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If you receive a penalty notice, you have options. You can pay it or dispute it through a simple and accessible process without going to court. The Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) helps resolve bylaw matters quickly and reduces the burden on the courts.
What is AMPS?
The Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) is a quick and easy way to handle by-law violations. Instead of going to court, the City reviews these offences directly. This speeds up the process, gives more flexibility to resolve issues, and improves customer service. It also helps keep minor cases out of the Provincial Offences Court. With AMPS, fines are handled locally, making things simpler for everyone.
The City of Niagara Falls uses AMPS for violations that fall under the parking by-law and these non-parking by-laws:
- Animal control by-law
- Clean yard by-law (litter, maintaining of land by-law)
- Fence by-law
- Idling vehicle by-law
- Licensing provisions for illegal peddling and solicitation by law
- Noise control by-law
- Playing of band and musical instrument on a highway, park or public place by-law
- Property standards by-law
- Public nuisance by-law
- Require adequate heat by-law
- Sign by-law
- Swimming pool by-law
- Vacation Rental Units and Bed & Breakfasts by-law
What is a penalty notice?
- A penalty notice is issued when a bylaw is broken.
- A penalty notice may be handed to you in person, mailed, or placed on your vehicle (for parking violations).
- Check the back of the notice to confirm it was issued by the City of Niagara Falls.
Paying a penalty notice
Pay by the due date to avoid extra charges. The available payment methods depend on the penalty notice you received (parking or non-parking related).
Parking penalties
Non-parking penalties
- Request an online payment link: Email [email protected] to receive a payment link.
- In person: Pay by cash, cheque, or debit at:
- City Hall, 4310 Queen Street, Niagara Falls
- MacBain Community Centre, 7150 Montrose Road, Niagara Falls
- By mail: Send a cheque (payable to "City of Niagara Falls") to: City of Niagara Falls, Finance Department, 4310 Queen Street, Niagara Falls, ON, L2E 6X5. Include the penalty notice number on the front of your cheque. Do not send cash by mail.
How to appeal your penalty notice
The process differs for parking and non-parking violations, but will follow these two steps:
- Screening review. If you disagree with a penalty notice, you can request a screening review to dispute it. You will receive a decision after the review.
- Hearing. If you disagree with the screening review decision, you can request a hearing with an independent Hearing Officer. You must complete a screening review before requesting a hearing. The hearing decision is final.
Screening review for parking penalties
Request a Screening Review within 30 days after receiving your penalty notice.
- Send by email:
- Email your dispute to [email protected] within 30 days of receiving the penalty notice.
- Include your parking penalty notice number and license plate number.
- Include a brief description of the reason for the dispute.
- Provide evidence and explain why you are disputing the notice. If paying the fine would cause undue hardship, include details.
- Identify any witnesses.
- Visit us in person: The MacBain Community Centre, 7150 Montrose Road. Screenings are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Call Parking Services at 905-356-7521 ext. 4700.
Screening review decision
Staff will review the information and make a decision as soon as possible. Reviews may take a few days, and someone will contact you.
Screening review for non-parking penalties
Request a Screening Review within 15 days after receiving the penalty notice.
Complete the online Non-Parking AMPS Screening Request Form to request your appointment and submit your evidence.
- Include your penalty notice number.
- Include a brief description of the reason for the dispute and submit your evidence. If paying the fine would cause undue hardship, include details.
- Identify any witnesses.
- Authorizing someone else to attend: Complete the optional Authorized Representative portion of the online form.
- A screening officer will contact you with a date and time for your appointment.
- Screening appointments cannot be rescheduled or adjourned.
- The screening review will be scheduled as a virtual or written screening to ensure quicker availability and resolution. A request to hold a screening review in person or by telephone will be accommodated by staff if you sufficiently explain why a virtual screening is unsuitable to convey your concerns to the Screening Officer. Should you wish to request an in-person screening, you must submit a request to .
Need more time to book a screening?
- If you missed the 15-day deadline due to extenuating circumstances, you may still request an extension. You have up to 30 days from the date on your penalty notice to submit a request. To do this, you must complete the Non-Parking AMPS Extension of Time Request Form.
Screening review decision
- A decision will be provided at the end of the screening appointment.
- If your ticket or penalty notice is cancelled, you owe nothing.
- If the penalty is upheld, you must pay the fine and any additional fees within 15 days. Fees not paid by the due date will be transferred to property taxes.
- If you fail to appear, the dispute will be abandoned, and extra fees will be added.
Hearings for parking penalties
You can request a hearing if you disagree with the screening review decision. The screening officer will provide you with a parking hearing request form.
Submit the parking hearing review request form within 15 days of receiving the screening decision.
- Only the evidence submitted during the screening review will be considered.
- Your scheduled hearing date and time will be confirmed by email. Please note to check your junk email.
- Authorizing someone else to attend: The registered vehicle owner must provide written permission by signing the authorization to act as an agent section of the hearing request form.
- If you don’t own the vehicle, the City will notify the owner of the hearing date.
Hearing decision
- The results of the hearing decision will be provided to you at the hearing and also sent to you by email.
- Hearing decisions are final and cannot be challenged or appealed on any level, including court.
Hearings for non-parking penalties
Complete the Non-Parking AMPS Hearing Request form online within 15 days after receiving the screening decision.
- New evidence can be submitted as part of the online form.
- The Hearing Officer will confirm your hearing date/time by email or mail. Hearings cannot be rescheduled or cancelled.
- You can authorize someone to attend on your behalf by providing written permission. To do so, complete the optional Authorized Representative portion of the online form.
- If you don’t own the property for which the matter is being argued, the City will notify the owner of the hearing date.
Need more time to book a screening?
- If you missed the 15-day deadline due to extenuating circumstances, you may still request an extension. You have up to 30 days from the date on your penalty notice to submit a request. To do this, you must complete the Non-Parking AMPS Extension of Time Request Form.
Hearing decision
- A decision will be provided at the end of the screening appointment.
- If your ticket or penalty notice is cancelled, you owe nothing.
- If the penalty is upheld, you must pay the fine and any additional fees within 15 days. Fees not paid by the due date will be transferred to property taxes.
- If you fail to appear, the dispute will be abandoned, and extra fees will be added.
- Hearing decisions are final and cannot be challenged or appealed on any level, including court.
Contact us
The City of Niagara Falls
MacBain Community Centre
7150 Montrose Road
Niagara Falls, ON L2H 3N3
Municipal By-law Enforcement Services
905-356-7521 ext. 8000
Parking Services
905-356-7521 ext. 4700
[email protected]
