L.A. will resume ticketing during street sweeping next month

After more than three months of relaxed enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles parking officers will resume ticketing drivers on street-sweeping days starting July 6, officials said Friday.

Drivers will need to get back into the habit of moving their cars by the scheduled time, or risk a $73 ticket.

Officials will also resume ticketing cars with expired tags, and ticketing and towing vehicles that are abandoned or parked in rush-hour zones.

With one-quarter of the city out of work, relaxed parking rules were a welcome respite for L.A. residents in crowded neighborhoods where street spaces are at a premium.

Parking officers will continue to look the other way on some violations, including bans on oversized vehicles parked overnight, the Transportation Department said. Cars with recently expired preferential parking permits will not be ticketed either, officials said.

The payment due date for parking tickets has been extended until Aug. 1. Late payment fees won’t be charged until then, the city said.

People who can prove they are unemployed can have the late fees for their parking tickets waived, provided they pay the base fine amount by the end of the year, the city said. People who are otherwise facing financial hardship may also qualify for a payment plan, the city said.

Anyone seeking a waiver or financial assistance should call the Transportation Department’s hotline at (866) 561-9742, officials said.

The city has continued to write tickets to drivers for some violations during the pandemic, including those who parked at expired meters, red curbs and temporary no-parking signs.