From Policy to Practice: How Pittsburgh Modernizes Parking Enforcement with LPR and Ticket-by-Mail

This recorded Learning Lab offers a proven roadmap, grounded in real data, real constraints, and real results. Industry experts pull back the curtain on how the Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh has built a plate-based parking enforcement ecosystem, one deliberate step at a time. 

Rather than jumping straight to cameras and automation, Pittsburgh:

• Rebuilt its enforcement foundation around license plates as a single, consistent data source
• Introduced pay-by-plate, mobile payments, and virtual permits without disrupting officer workflows
• Used real enforcement data to prove missed violations, staffing limits, and revenue leakage
• Leveraged that data to secure legal approval when state statutes were unclear
• Reduced officer risk by limiting street-level interactions in high-conflict environments
• Rolled out Ticket-by-Mail with transparency that minimized public pushback and disputes

What makes this session different is that it doesn’t gloss over the complex parts. You’ll hear about legal hesitation, challenges, workforce shortages, and how each roadblock directly shaped the final enforcement model.