Pittsburgh to start sending parking tickets by mail

City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved allowing the Public Parking Authority to ticket by mail.

It’s a measure that aims to improve safety and efficiency for the authority’s parking enforcers, said David Onorato, the authority’s executive director.

The move comes as the authority continues to struggle with staffing since the covid-19 pandemic.

Onorato said ticketing by mail will be more efficient than leaving tickets on windshields, as parking enforcers won’t have to leave their cars.

It will also reduce risks to workers who would otherwise have to step out into traffic or confront angry drivers, he said.

Most tickets will still be placed on windshields, though, at least for now, according to Onorato.

The authority is still working through details about which parts of the city will see the changes first and how parking enforcement officers will determine which cars to ticket by mail and which to ticket in person. The authority also will need to upgrade software to accommodate the change, he said.

Onorato said the process is not completely automated and parking authority staff will check tickets before mailing them.

Once the ticket-by-mail system is fully in place, Onorato said, the authority will aim to cover the entire city at least once a week, doubling its current rate of enforcement.