Explanation of parking violation fees

Parking violation fees are issued for breaches of specific sections of the Traffic Act, as per Article 109 of Act No. 77/2019. Violations of these Traffic Act provisions do not result in fines. Instead, the penalty is the imposition of a parking violation fee. Due to this inherent difference in the penalties, these cases are not treated as public cases, but rather follow the rules of Act No. 37/1993 on Administrative Procedures and the Civil Procedures Act, No. 91/1991, as applicable.

Mandatory fee increases

Fees increase by 50% if unpaid after 14 days. If still unpaid 28 days after issuance, fees increase by another 50% of the original amount, doubling the total. After 60 days, unpaid fees go to a collection agency, adding collection costs to the debt.

Note that the parking violation fee carries a statutory lien on the vehicle, and a forced sale without prior distraint is permissible.

Request for revision of charges

Issuing a parking violation fee is a punitive administrative action. Those who believe they have been wrongly charged may request a review from the Reykjavík City Parking Fund. A review request is a reasoned summary to contest the fee.

The citation (fee notice) is an official document. Its contents are presumed correct until proven otherwise, per Article 71 of the Civil Procedure Act. Therefore, applicants are advised to submit at the outset the evidence that would be expected to refute the infringement description (the fee).

A special officer reviews the case details and assesses the applicant's legal arguments. At the same time, the parking enforcement officer/police officer is asked for clarification regarding the imposition in question and additional information is gathered if needed.

Key laws and regulations on parking violation fees are available under Laws and Regulations.

Once the Reykjavík City Parking Fund has received a request, extra late fees continue to accrue according to traffic laws during the review process. If a review request is approved, the fee is canceled. The applicant receives confirmation on island.is. If denied, the applicant is notified on island.is. The fee reverts to its amount at the time of the review request.

Applicants are reminded that they have the option of paying the charge despite requesting an appeal and getting it reimbursement if the appeal is granted. If they do not, they run the risk of losing the right to pay the charge at a discounted rate, which is only granted if paid within 3 business days of the imposition of the charge.

Processing time

General processing takes about 2 to 4 weeks.

Justification for the citation may be requested within 14 days from the date of the citation. Attention is drawn to the fourth paragraph of Article 109 of the Traffic Act, which states that the imposition of a charge will not be escalated to a higher governmental authority.