Here’s what happens if you don’t pay your traffic tickets

A parking ticket is seen on a vehicle in Windsor, Ont., on Friday, May 19, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

The City of Windsor is warning drivers what happens if they don’t pay their traffic tickets.

Recent changes in enforcement now mean that outstanding tickets, such as unpaid parking tickets, red light camera fines, and other vehicle infractions, can prevent the automatic renewal of licence plates, making vehicle plates invalid.

“Traffic tickets are issued to alleviate traffic congestion, increase parking accessibility, facilitate the movement of people and freight goods across the city, and reduce the overall response time for emergency services like fire, police and ambulance,” according to a city news release.

License plate renewal

Due to the elimination of licence plate renewal fees in Ontario, many drivers may not realize their plate renewals are still subject to compliance with municipal and provincial financial obligations. If a vehicle owner has outstanding fines, their licence plate will not automatically be renewed, and their vehicle will not be legally permitted to drive. Drivers with expired licence plates are subject to law enforcement by police, who can issue of fines of up to $160 per incident.

“Licence plate renewals may no longer require a fee, but payment of fines and penalties remains mandatory,” said David Simpson, Commissioner of Infrastructure Services for the City of Windsor. “Unpaid parking tickets, red light camera violations, and other outstanding ticket fines can lead to delays, inconvenience, and potential legal consequences. These debts never expire.”

The City of Windsor Parking Enforcement Department will be sending letters to drivers who have unpaid parking tickets over the next month to remind them about payment. Efforts will also be made to collect outstanding fines using other means within the city’s jurisdiction.

How to check and settle outstanding parking tickets:

By visiting ServiceOntario, drivers can renew their accounts, and if a driver discovers an unpaid fine, there are a number of convenient ways to make a payment.

For parking tickets that are not past the due date (60 days after the date of issue), payment can be made with the following options:

Online using Paytickets.ca; or

In person at the Parking Enforcement Office or your local City of Windsor Customer Care Centres; or

By mail (for example, Canada Post); or

By phone, by calling the general line at 519-255-6298; an employee will collect your information and review the ticket; if it is payable at our office, someone will call you back from a secured line to process payment.

For parking tickets over the due date (past 60 days), payment can only be made at your local ServiceOntario centre.

If you are unsure of the due date of an infraction, you can check by phone by calling the general line at 519-255-6298.

You can also search online to see if your licence plate is renewed by visiting the Service Ontario licence plate expiry checker.