How to Fight a Parking Ticket

Depending on where you live, parking tickets can be a nuisance. Unlike moving violations, parking tickets are infractions that don’t appear on your driving record and come with smaller fees, but if you get too many in a row, they can turn into serious money or even a car boot that prevents you from driving. Nationally, non-moving violations add up quickly, with the parking ticket industry in the United States estimated at $20 billion. While this seems like an inflated number, last year, a parking ticket agent in New York wrote 19,000 parking tickets alone, coming out to an average of 76 per day he worked.

Often times, parking tickets are a misunderstanding. From an unclear or hidden sign to unfortunate timing while running a quick errand, there are a number of reasons that you may receive a parking ticket, even if there is no malintent. Other examples of non-moving traffic violations include staying too long in parking area that has a time limit, broken mirrors, missing license plate, or outdated vehicle registration.

Fortunately, there are ways to fight a parking ticket that you think was written unfairly:

1. Thoroughly examine your ticket. It will have information regarding the deadline to pay the fine and steps you can take to contest the ticket. Also be on the lookout for mistakes on the ticket, such as an incorrect license plate number or time, as these may be grounds for getting it dismissed.
2. Get familiar with the local law. In certain instances, there may be grounds for your ticket to be dismissed if, for example, there was actually an occupant in your car and the law states that the car must be empty. There also may be certain loopholes or promotions to take advantage of. In the city of Savannah, GA last Christmas there was a time period where you could donate canned food to pay for a parking ticket.
3. Document Evidence. If your parking meter was broken, take a picture. If a sign was covered by a tree or there were no visible instructions, make a note. Successfully defending a parking ticket requires solid evidence and the more information you have, the better chance it will be dismissed.
4. Choose an inconvenient court date. Often times, if the police officer does not show up to your hearing, the ticket will be dismissed.
5. Go through all the necessary steps. Fighting a parking ticket may take a long time simply to follow procedure. In many cases, the time spent going through the motions is more than the small fine, so if you are contesting the ticket, be prepared to push until the very end.

As can be seen from above, there are only a few options when it comes to fighting parking ticket. If you have strong evidence in your favor or a mountain of unpaid tickets, then it may be worth taking the time to contest the ticket in order to prevent future complications or fines down the road. If you need assistance fighting a parking ticket or a more serious moving violation, contact a Savannah criminal defense attorney for legal advice today. Fortunately non-moving violations tend to be less expensive and at the very worst, pay the nominal fee and put it behind you.