease when these fines go up because if the parking ticket is working as an effective tool, which is what we're striving toward right now, we should be issuing fewer citations as people start to comply with the parking regulations,” said Pilgrim.
These increased fines will go into effect on January 1, 2026.
