TORONTO, July 16, 2026 – In the future, drivers who park illegally in Mississauga may still be fined even if they return to their vehicle and do not see a paper ticket on the windshield.
Mississauga City Council has approved changes to the city’s administrative parking penalty system. Starting in October 2026, municipal parking enforcement officers will be able to use licence plate recognition technology to record vehicles parked in violation of the rules. Penalty notices may then be mailed directly to the registered owner of the vehicle. The new system will first be used in school areas this year and is expected to expand to other locations starting next year.
According to information released by the city, the new Licence Plate Recognition system can automatically capture the licence plate information of vehicles parked illegally. In situations where placing a physical ticket on the vehicle is inconvenient or less effective, such as school zones and areas with time-limited parking, enforcement officers will no longer need to leave a paper ticket on the vehicle. The penalty notice can instead be sent by mail to the registered owner.
This change is especially important for parents who drive children to and from school every day.
Around many schools, traffic is heavy during drop-off and pick-up times. Some drivers may stop for only a few minutes or assume they will not receive a ticket unless an enforcement officer walks up to the vehicle. Once the new system is in use, even if the vehicle has already left the area, the owner may still later receive a penalty notice at home if the parking violation was recorded.
At the same time, Mississauga will extend the period for vehicle owners to respond to parking tickets. The current deadline to pay a fine or request a review is 15 days. Under the new rules, that period will be extended to 30 days. The city says this will give owners who receive mailed tickets more time to review the notice, make payment or request a review.
It is important to note that the change does not alter existing parking rules and does not increase parking fine amounts. The main changes involve how tickets are issued and how much time vehicle owners have to respond.
However, the new system may create another risk for drivers who have moved but have not updated their vehicle registration information.
The city has made clear that mailed tickets will be sent to the address listed in the vehicle information registered with Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation. If a vehicle owner has moved but the registration address still shows an old address, they may not receive the penalty notice in time. Even if the owner does not actually see the letter, the ticket will not automatically disappear. Missing the response deadline may lead to additional costs or make the matter more difficult to resolve.
Starting in October, residents who regularly drive in Mississauga, especially families with children attending local schools, will need to adjust to a new model in which “no paper ticket” does not necessarily mean “no penalty.” Temporary stopping near school entrances, parking in no-parking areas or exceeding time limits may all lead to a penalty process based on licence plate information.
For newcomer drivers, the change is also a reminder that a vehicle registration address is not only related to driver’s licences and vehicle documents. It can directly affect whether government notices and penalty documents are received on time. Vehicle owners who have moved recently can check whether their address has been updated in Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation system.
The City of Mississauga says the changes will officially take effect in October 2026. School areas will be among the first locations to use the new approach, with other areas expected to be added gradually starting in 2027. For drivers, checking whether they have received a parking ticket will no longer mean looking only at the windshield. They will also need to pay attention to mail sent to the address on their vehicle registration.（LJI by Yuanyuan）
