How to become a Parking Enforcement Worker

Official title: Parking Enforcement Workers

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, Parking Technician (Parking Tech), Ticket Writer

Patrol assigned area, such as public parking lot or city streets to issue tickets to overtime parking violators and illegally parked vehicles.

Main 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.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $46,730 a year The middle half earn $39,870 to $60,490.
• About 9,400 people work in this job now, and about 9,300 are projected by 2035. (-1.1%)
• People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Related jobs

• Bailiffs
• Correctional Officers and Jailers
• Detectives and Criminal Investigators
• Police Identification and Records Officers
• Intelligence Analysts
• Fish and Game Wardens

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Questions people ask

How much does a Parking Enforcement Worker earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $46,730 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $39,870 to $60,490.

Is a Parking Enforcement Worker a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 9,400 people now and 9,300 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Parking Enforcement Worker?

Not always. 41% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Parking Enforcement Worker?

People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.