As of October 2026, TSI’s Accounts Receivable Management (ARM) service collects unpaid parking tickets, red light and speed camera citations and other traffic violation penalties for cities and the citation processors that run their programs. Your agency approves the notices, and TSI reports new payments daily so you can clear holds and close tickets.
Results vary by portfolio, including account age, balance and type, and by client program.
Got a letter or call from TSI about your own account? Go to the Consumer Support Hub
The math on a $40 ticket
Citation programs run on volume. A single camera program can issue hundreds of thousands of notices a year, and the share that goes unpaid becomes a backlog no clerk’s office can call through.
Each balance is small, so the cost to collect has to be small too. And each one belongs to a resident or visitor who already feels ticketed once, so the tone has to be right. When Knoxville hired an agency for past-due parking and traffic tickets in June 2026, the local paper covered the limits on what the firm could do.
The volume TSI handles
TSI has collected parking, red light, traffic and toll violation accounts for a large citation processor since 2018.
That’s the scale a citation program needs: high-volume letters and digital reminders first, live calls where they pay off, and reporting that keeps up with daily payments.
What TSI collects
| Citation type | How TSI works it |
|---|---|
| Parking tickets and late penalties | Letter and digital reminder series, then calls on higher balances or repeat plates |
| Red light and speed camera citations | Notices that name the issuing city and the violation, with the photo-review and appeal path you publish |
| Other traffic and code violations | Collection under your ordinance and payment rules |
| Accounts with a registration or vehicle hold | Daily payment files so you can release the hold the day a balance is paid |
| Toll and toll-by-plate violations | See toll and violation recovery |
How the work runs
- Plates become addresses
Registered-owner data from your agency or processor arrives by secure file. TSI uses it only for permitted purposes under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and skip traces returned mail. - Notices look official, because they are
Letters carry your agency’s name, the citation number and how to check it on your own site. With scam texts about unpaid tickets and tolls going around, people need a way to confirm a notice is real. - Paying takes a minute
People can pay through a self-service portal, a 24/7 phone line or by mail. Payment plans cover larger balances, inside the limits you set. - Payments post daily
TSI sends a daily file of new payments and settlements, so your system can clear holds and close citations without waiting for month-end. - Disputes go back to you
When someone contests a citation, collection pauses and the dispute goes to your hearing office. TSI doesn’t decide liability.
Controls
For government engagements, data, systems and collection staff stay in the United States. TSI is licensed or registered in every state that requires it and authorized to collect in all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico (NMLS ID 950422), and it reports a 99.997% complaint-free contact rate across its services.
Where TSI isn’t the fit: TSI collects what you place; it doesn’t issue citations, run cameras or set fines. And because what comes back on citations swings with balance size, age and whether a hold is in place, TSI won’t promise a rate before it sees your files.
Frequently asked questions
Does TSI work for citation processors as well as cities?
Yes. TSI has collected for a citation processor since 2018, and it also works directly for cities and their parking authorities.
Can TSI report payments daily so we can release holds?
Yes. A daily payment and settlement file lets you clear holds the same day.
What happens when someone disputes a ticket?
Collection pauses and the dispute goes back to your hearing office or court.
Does TSI collect toll violations too?
Yes. Toll programs have their own page: toll and violation recovery.
See what your aged citations would return
The Recovery Performance Diagnostic sets baseline economics on one citation type or age band, reviews contact strategy and complaint risk, and designs a carve-out to run beside your current vendor. For a first read on your current vendor, the net-back calculator shows what you keep after fees and other costs.
General information, current as of October 27, 2026. It isn’t legal advice. Rules change and differ by state, so check the sources linked here and talk to your own counsel before you act on it.