Last Updated on November 3, 2022 by Lawrence Berezin
If you make these fire hydrant mistakes, you’ll win a $115 parking fine
A fire hydrant is a ubiquitous fact of life in NYC. They save lives, and property and help keep people safe. I can’t imagine an NYC block without one.
On the other hand, NYC hydrants have been a nemesis of the driving public. They are the Joker to the driving public’s Batman. But, that iconic curb-dwelling pump is a protected species. Likewise, disobeying any of the various elements of the rule will result in a $115 fine and probably a tow.
Here are some common mistakes to avoid and how to fix them.
Table of contents
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
5 common mistakes
It is your burden of proof to persuade a judge that you parked more than 15 feet from a fire hydrant, and the burden of proof never changes.
Meanwhile, a Warrior is required to guess the distance you parked from the pump and enter that number on the parking ticket. Similarly, it is not a required element. It is a guess and generally wrong. Above all, the Warrior’s mandate is to enter a number, any number.
However, if the warrior doesn’t enter a number, then you win. Subject to presenting the proper proof, properly.
Therefore, don’t waste your time fighting the Warrior’s bad guess. It will cost you $115.
In the same vein, I get calls from taxis, limousines, and commercial drivers dismayed by getting a ticket; despite sitting behind the wheel of their vehicles between sunrise and sunset less than 15 feet from the pump. Why?
Trix is for kids, and the exception is for passenger vehicles only. If you are not driving a passenger vehicle, do not park less than 15 feet from the pump.
No, it didn’t!
4-08(e) General no-stopping zones (stopping, standing, and parking prohibited in specified places). No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle in any of the following places, unless otherwise indicated by posted signs, markings, or other traffic control devices, or at the direction of a law enforcement officer, or as otherwise provided in this subdivision:
Within fifteen feet of a fire hydrant, unless otherwise indicated by signs or parking meters, except that during the period from sunrise to sunset if standing is not otherwise prohibited, the operator of a passenger car may stand the vehicle alongside a fire hydrant provided that the operator remains in the operator’s seat ready for immediate operation of the vehicle at all times and starts the motor of the car on hearing the approach of fire apparatus, and provided further, that the operator shall immediately remove the car from alongside the fire hydrant when instructed to do so by any member of the police, fire, or other municipal department acting in their official capacity.
I am sad to report that interpretation of “…unless otherwise indicated by signs” is wrong. Just because a street cleaning sign prohibits parking on certain days and hours of the week, it does not mean that you can park near a fire hydrant on the other days and hours of the week. Check out this blog post and the photograph below for the type of parking sign this portion of the rule applies to.
This sign points to the hydrant and affirmatively permits parking between 8 am and 6 pm on Tuesdays.
Now you’re the Joe D of broken fire hydrants. It’s not your job to declare a pump dead. Even if the thing appears to be lifeless, you are not permitted to park less than 15 feet from a broken or otherwise injured fire hydrant. Period.
I can hear the Greek Chorus chirping that they have gotten a ticket dismissed because the pump was broken. Yes, occasionally, like once in a lifetime, a judge may dismiss a fire hydrant ticket because the pump appeared broken. It is not a $115 risk worth taking.
No driver, no free pass. Please repeat after me; no driver is like leaving milk for a cat. Moreover, It is an open invitation for a costly parking ticket.
Would you please not do it?
Commentary
Do these common mistakes sound familiar? They should because these five little dandies have cost the NYC driving public a whole bunch of money. Here are some suggestions:
- Keep a tape measure in your glove compartment
- Walk off 16 steps from the bumper to the pump right after seeing the ticket
- Be proactive. If you are the closest car to the fire hydrant measure the distance, and then photograph it.
- If you get a fire hydrant ticket, do not leave the location without taking photographs galore!
- Be sure you photograph your front bumper next to a landmark so you can take photos when you return later
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It is always challenging to fight a hydrant ticket and tough to win. But an ounce of precaution is worth $115.
Fire Hydrant parking tickets sting you with a $115 fine. But you don’t have to pay them “no questions asked.”
Joe got an unjust ticket and fought it himself. Sadly, Joe lost. Two weeks later, Joe got a second fire hydrant ticket, and this time asked Larry to fight the good fight. Larry beat the second ticket.
Read Larry’s suggestions to Joe about how to fix his defense package
Valuable stuff!
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What if the plug is covered with a bag that indicates it is broken?
Hi Evan,
Good morning. Great question.
The fact a fire hydrant is broken is not a defense to a fire hydrant ticket.
With that said, I would take a chance and assert that the fire hydrant was broken depending upon how gruesome the broken hydrant looked. There may be a judge in Parking Ticket Land who might dismiss the ticket, but again, he is not required to dismiss a ticket because the pump is broken.
Regards,
Larry
What about all the law inforcement folks who park on top of fire pumps with all kinds of placards in the windshield who feel they are exempt from the laws
Hi, Harry,
Very frustrating! Sadly, no workable solution in sight.
Regards,
Larry
If a fire hydrant has metal poles on both sides. Do you still have to park 15 feet away or close to the poles is still by law possible . Please help. Thanks
Hi, Javier,
Good morning.
I’m afraid you still have to park 15 feet from both sides of a fire hydrant (NOT the poles).
Park safely.
Regards,
Larry
If a person got a ticket for parking 8 ft, from a hydrant and the person on the other side was the same distance but didn’t receive a ticket
My wife and I, my dog and cat are moving to Seattle.
I won’t be able to reply to comments until after October 1, 2020.
Sorry!
Regards,
Larry
What about those fire department connection on the sides of some buildings — are those subject to the same parking laws as hydrants?
Hi Daniel,
Good afternoon.
I trust you are referring to standpipes? If so, they are not covered by parking rules or laws the same as fire hydrants.
Here’s a link to a blog post you may find helpful.
Thanks for the knowledge. I passed up a legitimate parking space in the Bronx last week because I was unsure. Now I know. Thanks again!