Last Updated on November 28, 2014 by Lawrence Berezin
NYC parking ticket mistakes will cost you a bunch of your hard-earned bucks
You’ve made ’em, I’ve made ’em, we’ve all made mistakes parking in NYC that have cost us dearly. Why? Maybe because we have about 3 seconds to make a decision about whether it’s safe to park before being sacked by a parking ticket warrior. Or, maybe, just maybe, a newly redesigned parking sign is still confusing.
Here are five common NYC parking ticket mistakes and how to fix them.
1. It’s about your car, not you
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this excuse:
If your car had run into the store for just a couple of minutes, you wouldn’t be paying a $115 double parking ticket.
Get the point?!
2. Viva la difference
There is a difference between standing and parking, or else they would’ve named ’em the same. They are not twins.
Learning is relentless repetition, so here it goes…
- You can stop temporarily in a no standing zone to drop off or pick up a passenger, and skedaddle (no waiting, you must leave immediately).
- You can stop temporarily in a no parking zone to drop off or pick up a passenger and their stuff, and skedaddle (no waiting, you must leave immediately)
3. You cannot park your commercial vehicle within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
“Trix are for kids,” and the exception to the NYC fire hydrant rule is for passenger vehicles not commercial vehicles.
Between sunrise and sunset, a passenger vehicle may stop, stand, or park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, if:
- A licensed driver
- With the keys
- Remains seated behind the wheel (not sleeping in the back seat)
- Ready to move
- Upon the request of a cop or warrior authorized to move you and your chariot
- Between sunrise and sunset
Don’t forget, it’s not about you. If you remain seated in your truck within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, you are parking ticket toast.
4. A bus stop is a no standing zone
And you can’t drop off or pick up people and their stuff in a no standing zone.
Ergo, if your 98-year old Aunt Tilly is waiting for you in a bus stop with her suit cases by her side…keep driving (sorry Aunt Tilly).
5. You pay your NYC parking tickets, “No questions asked”
When a friend tells me they paid a parking ticket, “no questions asked” it is the most unkindest cut of all.
Please, I beseech you…[Tweet “never, ever, under any circumstances, pay a parking ticket without:”]
- Examining the front of the parking ticket for omitted, misdescribed, and illegible required elements
- Looking for a substantive defense to beat the parking crime of the century
Commentary
O.K. now it’s your turn. Have any common mistakes you’d like to share with the group?
Looking forward to your help.
Hello,
I received a parking ticket for parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant in midtown on MLK. On the ticket, it was noted I was parked 6 feet from the hydrant. Using a measuring tape, I measured (and documented with my iphone) the distance and it was over 7 feet from where my car was parked. With that said, is the ticket still valid as the comment left was “car parked 6 feet from hydrant”? Could I still fight the ticket or is this a hopeless cause?
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Andrew
Dear Andrew,
Sorry about the bite you received from the Evil Empire yesterday.
Your question is one that’s asked by many wonderful members of the NYC driving public. The distance from the hydrant entered by the warrior is a diversionary tactic. It shifts focus from the real fight, and initiates an argument about the accuracy of the warrior’s guess.
Your mission is to persuade a parking ticket judge that you did not park your car within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. And not to fight about the warrior’s guess. The warrior is required to enter a number, any number will suffice, guessing your distance from the hydrant.
Since you mentioned that you parked within 15 feet of the fire hydrant, have you examined the front of your parking ticket for omitted, misdescribed, or illegible required elements? If you find one or more, you win subject to application.
If there are none, you may wish to pay this fine before penalties are assessed.
Good luck.
Best,
Larry
Hi there,
I rented a vehicle several weeks ago and have just been notified by the rental company that I’m being charged for an unpaid parking ticket. There was never a ticket on my vehicle, and based on the time on the ticket (the rental company gave me the ticket number, which I looked up online) I was actually driving during the time the city is saying I received this ticket. In fighting the ticket, do I have any argument in the fact that there wasn’t a ticket on my vehicle? And secondly, how do I prove that I wasn’t even in that location at that time?
Thanks!
Dear Charles,
Good afternoon.
Great questions.
However, they are a bit beyond the scope of the blog.
Proving a negative is one of the toughest events, ever.
I’ve accomplished this Mt. Everest parking ticket task and
also failed miserably. For example, our client was home in
Pennsylvania for the Christmas holidays. She got a parking
ticket in the mail about a month later notify her
of an unpaid NYC parking ticket for double parking
in Queens. We won because:
-Her home was 4 hours away
-She and her husband were the only people with access to the car
-We told a great, persuasive story of why she was home during Christmas holiday
with her daughter, husband, and grand-daughter
-We were able to persuade a judge that the husband had attended a meeting
four hours away that ended at the same time the car was supposed to be in
Queens
-Many witness certifications and land line phone records
Keep in mind, that it’s not proving “YOU” weren’t at a certain
location, it’s proving “YOUR CHARIOT” wasn’t at the location.
I can tell you simply saying:
-I wasn’t there
-My car wasn’t there
-Or, proving you were in a business meeting or another location
Won’t work.
Something that might work would be a parking receipt identifying your
vehicle with a “time in” and “time out” stamp.
Good luck.
Best,
Larry
Hi
I received 5 parking tickets in a span of 3 months for parking in a street where the car has to be moved by 7:30 am. Three of the tickets had that my car was a sedan and two tickets had a 4door sedan on the ticket . My cars registration said 2 door sedan. Two tickets were dismissed. Should the three that didn’t state the amount of doors been dismissed.
I also received a speeding camera light any defenses on how to fight that tic. Helppppp
Jackie
JACKIE,
Good morning.
Wow…that’s a bunch of pain (and bucks).
Handwritten tickets don’t differentiate between 2DSD and 4DSD. So, all a warrior has to do is fill in the tiny bubble over SDN.
Printed tickets do differentiate. So, a warrior must get it right (2DSD vs 4DSD).
Good luck.
Be safe out there.
Regards,
Larry
If I’m on a job site, can I give another company my car keys and have them place the receipt on the dashboard?
John,
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/
I moved back to NY from NJ and on 8/24 I went to DMV to change my license and re-register my car. I received my new plates, registration sticker and temp inspection sticker and drove directly to an Inspection site. I made an appointment for 8/26 and on the afternoon of 8/24 I removed my Jersey plates and windshield sticker. I taped my NY registration and temp inspection sticker to the windshield exactly as I was advised to do by the gentleman at the Inspection site. Apparently, the next morning I received a ticket for a missing/expired inspection sticker. I didn’t even see the ticket the next day when I went to my car. Didn’t find out I had been ticketed until I got the notice in the mail!! I have disputed the ticket and the notice on the website now says Hearing: Adjournment. What does that mean? It has been almost 2 weeks now and I still haven’t gotten anything in the mail. I called 311 but they were not able to advise.
Dear Susan,
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/
Hi. Hope you can help.
There’s a school zone parking sign from which I parked at least one, if not two, car length away. Most “no parking, school zone” areas have two signs – one to indicate the starting point and the other to indicate the end. This instance did not have a second, closing, sign.
Is there some regulation as to requirements to have both “opening” and “closing” zone signs, and if not what is – and how are we supposed to know – the acceptable area outside of which to park?
Needless to say, when I returned days later my car had been issued several tickets and was towed. I’m hoping I can contest this in some way, being I was not directly under the one sign.
Would appreciate your guidance.
Thanks,
Michael
Oh man, what a shame. I totally despise towing for parking violations.
Michael, a parking sign regulates the curb space in the direction of the arrow(s) until:
-The next parking sign
-If none, the end of the block
Sadly, there doesn’t have to be opening and closing signs.
Did you check for omitted, misdescribed, or illegible required elements? Remember, a school zone ticket is either a no parking or no standing ticket. It is in effect for School Days, 7A-4P. Warrior’s often misdescribed the Days by entering all days. It is not sufficient to enter “School Days” in the comment section and enter ALL DAYS in the earlier tiny box.
Good luck.
Regards,
Larry
Hi Larry,
I am a long time Brooklyn resident. Just got a ticket foe no parking school days exactly as you described- the violation says all days, but the comment section says school days. How do I describe that in a defense letter?
Hi Ida,
I am not going to be answering any more blog comments until next year (January 2018). I’m going on 69 and just can’t keep up with the volume of work on the website. I am hoping that the old batteries are recharged during the next few months.
Park safely.
Regards,
Larry