What a Maryland parking ticket is

This page describes the parking-citation provisions in Maryland Transportation Title 26, Subtitle 3. It quotes the statute rather than applying it to a particular notice. It does not state a statewide parking fine schedule or assess a ticket.

This page describes Maryland statutes and uses Baltimore City as one local example. Local parking rules, fines and processes vary. We did not verify current MVA or District Court operational guidance for this page.

Information on this page was checked against sources available as of November 7, 2026.

What Transportation §26-301 says about local parking rules

Section 26-301(b) and (c): “(b) Subject to subsection (c) of this section, any State agency authorized by law and any political subdivision of this State may adopt ordinances or regulations that: (1) Regulate the parking of vehicles; (2) Provide for the impounding of vehicles parked in violation of the ordinances or regulations; (3) Regulate the towing of vehicles from publicly owned and privately owned parking lots; and (4) Provide for the issuance of a citation by an officer for a violation of an ordinance or regulation that is adopted under this section. (c) A political subdivision may not adopt or enforce an ordinance or regulation that prohibits the parking of more than one motorcycle within a space served by a single parking meter.”

The authorization is subject to subsection (c), the motorcycle and single-meter-space restriction quoted in the same passage. This page does not give a statewide fine amount.

What Transportation §26-302 says about the citation and owner presumption

Section 26-302(a): “(a) An officer who discovers a vehicle parked in violation of an ordinance or regulation adopted under this subtitle shall: (1) Deliver a citation to the driver or, if the vehicle is unattended, attach a citation to the vehicle in a conspicuous place; and (2) Keep a copy of the citation, bearing his certification under penalty of perjury that the facts stated in the citation are true.”

Section 26-302(b) and (c): “(b) In the absence of the driver, the registered owner of the vehicle is presumed to be the person receiving the citation. (c) (1) A citation issued under this section shall include a box that the person issued the citation may check to indicate that the registration plates cited were not issued for the vehicle described in the citation. (2) A political subdivision, State agency, or third–party contractor authorized to conduct parking enforcement on behalf of a political subdivision or State agency that issues a citation under this section to a person who returns the citation with the box checked as described in paragraph (1) of this subsection: (i) Shall verify through the Administration whether the person issued the citation should be held liable for the violation; and (ii) May contact the person issued the citation as part of the verification process. (3) After the verification process initiated under paragraph (2) of this subsection, if the political subdivision, State agency, or third–party contractor finds that the person issued the citation should not be held liable for the citation, the political subdivision, State agency, or third–party contractor shall dismiss the citation. (4) A person may not submit a citation with the box checked as indicated in paragraph (1) of this subsection to a political subdivision, State agency, or third–party contractor if the registration plates cited were issued for the vehicle described in the citation.”

That is the statute's statement. Subsection (b) is a presumption, not conclusive owner liability. Subsection (c), quoted with it, requires verification, conditions dismissal on the verification finding, and prohibits a checked-box submission when the plates were issued for the vehicle described. This is not a recommendation to make a particular statement on a citation.

What Transportation §§26-303–304 say about payment and trial

Section 26-303(a): “(a) (1) The person receiving a citation under this subtitle shall: (i) Pay for the parking violation directly to the political subdivision or State agency serving the citation; or (ii) Elect to stand trial for the violation. (2) An election to stand trial shall be made by sending a notice of intention to stand trial to the political subdivision or State agency at least 5 days before the payment date specified in the citation.”

That is the statute's statement. These are the statutory alternatives, not a recommendation to choose one. The five-day interval runs before the payment date specified in the citation, not after the citation was issued. Courts and Judicial Proceedings §7-302(d) provides for the issuing body to forward the citation and notice to the District Court, which schedules and notifies under procedures adopted by the Chief Judge. Transportation §26-304 requires trial-date, place and time notification; its minimum interval is 15 days from receipt of the notice of intention, not a promise of trial within 15 days. Those provisions are quoted immediately below. No filing-service or processing-time promise is made.

Courts and Judicial Proceedings §7-302(d): “(d) Every ordinance, law, or regulation controlling the parking of motor vehicles or providing for impounding such vehicles or pertaining to the failure to pay tolls shall provide that the person receiving a citation may elect to stand trial for said offense by notifying the State agency, political subdivision or municipality of his intention of standing trial, which notice shall be given at least five (5) days prior to the date of payment as set forth in the citation. Upon receipt of the notice of such intention to stand trial, the political subdivision or municipality shall forward to the District Court in said political subdivision or municipality, and the State agency shall forward to the District Court having venue, a copy of the citation and a copy of the notice from the person who received the citation indicating his intention to stand trial. Upon receipt thereof, the District Court shall schedule the case for trial and notify the defendant of the trial date under procedures to be adopted by the Chief Judge of the District Court. All parking or impounding fines, penalties or forfeitures or failure to pay toll penalties collected through the District Court pursuant to a parking or impounding or toll collection ordinance, law, or regulation enacted by a State agency, political subdivision or municipality shall be remitted to the respective local government or State agency.”

Transportation §26-304: “(a) The Chief Judge of the District Court shall adopt procedures for the trial of parking violations under this subtitle. (b) The procedures adopted under this section shall include provisions for notifying the person receiving a citation of: (1) The date of trial, which may not be less than 15 days from the date on which the notice of intention of the person to stand trial is received; (2) The place of trial; and (3) The time of trial.”

Section 26-303(b): “(b) (1) If a person elects to stand trial and desires the presence at trial of the officer who issued the citation, he shall so notify the political subdivision or State agency at the time the notice of intention to stand trial is given. (2) If proper notification is not given, the officer need not appear at the trial, and the copy of the citation bearing the certification of the officer is prima facie evidence of the facts stated in it.”

That is the statute's statement. The officer-notification requirement and the prima-facie-evidence consequence are quoted together. This page does not offer an officer-attendance tactic or describe additional court steps.

What Transportation §26-305 says about registration restrictions and their conditions

Transportation §26-305 also addresses certain camera citations. This page covers parking citations, not camera-ticket rules. See our Maryland camera-ticket page for that separate topic.

Section 26-305(a): “(a) The Administration may not register or transfer the registration of any vehicle involved in a parking violation under this subtitle, a violation under any federal parking regulation that applies to property in this State under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government, a violation of § 21–202(h) of this article as determined under § 21–202.1 of this article or Title 21, Subtitle 8 of this article as determined under § 21–809 or § 21–810 of this article, or a violation of the Illegal Dumping and Litter Control Law under § 10–110 of the Criminal Law Article or a local law or ordinance adopted by Baltimore City relating to the unlawful disposal of litter as determined under § 10–112 of the Criminal Law Article, if: (1) It is notified by a political subdivision or authorized State agency that the person cited for the violation under this subtitle, § 21–202.1, § 21–809, or § 21–810 of this article, or § 10–110 or § 10–112 of the Criminal Law Article has failed to either: (i) Pay the fine for the violation by the date specified in the citation; or (ii) File a notice of his intention to stand trial for the violation; (2) It is notified by the District Court that a person who has elected to stand trial for the violation under this subtitle, under § 21–202.1, § 21–809, or § 21–810 of this article, or under § 10–110 or § 10–112 of the Criminal Law Article has failed to appear for trial; or (3) It is notified by a U.S. District Court that a person cited for a violation under a federal parking regulation: (i) Has failed to pay the fine for the violation by the date specified in the federal citation; or (ii) Either has failed to file a notice of the person’s intention to stand trial for the violation, or, if electing to stand trial, has failed to appear for trial.”

Section 26-305(a) ties registration refusal or transfer refusal to the specified notifications and failures to pay, elect trial or appear; subsection (b) is a distinct chronic-offender suspension provision for parking and federal-parking violations, not a general camera provision. Subsection (c) requires the corresponding political subdivision, State agency, District Court or U.S. District Court notification specified there to end the restriction. Subsection (f) requires procedures for notification of restrictions and rescissions. Subsection (g) states a fee established by the Administration before renewal for an owner denied registration; this page does not state that fee amount. These are statutory conditions, not a prediction about a particular registration or a verified MVA processing timetable.

Section 26-305(b) and (c): “(b) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the Administration may suspend the registration of a vehicle involved in a parking violation under this subtitle or a violation under any federal parking regulation that applies to property in this State under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government if notified in accordance with subsection (a) of this section that the violator is a chronic offender. (2) The Administration may adopt rules and regulations to define chronic offender and develop procedures to carry out the suspension of registration as authorized by this subsection. (c) The Administration shall continue the suspension and refusal to register or transfer a registration of the vehicle until: (1) If the suspension or refusal was required under subsection (a)(1) or (b)(1) of this section, the political subdivision or State agency notifies the Administration that the charge has been satisfied; (2) If the suspension or refusal was required under subsection (a)(2) or (b)(1) of this section, the District Court notifies the Administration that the person cited has appeared for trial or has pleaded guilty and paid the fine for the violation; or (3) If the suspension or refusal was required under subsection (a)(3) or (b)(1) of this section, the U.S. District Court notifies the Administration that the charge has been satisfied.”

Section 26-305(f) and (g): “(f) The Administration shall adopt procedures by which the political subdivisions, State agencies, the District Court, and the U.S. District Court shall notify it of any restrictions and any rescission of restrictions placed on the registration of vehicles under this section. (g) (1) In addition to any other fee or penalty provided by law, an owner of a vehicle who is denied registration of the vehicle under the provisions of this section shall pay a fee established by the Administration before renewal of the registration of the vehicle. (2) The fee described under paragraph (1) of this subsection: (i) May be distributed in part to a political subdivision acting as an agent of the Administration in the registration of a vehicle under § 13–404 of this article if, based upon information provided to the Administration by the political subdivision under this section, the vehicle’s prior registration was suspended or the vehicle’s registration renewal was denied; and (ii) Except as provided under item (i) of this paragraph, shall be retained by the Administration and may not be credited to the Gasoline and Motor Vehicle Revenue Account for distribution under § 8–403 or § 8–404 of this article.”

That is the statute's statement. Section 26-305(a) ties registration refusal or transfer refusal to the specified notifications and failures to pay, elect trial or appear; subsection (b) is a distinct chronic-offender suspension provision for parking and federal-parking violations, not a general camera provision. Subsection (c) requires the corresponding political subdivision, State agency, District Court or U.S. District Court notification specified there to end the restriction. Subsection (f) requires procedures for notification of restrictions and rescissions. Subsection (g) states a fee established by the Administration before renewal for an owner denied registration; this page does not state that fee amount. These are statutory conditions, not a prediction about a particular registration or a verified MVA processing timetable.

What Transportation §26-306 says about mistaken or wrongful government towing authorization

Section 26-306: “Any State, county, or municipal corporation, or any of its agencies, which mistakenly or otherwise wrongfully authorizes the towing, impoundment, or storage of a privately owned motor vehicle shall reimburse the owner of the vehicle for all reasonable towing and storage costs incurred by the owner as a result of the mistaken or wrongful action.”

That is the statute's statement. The quoted text concerns mistaken or wrongful authorization by the enumerated public entities and reasonable resulting towing and storage costs. It is not a general private-tow rule or a promise of reimbursement for a particular tow.

Baltimore City as one local example

Baltimore City has its own parking-fines payment page. It is one local source, not a statewide fine schedule or a statement of MVA or District Court practice. This page does not state a Baltimore fee, boot or impoundment amount.

Paths described here, not which to choose

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US overview: What a parking ticket notice is. Separate topics: Maryland speeding tickets; Maryland camera tickets.

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Information on this page was last checked against official sources on November 7, 2026.