Parking Enforcement Workers
Patrol assigned area, such as public parking lot or city streets to issue tickets to overtime parking violators and illegally parked vehicles.
Also called: Enforcement Officer, Enforcement Safety Officer, Meter Maid, Parking Control Officer, Parking Enforcement Officer (PEO), Parking Enforcement Specialist
Median pay
$46,730
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$35,130 – $75,340
People employed
9,050
Holland code
RCE
Realistic · Conventional · Enterprising
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Do you want to stay at 40 hours a week or less?
- 2.Do you enjoy serving customers or the public?
- 3.Are you OK working outdoors in all kinds of weather?
- 4.Are you OK repeating the same tasks most of the day?
The hard parts
- Work outdoors in all weather
- Dealing with conflict is part of the job
- Tight deadlines are common
Parking Enforcement Workers pay by state
Annual median pay by state (41 states with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
What parking enforcement workers do
- 01Enter and retrieve information pertaining to vehicle registration, identification, and status, using hand-held computers.
- 02Prepare and maintain required records, including logs of parking enforcement activities, and records of contested citations.
- 03Maintain close communications with dispatching personnel, using two-way radios or cell phones.
- 04Patrol an assigned area by vehicle or on foot to ensure public compliance with existing parking ordinance.
- 05Identify 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.
- 06Write warnings and citations for illegally parked vehicles.
Skills that matter most
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
Knowledge
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Law and Government
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
Work styles that stand out
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
Education and first steps
O*NET has no education survey data for this job.
How people get started
- Usually needs a high school diploma (O*NET Job Zone 2).
- Related work experience: none.
- On-the-job training: anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from parking enforcement workers
- Transportation Security Screeners81% · +43%
- Security Guards80% · −19%
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters77% · +67%
- Animal Control Workers77% · −2%
- Parking Attendants76% · −25%
Change into parking enforcement workers
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Security Guards86% · $38,020
- Parking Attendants84% · $35,150
- Crossing Guards and Flaggers83% · $38,100
- Animal Control Workers77% · $45,660
- Couriers and Messengers73% · $39,200