Parking Violation Fees Raised $3, Other Tickets Reduced $15

Park in a bike lane in Rancho Santa Margarita, and you're going to get charged a little bit more. 

Following a 4-0 vote of City Council on Wednesday, all city parking violation fees are going up $3. 

For example, if a resident now parks in a loading zone in the city, the fee is $41 for the first violation instead of $38, $91 for the second instead of $88, and $191 for the third instead of $188. There is an additional $35 if the payment is late.

According to Lt. Brian Schmutz, chief of police services for RSM, the city raised the the parking violation penalty fees by $3 to account for the added surcharge recently imposed by the California Legislature in Senate Bill No. 857.

If a citation is not paid within 14 calendar days after the mailing of the parking violation notice, the late fee is $35, according to the staff report.

Some of the updated fees:

Violation                                   First offense    Second Offense Third Offense     

Parking in a disabled parking space     $278                     $328                         $428                   
Parking in a fire lane                                 $41                        $91                          $191                     
Abandoned vehicle                                   $156                      $206                        $306                  

The approved agenda item also lowers the amount residents must pay on “correctable vehicle code violations”—that is, tickets with a fee that can be reduced if the resident takes action to repair the offense.

For example, normally a ticket for not displaying a front license plate would be $41 on the first offense, $91 on the second and $191 on the third.

However, if a resident shows proof to city police services (at 22112 El Paseo) that the registration is current the resident is charged a reduced fee of $10; before the May 11 vote, that reduced fee would have been $25.

Cost of correctable violations (if not corrected):

Violation                    First offense       Second Offense            Third Offense     

Not having current registration       $56                         $106                                 $206
Not having California registration   $56                         $106                                 $206
Not displaying front plate                 $41                         $91                                   $191    
A cover on the plate                           $41                         $91                                   $191
Plate is not legible or is loose         $41                         $91                                   $191
Tabs are not displayed                     $41                         $91                                   $191

To download the staff report (which includes a list of city and state parking violations fees on page 8), click here.