5 NYC Parking Ticket Tips that Save you Money

Last Updated on January 25, 2015 by Lawrence Berezin

NYC parking ticket tips help you avoid and beat unjust parking tickets

I recently spoke with Donna, a wonderful member of the driving pubic, who was issued an unjust NYC parking ticket, fought it, and lost. What a shame, since there was a misdescribed required element that entitled her to assassinate the evil parking ticket. The place of occurrence was misdescribed. This particular parking ticket warrior must have missed the compass class, and entered “north” instead of “south.”

Always, without fail, examine the front of your parking ticket for omitted, misdescribed, or illegible required element. They are parking ticket gold, and entitle you to a get out of jail free card.

Here are some more tips to help you keep your hard-earned bucks where they belong…in your wallet.

1.  Don’t be intimidated by a detailed description for the place of occurrence

A great friend of the NYC driving public is a misdescribed place of occurrence. There are 3 ways for a warrior to enter a place of occurrence:

• Front
• Opposite
• Detailed description

A detailed description looks like this:

It means, “West Side of Riverside Drive, 150 feet north of west 165th Street, NYC.” Attack it by:

• Making sure your parking space is on the west side of Riverside Drive. Riverside Drive runs north-south. Ergo, you could’ve been parked on the west side of Riverside Drive
• Making sure there is a no standing sign 150 feet north of west 165th street. There could’ve been a no standing sign 150 north of west 165th street because Riverside Drive runs north-south

However, upon inspection (Google Maps Street View, Parking Regulation Map), there was not a no standing sign north of west 165th street. The no standing sign was located 150 south of west 165th street…Yea! You win, upon submitting the proper proof, properly.

2.  Don’t throw-away your muni-meter receipt if it has unused time

You are permitted to apply the unused time remaining on a muni meter receipt to another parking space, provided that:

• The rate at the second parking space is the same or lower than the rate at your first parking space
• You don’t park longer than the maximum time allowed for the second parking area

“A penny saved is still a penny earned.”

3.   You may be permitted to park safely at a sign that reads “No Parking School Days 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.”

But, make sure school is not in session. According to Gridlock Sam,

“The general rule of thumb is whether or not children are present. Check to see if if the school is completely closed or if there are cars with teacher placards nearby. And when i doubt, park somewhere else.”

[Source: Gridlock Sam, “2010 NYC Parking Calendar”].

 4.  You can’t block a driveway even if the building is empty, and ghosts live there

I understand this is a bitter pill to swallow, i.e., a boarded up, haunted building preventing you from parking in an empty parking space. But, the NYC parking rule only allows you to park in front of driveways that:

• Have been rendered unusable (emphasis added) due to the presence of a building or other fixed obstruction and, therefore, are not being used as defined in §4-01(b) of these rules.

 5.  If you are ambushed by a temporary, paper, parking sign…

Check to make sure the paper displays the name of the city agency authorized to post the sign.

While there is legislation pending in the NYC Council that requires 24-hour notice of temporary parking restrictions, unfortunately, it is not the law of Gotham yet.

The idea that you can park your chariot in a perfectly legal parking space, go to sleep, and wake up the next morning to a parking ticket, sucks! (pardon my French). Pass the law and eliminate this tomfoolery.

Commentary

Please, I beseech you, never pay a NYC parking ticket, “no questions asked.” Do some homework before deciding whether to pay or fight. And, when you’re right-FIGHT!.

Park safely.