3-Day Parking Infraction and Trailers

Three cars closely parked on the street

What is a 3-day parking infraction?

According to the Parking By-law 9023 (see By-laws Online):

"10(5). No licensed vehicle shall be parked in the same spot, upon any street or highway for longer than three (3) consecutive days. (added B/L 277-2005, Nov.21/05)"

This by-law is complaint driven, so if you see this happening in your neighbourhood, you need to contact 311 to report the infraction. When reporting this, you will need to provide the following information to the operator or within the online reporting in order for the process to begin:

  • Address near which the vehicle is parked
  • Does the vehicle have current plate stickers?
  • Description of the vehicle (i.e. make, model, colour and plate number)
  • Length of time it has been in the same location (must be there for three or more days in order to begin the process)

Once this information is collected by 311, it is transferred over to Parking Enforcement for the process to begin.

Please note that the vehicle must be roadworthy and in an operable condition. If it is not, please call Parking Enforcement dispatch directly at 519-796-0841 to report the vehicle in a "State of Abandonment." For more information, see "What is considered a vehicle in a 'State of Abandonment'?" section below. 

How the process works:

  • Once a service request has been received, it is given to the outside contractor, currently the Commissionaires of Ottawa - Windsor Division.
  • The parking enforcement officer will attend location (within three days) and electronically mark the vehicle (chalking no longer done) and take pictures. Once the marking is completed, they will leave an envelope with an education letter for the owner of the vehicle to inform them of the by-law.
  • Three days later, a parking enforcement officer will attend to check whether or not the vehicle has moved. If the vehicle hasn't been moved, the officer will issue one warning penalty (ticket). This warning penalty has no monetary penalty. If the vehicle has moved, the service request will be closed; if not, the process continues.
  • After the first warning (ticket), the parking enforcement officer will return every three days to check to make sure the vehicle has moved. After three monetary penalty notices have been issued, Windsor Police Service will be contacted to have the vehicle towed. If the vehicle is moved at any point, the service request will be closed.

What is considered a vehicle in a "State of Abandonment"? 

An abandoned vehicle is a vehicle that is in ill repair (for example, smashed windows/windshield or exterior damage), unroadworthy (for example, flat tires), without licence plates, with illegal licence plates, stolen or deserted. If you notice a vehicle on a residential street that meets these criteria, please call Parking Enforcement dispatch directly at 519-796-0841 to report the vehicle in a "State of Abandonment."

Trailers, Boats and Campers:

Unattached trailer on street

According to the Parking By-law 9023 (see By-laws Online):

"10(7). No person shall park or leave an unattached trailer of any kind on the street (added By-law 85-2015, June 15/15)"

This means you are not allowed to leave an unhitched trailer of any kind parked on a street, even for a short period of time. The parking enforcement contractor, currently the Commissionaires of Ottawa - Windsor Division, can and will issue a penalty notice immediately for all plated utility trailers, boat trailers, campers, etc. that are found to be unhitched, disconnected or un-mounted from a towing vehicle parked on the street. Warning tickets are no longer being issued.

If you notice a vehicle on a residential street that meets these criteria, please call Parking Enforcement dispatch directly at 519-796-0841 to report the infraction.

If a trailer is un-plated on the street, it should be reported directly to Windsor Police (non-emergency) at 519-258-6111, as this is a violation of the Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990 c. H.8, s. 221 (1).


For questions or more information, please contact:

Parking Enforcement Office
1266 McDougall Street
Windsor, Ontario
Canada
N8X 3M7
Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (excluding holidays)
Phone: For general information, call 311. For detailed inquiries, call (519) 255-6298, email parkingenforcement@citywindsor.ca or fax (519) 255-9467.