Seattle Cancels Parking Tickets For 200K Drivers After Lapse

SEATTLE — Drivers who received parking tickets in Seattle between last September and April 5 will receive refunds or have unpaid tickets canceled after the city announced parking enforcement officers lacked the proper authority to write citations.

The City Council unanimously passed legislation last August to move parking enforcement duties from the Seattle Police Department to the Seattle Department of Transportation, which took effect at the beginning of September. However, officials said Tuesday that the transition failed to complete a key technical step: employees working outside of the police department require special commissions from the police chief to perform "law enforcement responsibilities," which they did not receive.

After discovering the lapse, the city said Mayor Bruce Harrell directed SPD and SDOT to complete the proper commissions, which the departments accomplished by the first week of April. Due to the lapsed authority, the city said it would refund parking tickets issued to an estimated 100,000 drivers between September and April and immediately void citations for another 100,000 who had yet to pay.

According to The Seattle Times, the refunds will cost the city up to $5 million.

Drivers due to receive a refund should begin to receive them at the start of next week, the city said. Those who received a ticket during the impacted timeframe do not need to do anything and will have their citations canceled or refunds issued with no further action. An online portal also allows drivers to verify if their citations qualify.