Protective service
Parking enforcement worker
Patrol assigned area, such as public parking lot or city streets to issue tickets to overtime parking violators and illegally parked vehicles.
Median pay
$46,730
Growth to 2035
−1%
little or no change
Openings a year
800
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Parking enforcement worker
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Parking enforcement worker: 0% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Enter and retrieve information pertaining to vehicle registration, identification, and status, using hand-held computers.
- Maintain close communications with dispatching personnel, using two-way radios or cell phones.
- Patrol an assigned area by vehicle or on foot to ensure public compliance with existing parking ordinance.
- Identify vehicles in violation of parking codes, checking with dispatchers when necessary to confirm identities or to determine whether vehicles need to be booted or towed.
- Write warnings and citations for illegally parked vehicles.
- Appear in court at hearings regarding contested traffic citations.
- Maintain assigned equipment and supplies, such as hand-held citation computers, citation books, rain gear, tire-marking chalk, and street cones.
- Respond to and make radio dispatch calls regarding parking violations and complaints.
Also called: Meter Maid · Parking Control Officer · Parking Enforcement Officer (PEO) · Parking Enforcement Technician (Parking Enforcement Tech) · Parking Enforcer · Parking Officer · Parking Patroller · Parking Regulation Enforcement Officer
Outlook and AI
Parking enforcement workers held 9,400 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 9,300 by 2035 (−1%, little or no change; all jobs: +3.5%).
Productivity change - share decreases as cities continue to adopt automated license plate readers.
Compare with
- Parking enforcement worker vs. Parking attendant
- Parking enforcement worker vs. Security guard
- Parking enforcement worker vs. Transit and railroad police
- Parking enforcement worker vs. Railroad conductors and yardmasters
- Parking enforcement worker vs. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Parking enforcement worker vs. Highway maintenance worker
- Parking enforcement worker vs. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Parking enforcement worker vs. Transportation inspector
- Parking enforcement worker vs. Traffic technician
- Parking enforcement worker vs. Crossing guards and flaggers