Meter Maid

Duties

• IDentify any vehicle that is violating parking codes, check with dispatchers when necessary to confirm identities or to determine if certain vehicles have to be booted or towed.
• Execute traffic control tasks like setting up barricades or temporary signage, placing bags on parking meters to block their usage and directing traffic.
• Arrange for illegally parked or abandoned vehicles to be towed, and direct tow-truck drivers to the correct vehicles.
• Maintain assigned equipment and supplies such as hand-held citation computers, citation books, rain gear, tire-marking chalk, and street cones.
• Examine and resolve contested parking citations by assessing the validity of claims and routing them as needed.

Day in the life

As a meter maid, you will be monitoring safety standards and compliance with regulations in a designated area of a city. One of the day-to-day tasks is to patrol public parking lots, city streets, and parking ramps, where you are required to enforce parking regulations. On the job, encountering violations is common – e.g. incorrectly parked vehicles such as in front of a fire hydrant, parking meters that have not been paid and so on.

Working as a meter maid will bring you in contact with a wide range of people every day, whether it is to educate vehicle owners about where to park or telling pedestrians to avoid a crossing. Therefore, having good communication skills and the right attitude is a must. Meter maids have to clearly interpret and enforce appropriate City and State parking and vehicle codes, laws and regulations.

Further, reading comprehension and math skills are important, as you are expected to prepare and maintain required records such as logs of parking enforcement activities, and records of contested citations on a daily basis.

Work schedule and typical hours

A meter maid must be prepared to work varied shifts, including weekends, nights and holidays. Work is usually performed outdoors in all weather conditions. Sometimes meter maids are assigned to work during special events, such as sporting events or national/state festivals, to direct the flow of traffic and ensure parking is efficient and safe.

Growth of the job

The overall job outlook for Parking Enforcement Worker careers like meter maids, has not changed since 2004. The demand for meter maids is expected to go up, with an expected 570 new jobs to be filled by 2018. Most meter maids and parking enforcement officials believe that having up to 3 months of related work experience from other jobs provides a position of advantage versus other competitors.

Typical employers

Even though parking enforcement is sometimes covered by police officers, many cities, towns and businesses hire parking enforcement officials such as meter maids, to enforce local parking rules. In addition to job roles via municipal governments, colleges and universities also employ the services of meter maids and other parking enforcement officers.

Salary Data

We’ve provided you the following to learn more about this career. The salary and growth data on this page comes from recently published Bureau of Labor Statistics data while the recommendations and editorial content are based on our research.

National Anual Salary
Low Range: $27,570
Average: $38,280
High Range: $58,060
National Hourly Wage
Low Range: $13/hr
Average: $18/hr
High Range: $28/hr