What are APS and AMPS on a parking ticket?
They are the same system under two names. Both mean the municipality that issued your ticket will review it through its own process instead of sending it to a provincial court, and which name you see depends on the municipality rather than on any difference in your rights.
For you that changes three things. You deal with the municipality rather than a courtroom, the deadline is short and printed on the notice, and the final decision is made by a hearing officer instead of a justice of the peace.
For this article, we'll reference Ontario's Municipal Act and the parking penalty by-laws of the municipalities we work in.
Why parking left the courts
Parking cases used to go to the Provincial Offences Court, the same court that handles speeding, licensing offences and other provincial charges. Volume was the problem. Tens of thousands of parking disputes a year in a single city crowded out matters that genuinely needed a judge, and everybody waited longer.
In 2006 the province added section 102.1 to the Municipal Act, which let a municipality resolve parking penalties itself. That power covers parking, standing and stopping by-laws and nothing else. A second power added in 2017, section 434.1, extended the same machinery to almost any municipal by-law, which is why some municipalities now run noise, property standards and licensing penalties through the same office that handles your parking ticket.
Municipalities took up the option at their own pace, and several are still doing so. Ottawa launched in June 2025 and Caledon in November 2025.
Where each municipality stands
The naming is the clearest evidence that the two terms mean the same thing. Six of these municipalities call it APS and two call it AMPS, and a driver goes through the same steps in all eight.
| Municipality | Calls it | Running since | Time to dispute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | APS | August 2017 | 15 days |
| Mississauga | APS | June 2014 | 15 days, becoming 30 in October 2026 |
| Brampton | APS | June 2014 | 15 days |
| Caledon | AMPS | November 2025 | 30 days |
| Oakville | APS | 2015 | 15 days |
| Richmond Hill | AMPS | 2016 | By the due date on the notice |
| Vaughan | APS | 2019 | 15 days |
| Ottawa | APS | June 2025 | 15 days |
Deadlines were checked against each municipality in August 2026. The date printed on your notice always overrides anything written here.
How a dispute actually runs
Every municipality in the table follows the same two stages, whatever it calls the system.
- Screening review. A screening officer employed by the municipality looks at your written explanation and any photographs you send. They can confirm the penalty, reduce it, extend your time to pay, or cancel it. Most municipalities now run this by email or an online form, so there is nothing to attend.
- Hearing review. If the screening decision goes against you, you can ask for a hearing before an officer who is independent of the municipality's staff. Toronto uses a tribunal of public panel members appointed by Council, and Richmond Hill appoints retired lawyers and justices of the peace. The hearing officer can confirm, change or cancel the earlier decision.
The hearing officer's decision ends the matter. There is no appeal to a court afterwards, which is the trade the province made for a process that is free to use and needs no lawyer.
What catches people out
We issue notices across five municipalities, and the same few misunderstandings come back every week. None of these appear on a municipal web page.
- Disputing can cost you the early payment discount
- Several municipalities offer a reduced amount if you simply pay within a few days. Caledon states plainly that a screening officer cannot apply that reduced amount, so if the penalty is upheld you owe the full figure. On a notice you were probably going to pay anyway, disputing can cost more than it saves.
- The clock does not always start where you think
- The first deadline runs from the date the notice was issued, not from the day you found it on your windscreen or the day it reached you in the post. A notice that sat under a wiper blade for a week has already spent half its window.
- A decision can take far longer than the deadline you were given
- You have days to respond. The municipality often has months to answer. Caledon allows itself sixty days to reply to a screening request, Richmond Hill thirty business days, and Toronto's own audit reported an average of 252 days to screening in 2025. Silence after you file is normal and is not a sign that the notice went away.
- Not every ticket in a municipality goes through its system
- Caledon handles parking on its own roads through AMPS, while tickets issued on Regional roads still go to the Provincial Offences Office. Read which body is named on the notice before you follow any set of instructions.
What a screening officer can change
A screening officer decides whether the penalty was properly issued and whether anything about your circumstances justifies relief. Photographs, a valid permit you held at the time, signage that was missing or obscured, and evidence the vehicle was not yours are all worth sending.
Some municipalities also allow relief on financial grounds. Ottawa's by-law defines undue hardship as a real drop in your ability to pay caused by illness, unexpected expenses or similar, and asks for documents such as a Canada Revenue Agency notice of assessment. It covers genuine hardship rather than a payment that is merely inconvenient, and a municipality can respond by cancelling the penalty, reducing it, or giving you longer to pay.
What a screening officer cannot do is waive a penalty because you disagree with the by-law itself. That argument belongs with your councillor.
Frequently asked
- Is APS the same as AMPS?
Yes. Both stand for a municipal administrative penalty system, and both mean the municipality reviews your parking ticket itself rather than sending it to court. Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Vaughan and Ottawa call theirs APS. Caledon and Richmond Hill call theirs AMPS. Your rights and the steps you go through are the same either way.
- Why did Ontario stop sending parking tickets to court?
Parking cases were filling the Provincial Offences Court and slowing down more serious matters. In 2006 the province added section 102.1 to the Municipal Act, letting municipalities handle parking penalties through their own review process instead. A second power added in 2017, section 434.1, extended the same idea to almost any municipal by-law.
- How long do I have to dispute a parking ticket?
In most Ontario municipalities you have 15 days, though Caledon allows 30 and Richmond Hill works to the due date printed on the notice. Mississauga is extending its window from 15 days to 30 in October 2026. Check the notice itself, because the deadline printed on it is the one that counts.
- What happens if I miss the deadline?
You generally lose the right to a review and the penalty stands. Unpaid penalties are added to your vehicle record, which can stop you renewing your licence plate. Missing the date is far harder to undo than disputing on time, so request the review even if you are still gathering your evidence.
- Can I appeal if the screening officer says no?
Yes, to a hearing review. A hearing officer is independent of the screening stage and can confirm, change or cancel the penalty. That decision is final within the system, and there is no further appeal to a court, which is the trade Ontario made for a process that costs nothing to use.
- Can the company that issued my ticket cancel it?
No. Cancelling or changing a penalty notice is always a decision for the municipality through its own review process, never for the enforcement company that issued the notice. Send your request to the municipality named on the notice.
- Do I need a lawyer or paralegal to dispute a parking ticket?
No. The whole system was built for people to use on their own. Screening reviews in most municipalities are now written, submitted through an online form or by email, with nothing to attend. A clear explanation of what happened, with photographs and any permit you held at the time, does more for you than legal argument.
- Does it cost anything to dispute a parking ticket?
Requesting a review is free in every municipality we checked. Missing an appointment you booked can cost you, though. Oakville charges 50 dollars for failing to appear at a screening, 100 dollars for failing to appear at a hearing, and 100 dollars to adjourn one. If you book a time and your plans change, cancel it rather than skipping it.
- How long will the municipality take to decide?
Far longer than the time you were given to respond. Caledon allows itself sixty days to answer a screening request and Richmond Hill thirty business days. Toronto reported an average of 252 days to screening in 2025 in its own audit. Hearing your ticket has not been forgotten is normal, and the delay does not cancel the penalty.
- Will unpaid parking tickets stop me renewing my licence plate?
Yes, and this is the consequence that catches most people. A municipality can report a defaulted penalty to the Ministry of Transportation, which then blocks your plate renewal until everything is paid. Toronto adds a 20 dollar ministry service fee for each defaulted fine, and older debts can be sent to collection agencies that report to credit bureaus.
- Do parking tickets put demerit points on my licence or raise my insurance?
No. Parking is not a moving violation, so a parking penalty carries no demerit points, does not appear on your driving record, and has no effect on your insurance rates. The consequence is financial and administrative instead: the amount owing, and the block on renewing your plate if you leave it unpaid.
- What if I genuinely cannot afford to pay?
Some municipalities allow relief on financial grounds. Ottawa defines undue hardship as a real drop in your ability to pay caused by illness, unexpected expenses or a similar cause, and asks for documents such as a Canada Revenue Agency notice of assessment. It is meant for genuine hardship rather than a payment that is merely inconvenient. Where hardship is accepted, a municipality can cancel the penalty, reduce it, or give you longer to pay.
Last reviewed: 6 August 2026. Municipal deadlines and launch dates verified against each municipality in August 2026.