Last Updated on July 9, 2021 by Lawrence Berezin
You’ve been appointed as the judge of a hydrant parking ticket case
Fire hydrant day in Parking Ticket Court.
It’s your first day on the job. You purchased a new suit, shined your old shoes, and had your wife tie your tie. You are totally ready and raring to go. Here’s your first NYC parking ticket case. It involves a hydrant.
The aggrieved defendant eloquently argued to the judge that it was totally impossible to see the fire hydrant because it was buried beneath a pile of garbage. How can he get a parking ticket when the hydrant was invisible?
Thank you, sir. I’ve considered the testimony of the defendant and the photographs submitted in support of his defense.
And, I find the defendant……Guilty.
Sadly, most judges in Parking Ticket Land will find you guilty. Pretty absurd, huh?
Another invisible hydrant case
But, our hard-charging friend beat his parking ticket for parking in front of an invisible hydrant using the photo above the first Heading as his proof proving that there is the hope of getting some justice in Parking Ticket Land.
Please comment. Your opinion is helpful to all of us.
hi, i got a ticket today for fire hydrant parking. I was parked directly in front of the hydrant but when I had Parkes early in the morning, there were garbage bags piled high over there waiting for pickup and completely obscuring the hydrant. I did not even know it was there. Problem is that by the time I got back to my car and saw the ticket, the garbage was gone and I couldn’t take a picture of it. Do I have any recourse here? I must mentioned. That this was a handwritten ticket and the model year of the car they put as 2017 when it’s actually a 2014. Anything there?
Thank you
Asher,
Good morning.
What a shame!
Although the general rule is that an invisible fire hydrant can still cause $115 worth of pain, we’ve beaten cases where the hydrant was totally obscured by garbage. I’m sad to say you need compelling photographs to stand a chance of winning.
The year of a chariot is not a required element. No get out of jail card here.
Best,
Larry
Wait until the same garbage pickup day next week and take a picture then. Explain that the habit repeats itself.
Hi, VS,
Good morning. Good thinking!
However, I learned a painful lesson while defending a client who lived two blocks away from an invisible fire hydrant. The judge found us guilty because we lived in the neighborhood and should have known there was a fire hydrant at the location (my client never drove or walked on the block where the fire hydrant was located)
I’m afraid if we claim recurrent bad behavior, the judge will wiggle out of dismissing the ticket because we should have memorized the location of the fire hydrant. Absurd!
Thanks for sharing your excellent thoughts.
Regards,
Larry
Hi
I recently parked my car along a side walk that has no visible fire hydrant. There is overgrown grass and trees that obstructs the fire hydrant. The street is poorly lit. Even a firefighter wouldnt find this hydrant at night.
Do I have a shot of winning?
Dear Chris,
I am sad to report (after dedicating 6 years, 7-days-per-week, with two months off for my heart attack) that I will no longer be answering questions on Larry’s Blog. You’ll find a treasure trove of information in the 746 Blog Posts and growing, F.A.Q.’s, and comments.
If you need help, you may wish to check out of service offerings. Here’s a link.
https://newyorkparkingticket.com/passenger-vehicles/