Tuscaloosa Accepting Donation of Toys To Pay Off Parking Tickets

For the second year in a row, the city of Tuscaloosa will temporarily accept a donation of toys in lieu of cash as a valid payment for municipal parking tickets.

Standard parking tickets come with an $18 penalty, and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox announced Friday that any toy with a value of $10 or greater will satisfy one parking ticket and toys worth $20 or more will cover two parking tickets.

All donated toys will be given to Toys for Tots, a nonprofit whose mission is to distribute toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas

“Toys for Tots donations in lieu of parking tickets is a great way we can be innovative in our community and make a difference,” Maddox said in a press release announcing the return of the initiative.

The program, which Maddox first introduced in 2019, will run between November 18th and December 14th.

Toys can be dropped off at the Tuscaloosa Municipal Court building at 2122 6th Street. In order to satisfy a parking ticket, the city asks donors to bring a receipt for purchase or a price tag proving the value of the toy exceeds $10 or $20.