It can be difficult to avoid a parking ticket, especially for those who work and live in major cities. Most major cities in the United States do not have nearly enough parking in the city’s downtown area to accommodate all those who need to park for work, school, recreation, and other activities. Most people who are seeking downtown parking will try to find the place closest to their destination.
Most will seek out legitimate parking spots, but will simply forget to or will be unable to feed the parking meter, and this will result in them receiving a parking ticket. Some will simply park wherever they want and block bus stops, fire zones, will double park, or park in other areas that are not designated for parking, resulting in a parking ticket. In some cases, those who receive a parking ticket will be able to dispute their parking ticket.
When considering whether or not to dispute a parking ticket, a person must keep a few things in mind. If they were given a parking ticket because they parked in an area that clearly states that no parking is allowed, such as a bus stop, fire zone, crosswalk, in front of a fire hydrant, or if they double parked, they will not have any legal grounds to dispute their parking ticket. However, if the person feels that they were given a parking ticket in error and they were not breaking any parking laws or rules, they can dispute the parking ticket.
Many states have different rules and guidelines concerning disputing a parking ticket. Because of this, the first thing a person should do to dispute a parking ticket is review their state’s guidelines concerning parking laws, rules, and violations. This will help them determine the best possible course of action to dispute their parking ticket if they honestly feel that they were given the parking ticket in error. It is the responsibility of the person who was given the ticket to prove that they did not violate any parking rules and laws. There are several different appeal tactics a person can use to dispute their parking ticket and these appeal tactics are applicable in most states in the United States.
Immediately after getting back to their car and discovering a parking ticket, the ticketed driver should call the number located on the back of the parking ticket and dispute the ticket and the issue for why it was given. When they call, they are ultimately questioning whether or not the parking ticket is valid. If the ticketed driver can prove, over the phone, that they were given a parking ticket in error, the parking ticket can be dismissed right then and there. However, this parking ticket dispute method must me done immediately after the driver is issued a parking ticket or else they will not be able to get the parking ticket dismissed.
If when the ticketed driver calls the number on the back of the parking ticket and does not get it dismissed, they can request an administrative review. The disputed parking ticket will not be dismissed over the phone if the driver does not call immediately or if the driver cannot prove that the parking ticket was issued in error. Requesting an administrative review to dispute a parking ticket can be done in several ways. These ways include written notice, over the phone, or in person. Regardless of how the ticketed driver requests an administrative review, they will still need to attend the administrative review in person.
They should also bring all evidence to the administrative review that proves they were given the parking ticket in error. Evidence that can help dispute a parking ticket at an administrative review includes photographs that were taken immediately after the parking ticket was issued, video that was taken immediately after the parking ticket was issued, and all other similar proof and evidence.
If the administrative review finds that the ticket was indeed issued correctly, the ticketed driver has another option to dispute their parking ticket. They can file an appeal to the administrative review’s decision and then request a hearing. Once a hearing is requested, the disputed parking ticket will go to court where a judge will decide whether the parking ticket was issued in error or not by carefully examining all of the evidence.
