Fine vs fee. What’s the difference?

Have you been fined for parking? Maybe it is a communal fee? Here is a small explanation that might help you make the difference:

Parking fee

The fee (sometimes called a voucher or parking ticket) is issued by the municipality and concerns non-compliance with the communal regulation.

It is not a fine, strictly speaking, neither a report, since it is a decriminalized offense. Parking offenses that do not cause discomfort or danger on public roads.

The fee is in fact a tax due in return for the use of a public service.

A fee will be charged when you violate existing parking regulations (timeout in a disk area or pay zone, for example) and will generally consist of a lump sum per day or half day.

Parking fine

The fine is a report issued by the police and relates to a penal offense.

Concerning parking, these are offenses due to inconvenience or endangerment on public roads (eg parking on the sidewalk or in the middle of the roadway).

Speeding and other traffic offenses also fall into this category.

Fines are generally of a higher amount than a fee.