Lexington to increase parking fines, monthly garage parking rates
Lexington is set to increase the price for certain parking tickets later this year.
LexPark, the parking authority for the city, will raise fines for “safety violations” as part of its annual budget. That includes increased fines for such things as parking in a fire lane or intersection, or obstructing traffic. New rates will go into effect Sept. 1, if approved by city council.
Most of the fines will increase from $35 to $50 if paid within 10 days of the issued citation, and from $50 to $65 if paid after 10 days.
Executive Director of LexPark Laura Boison, who presented the proposed budget to the city council in April, said higher safety fines will move Lexington’s rates to be in line with similar cities.
“Most of our cohort cities are moving to a minimum, if not above, $50 against safety violations,” she said.
“This is not because you forgot to pay the meter or the movie ran along. This is because you chose to use an ADA spot, or parked in the middle of an intersection.”
This is the first increase in safety violation rates since 2016.
Boison said increased fines will help “change behavior” to make Lexington’s streets safer.
Parking ticket money pays for garage maintenance
The revenue generated will help maintain LexPark’s four garages — it owns three and manages one — that are on average 40 years old. The typical lifespan of a parking garage is 30 years.
Boison said LexPark needs $14 million over the next seven years to keep the garages structurally sound, plus an additional $1 million annually for other garage repairs and maintenance.
The parking authority lost about $350,000 in annual revenue as part of a land swap deal with the University of Kentucky in 2018. In exchange for 250 acres of land near UK’s Coldstream Research Campus, the city gave UK control of several roads in and around UK.
Most of the roads swapped to UK had LexPark meters on them, decreasing revenue for the parking authority.
Is Lexington increasing meter parking rates?
On-street parking rates will not increase, but monthly rates at the Victorian Square Parking Garage in downtown Lexington will. The last rate increase at the garage was in 2018.
The monthly general parking rate in that garage, owned by LexPark, will increase from $90 to $105. Reserved parking will go from $110 to $130; and hospitality parking will be from $20 to $25.
That’s on par with privately owned garages in Lexington, such as the Truist Bank garage that charges $106 for general monthly parking, according to parking.com.
City council still has to make a final vote on the proposed budget and fine increases before it is official. That vote is scheduled for May 8.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 4:30 AM.