Syracuse, N.Y. -- If you have any old and unpaid parking tickets from the city, you might want to pay them off in November. That way, you can dodge any late fees and penalties with no questions asked.
The Syracuse City Common Council unanimously approved a program Monday that allows people with outstanding parking tickets to avoid late fees. Throughout the month, offenders will have the opportunity to pay only the original fine plus a New York state surcharge.
About 86,000 vehicle owners in Syracuse have unpaid parking tickets, according to data from the mayor’s office presented at a Common Council Finance Committee meeting Monday morning.
In total, there are roughly 140,000 unpaid tickets from the past 28 years amounting to fines of about $5.3 million. But with late fees, those tickets add up to roughly $11.3 million in total penalties.
“If you have any outstanding ticket on the books, no matter how old it is, you can come in and pay it during the parking amnesty program,” said Corey Driscoll Dunham, the city’s chief administrative officer. “You’ve got a ticket from 2013, 2023, come on in, pay it.”
It’s up to you to figure out if you have an old parking ticket on the books.
Starting in November, people can search by name on a new online portal, which will be launched within coming days. You can also inquire by calling the parking amnesty phone number at 315-448-8670 or stop by the City Payment Center at city hall in downtown Syracuse.
Payments can be made online or in person at the Payment Center inside city hall.
The city initially planned to run the program, backed by Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, only for the first three weeks of November.
But Councilors Rasheada Caldwell and Jimmy Monto raised concerns Monday that a three-week period is too short — especially for residents who are paid biweekly. The city agreed to extend the amnesty for the full month.
During the Thanksgiving holiday, people won’t be able to come in-person to pay for a late ticket, but those seeking amnesty can still pay through the online portal.
Driscoll Dunham said the program’s main purpose is to help generate revenue for the city, but it also serves to help residents and visitors “clear that slate” of unpaid ticket fees, she said.
Parking ticket fines range from $25 to $100 depending on the violation. After 20 days without paying, the amount doubles, according to information provided today. An additional $30 penalty is added after 30 days and another $40 after 75 days.
After 90 days, or if someone has three unpaid parking tickets, their vehicle may be subject to booting.
Under the amnesty program, a person with a $40 ticket for parking on the wrong side of a neighborhood street that’s over 75 days past due could save $100.
“I’ve seen people come in with $5,000 of parking tickets to tell you the truth,” said Veronica Voss, Syracuse’s deputy commissioner of finance. “It can get out of control.”
In addition to paying the original fine, the person will still have to pay a state surcharge in November. That surcharge is $15 in most cases. It’s $30 for violations involving handicap parking.
Any Syracuse parking ticket issued between 1997 and 2025 is eligible for amnesty.
Syracuse has run parking amnesty programs before. In 2020, the city cleared around 34,000 tickets and collected around $1 million through a similar program. The city also held amnesty periods in 2003 and 1996.
Unlike in 2020, the city won’t mail out notices to people eligible for late-ticket amnesty, said Leah Witmer, of the city’s Bureau of Administrative Adjudication. It is instead focusing on online and social media outreach and will have information about the program on city websites.
Witmer said she hopes the program will also raise awareness about other options that can help residents manage parking ticket costs, such as the city’s payment plan. The plan allows participants to pay as little as $25 a month and will also qualify them to have late fees waived during November. However, once the month ends, the late fees will be reinstated.
People enrolled in the payment plan must make their payments in person at the office, as usual.
A person with a late ticket can receive amnesty through the online portal, which will be available soon. If you want to pay in person, one can visit the Payment Center at City Hall, at 233 E. Washington St., Room 122.