My dear friend Lawrence Berezin of New York Parking Ticket.com has graciously shared his user-friendly way to identify defects in a New York City parking ticket. The below image show the 10 items which must be properly completed in order for your NYC parking ticket to be valid. If any one (or more) of these items are omitted or incorrect, you should plead not guilty to the ticket and explain which of these items are defective.
1301 Comments. Leave new
Good morning,
I received a parking ticket this morning for “parking in a bus stop” however only the front 1.5 ft. of my car was past the No standing/ No parking sign. Is there a good defense for this?
Evan Sullivan,
You can try but I don’t think you’ll win.
Matthew Weiss
Hello,
I received a $115 ticket for parking in a No Standing zone. I was very close to just paying the ticket when I noticed that the body type on the ticket says 4DSD when my car is clearly a 2 door coupe. 2dr is also on my registration as well. Do you think this mistake would be enough to get the ticket dismissed? Oh and in addition the violation on the ticket states: No Standing, “All Days”, where as the actual street sign said No Standing “School Days”. I took a photo of the sign before I left.
Ron,
I think you should fight this ticket and raise both arguments. You got a good shot here.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
Kim,
Good morning.
As you very correctly observed, proving a negative is next to impossible. You may wish to:
1. Examine the front of your parking ticket for mistakes (see above diagram).
2. Check to see whether the rule you were charged with violating, actually is the rule displayed on the parking sign that regulates the phoney place of occurrence the warrior entered on your parking ticket. One way to check is by using the DOT parking regulations map. Here’s a link to a link on my website that you can follow. First, click on this link…https://www.newyorkparkingticket.com/resource-links/
When you land, click on the large, red button that says DOT Map.
When you land, click on the tiny box next to “parking regulations.” Then scroll down and enter the scam street address and borough.
The map with little red flags will magically appear. Click on the little red flags on both sides of the address where you “parked” to learn the parking regulations. If the arrow on the signs point to your phoney parking space…Check out the rule to see if it matches the rule entered on your parking ticket.
For example, if the rule displayed on the parking sign is NO STANDING, and the rule entered by the rogue parking ticket warrior does not match, you win because it is a misdescribed required element.
I am sorry to report, you were scammed by one of the well-known NYC parking ticket scams.
Good luck.
Best,
Larry
Thanks for your quick reply Larry. I did go to the street and address they listed. All seems aligned with what they wrote in the letter (other than the car actually ever being there!). So I suppose they have succeeded in scamming me and I need to pay the ticket even though the car was never there. I’m wondering if you have any recommendations on reporting this scam? I was going to call 411, but wasn’t sure if you have any other thoughts on how to report the police for scamming me? Many thanks for taking the time to have this site and make suggestions.
Kind regards,
Kim
Chris,
Good morning.
I feel real badly about your parking ticket pain.
I feel worse that trying to apply common sense out to the NYC parking rules is an exercise in futility.
A NYC parking sign regulates the curb space in the direction of the arrow (s) on the bottom of the parking sign; until the next parking sign in the direction of the arrow, or the end of the block. The harsh reality is that there may be one parking sign on a city block more than 100 yards from your parking space. But, if the arrow on the sign points to your car, and there are no other intervening parking signs, your car is toast.
I am sorry to report that the unjust ticket was deserved.
I suggest you check the front of your parking ticket for mistakes (follow the diagram at the top of the page to find “required elements”). If no mistakes, you may wish to pay the fine before penalties begin to accrue on the 31st day.
Good luck.
Best,
Larry
I’m hoping that someone can make some recommendations. I received a ticket in my mail today stating that it is the second notice regarding a parking ticket a month ago. I was visiting my daughter in the city at the time, however my car was parked on a street in a different neighborhood about 1 mile away for the location they claimed I parked.
Nor did I ever drive my car down that street EVER. My car was parked on a street that didn’t require any payment, so how do I prove that they have made a mistake? I never received the first ticket because I was never illegally parked. I will fight this, but my concern is how do I prove it?
And why would they have run my plates in the first place? When I was legally parked the whole time? (I’ve been parking in my daughters neighborhood for years so i am familiar with the rules and regulations).
Any advice?
Thank you!
Hi. I got a parking ticket this morning at 7:20 AM and then was towed at 8:50 AM. I parked last night on W. 77th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus. I was parked behind a post with two signs. One said No Parking 7 AM-4PM on school days with one arrow pointing forward. To reiterate, I was behind this sign and the arrow for this sign was pointing in the opposite direction of where I was parked. Another sign underneath this sign said No Parking 11 AM to 1230 PM Tues & Friday and had a double-sided arrow pointing both away and towards my car. I went out to move my car a little before 11 AM this morning, only to find it was towed. I double checked the sign I was parked behind to make sure I had read it correctly and I took a picture of it. Then when I was walking back down the street I noticed another sign about 40 feet behind where I was parked with a “No Parking School Days 7 AM- 4 PM” with an arrow pointing forward in the direction of where my car was parked. This sign indicates that I may have been parked illegally but the sign I was parked closest to did not indicate that that was the case. I cannot find anything online that explains whether I am at fault for correctly following the sign nearest my vehicle but not the one 30 feet behind it. And I also believe that these signs do not make sense. The sign in front of my vehicle should have been double arrowed, indicating that everything behind it and in front of it was a “No Parking on School Days 7 AM-4 PM Zone,” shouldn’t it have? Thanks for any help with this.
Hi,
So I have a specific question about the body type of the vechile. My car is registered in MA and on the registration, the body type is “Hatch”. Does NY state have a seperate body type category for hatchbacks? I would fight the ticket if NY does, since the officer used 4 door sedan as the body type. Thank you.
Best,
John
John,
No, NYC doesn’t have a separate classification for “hatch backs”.
Matthew Weiss
i was given a ticket for a no front license plate displayed in yonkers, i lived in connecticut. my front license plate was stolen.is there a way i can waive the ticket?
Nadia,
The fact that it was stolen may help but the effort may not be worth it. This is a 0-point ticket that will not affect your insurance rates.
Matthew Weiss
Hello Matthew,
Let me first thank you for the wonderful service, it is greatly appreciated.
The other week I received an alternate side ticket on my girlfriend’s car. The car is registered in Alabama and has a custom plate with a “-” symbol. The car complies fully with Alabama state laws but does not have any registration sticker or any sticker for that matter on the windshield or plate. There is a factory VIN number clearly displayed though.
The ticket I received has the plate spelled without the “-“, N/S permit displayed, N/A Permit #, N/A type, NS CD, N/S Exp Date, AL state, PAS Plate Type, correct make, correct color, N/S year, 2DSD Body Type (car is a roadster), No VIN#…
I hope that there is enough lacking here to have it dismissed, but some advice would be much appreciated especially on how to word such a request for dismissal.
Thank you for your time!
Yakov,
Thanks for your kind remarks. None of these omissions render the ticket fatally defective. Read my post entitled “NYC Parking Ticket Checklist” for a complete list of required elements.
Matthew Weiss
Hello: A few days ago I got a ticket on 28th Street in New York City for ‘No Standing Com Mtr Zone (1)(3)(ii)’. I literally got out of the car for two minutes because I was dropping my grandmother off in my cousins car. His car was only 1 car behind me and this NYPD towing truck comes out of nowhere and writes up a ticket and starts towing my car right away. It was like they were watching me the entire time and waiting for me to step away. I also had my puppy in the car and she still towed the car! I honestly only step away for a minute or two the most because I’m aware thats a commercial zone. Luckily I was coming back to my car and I noticed her driving off and I ran to her and told her to stop. She stopped and called her supervisor so they released my car there and gave me a release agreement and told me to pay $100 within 30 Days or my license will be suspended. I need to know how I can fight this because I have 2 tickets, $115 and $100, and on top of that I’m not working right now. Please advise. Thanks a lot.
Kevin,
Leaving your car for only 2 minutes does not furnish a viable defense to a “no standing” ticket.
Matthew Weiss
I parked my car where everyday there is a car parking there and myself parked a few times as well, but I received a parking ticket for “6 feet from hydrant” in June last year. I took a picture of my car parking at the same place again without getting a ticket and other parked cars as well. But I lost the hearing – the judgement stated that location and cars in the pictures were unidentified (which was totally untrue, streets name were clearly shown in the pictures as well as cars) and past violation without being caught does not legalize repeated wrong doing. Just after the hearing, I moved to Houston permanently due to job transfer and turned in my NY plate as well. Of course, I filed an appeal pointing out all the facts again , plus that “Place of Occurrence” on the ticket actually was wrong and invalid which I just newly realized that . However the appeal also failed. I chose not to pay the ticket because I believe it is wrong and invalid, and I am a TX resident with TX plate and license now only. Two weeks ago I received notice from a collection agency about the ticket fine I owed to NYC. Penalty and interest have applied which makes totals balance $177 from the original $115.
I don’t know what to do. Could you tell me if I should and how/where to continue fighting the ticket?? Thank you so much!
Sue,
At this point, I recommend that you just pay the ticket rather than incurring additional charges.
Matthew Weiss
Thanks Mr. Weiss. So in your opinion, there is no other way or options but to pay the ticket under the circumstances?
Sue,
That is the only realistic option. A further appeal would be costly and time-consuming.
Matthew Weiss
Thanks again – last question – what will happen to me if I don’t pay it (I live in TX now and have surrendered my NY plate and license)? Any real damage or serious trouble?
Sue,
Your credit rating could be impaired and, technically, the City could try and enforce the judgment in Texas (although this is unlikely).
Matthew Weiss
Yes, My friend told me CD is for community district and that is incorrect, he wrote 5. The Community District this was on which is also mine is 7.
I also noticed on the ticket next to the plate, CD and he wrote 5 . What does this stand for? And he did not write in anything for date/time observed(N/A).
Dear Silvy,
What a shame! Sorry about your parking ticket pain.
A defense to a fire hydrant violation is that you remained seated behind the wheel ready to move upon request to do so. If I understand your comment correctly, you did, in fact, remain seated behind the wheel, the keys were in the ignition, and you simply reached back to clean the floor.
The difficulty here is presenting the proper proof. The first step is to check out the front of the parking ticket for omitted, misdescribed, or illegible required elements. If none, check out the comments portion of the parking ticket. Did the parking ticket warrior enter a comment? If so, please reply and let us know the comment/ or that there wasn’t a comment.
Looking forward to your reply.
Best,
Larry
Thank You Larry for answering. It was hectic pulling over and cleaning up the mess. And I do recall him saying “TOO LATE”. The only thing I can assume is that he did not see me while I was bending to the right and cleaning the floor. When I turned back and up he was already scanning my registration. In his comment section he wrote “NO DRIVER”. This is wrong. Very wrong.
I had pulled over at a hydrant as it was the only place available to clean the vomit from my childs jacket and floor. I was about a foot or two away from the hydrant. As I was reaching back and bending over to clean the floor I turned back up and noticed the traffic agent scanning my registation sticker. I told him that I am leaving but he stood in front of my car and wrote me a summons for fire hydrant 0 feet. My car is small and I did not even have to take my seat belt off to reach over and clean the mess up. He said “TOO LATE”, I wrote the ticket. I noticed he also wrote on the ticket in the comment section”no driver”. In broad daylight on top of this. This is wrong. How can I fight this wrong $115.00 ticket.
My car was parked on the main intersection where you have to move it by 7:00 am. I know that you have a five minute grace period to move the car. I was in my car by 7:06 but the ticket I got was also timed 7:06. Is there any way I can fight this ticket? I’m a student and 115 is a really big amount to me.
Shanza,
Unfortunately, you only get a 5-minute grace period.
Matthew Weiss
I received a parking ticket for failure to display inspection sticker. I became a NYC resident about a month ago and still have a valid NJ inspection
The DMV website says that my NJ sticker should still be valid for 1 year. Can I fight this ticket?
Matt,
It sounds like you have a good defense if your registration and plates are from New Jersey. I think you should try (although I do not make any prediction about your success chances).
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
I was reading your blog and came across ‘Any parking ticket issued in New York State (but outside New York City) must include the following seven pieces of information.’ Do these 7 pieces of information not matter if the ticket is in NYC?
Anita,
I think that these 7 items are important throughout New York State (but particularly in New York City). If your ticket has any of these items wrong or omitted, then you certainly should argue them in defense of the ticket.
Matthew Weiss
I recieved 2 tickets for improperly displayed license plate. My car was involved in an accident. My vehicle was parked and someone backed into my car breaking off the license plate and bracket. I placed the license plate on the dash until the insurance fixes the damage. I have a police report stating the same thing and Ive also submitted it as evidence. I disputed the ticket but it was “not a valid defense” according to the judge. I have 30days to appeal. What should I do?
John,
You can appeal but I don’t think your prospects are success are very high. Even though the damage wasn’t your fault, you have an obligation to fix your equipment issues promptly and it is illegal to drive around without properly displaying your license plates.
Matthew Weiss
Hi there- thanks for this amazing resource!
I parked directly under a street sweeping sign (with arrows in both directions, neither of them “stickered over”) on a friday evening, and came out saturday morning to find a ticket claiming I was parked in a “no parking except sundays” zone. there is indeed a second sign that says that, but it’s about 30 feet farther down the road than where I was parked, and the pictures I took show my car clearly right next to the street sweeping sign indicating I was clear in both directions. Can I fight this, or does the “except sundays” sign from 30 feet farther down supercede the one i parked right under?
Brendan,
You can try to fight it. Take photos showing your location (including the nearby address of a store or building), the sign and the 30-feet away sign. The photos (when placed together) must show the street without any gaps. Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
Today I received a ticket for disobeying a right turn sign. There is a sign at the corner of the street that allows cars to make right turns at the red signal. Apparently the sign that was in place was modified in such that now it does not allow cars to make right turns in the hours of 8am-4pm during school hours. I was not able to see the sign because the MTA bus was also at the corner picking up passengers therefore the motorists was not able to see the sign. The police officer stopped 3 of us and we all had the same excuse. He gave us a ticket and told us to plead not guilty with our explanation.
I had planned to plead not guilty because the bus was obstructing the sign. After reviewing the ticket the officer put the wrong date of offense, vehicle type and color of my car. Would the judge use this as grounds for dismissal?
David,
Those errors (most especially the wrong date of offense) may help you beat this charge. If you have any proof that confirms that the officer wrote the wrong date of evidence, bring it!
Good luck.
Matthew Weiss
they’re cleaning the street this morning so i double park on the other side of the road like everybody else but i ended up getting a ticket for it. i hope i can get out of this ticket. i have a mercedes but on the make they wrote mebe .. could i get out of this ticket or no?
Kayla,
You can try but I don’t think that this error will be enough to beat this ticket.
Matthew Weiss
I have the following defects on a handwritten parking ticket. It saids the color of my car is beige but my car is actually silver. Plus the letters of my plate is FTM but it looks like F7M. Someone said it doesn’t matter how it looks on my copy as long as it is correct on his copy. Thank you for the informative site and I appreciate the help.
Shida,
My advice would be to plead not guilty and raise this arguments. You have nothing to lose by fighting it.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
I received a parking ticket this summer for suposidly parking with in fifteen feet of a hydrant. The ticket clearly said FIVE feet ( defcetive ticket?). I took pictures that clearly shows the car as being very close to 15 feet. I did not have a tape measure with me to measure the exact distance , but the photos showing the standard size of sideway cement squares( 4 feet by four feet ) clearly indicates that the car was very close if not more than 15 feet. As I am from Montreal, I pleaded not guilty and provided all my evidence by mail. The verdict came back as guilty because I could not proove the exact location of the car. I appealed by mail , showing a blow up of one picture that clearly showed the adddress of where the car was parked. I have no clue what else I could have done to prove my point! Was the onus on me or the trafic officer to proove that my car was closer than 15 feet ?
The verdict is in and now I have to decide wether to pay or not to pay. Being from another country, I do not think I am going to jail over this one. I would appreciate your comments.
Richard,
I’m sorry that you lost. You write that your car was “close to 15 feet” away but that does not exonerate you. You must be more than 15 feet away. You have to decide if you want to appeal, but (to me) it doesn’t sound like it is worth appealing.
Matthew Weiss
Hi Matthew
Thank you for your very informative site! My ticket says that my registration expiration date is 06/13/13 but the registration actually expired on the last day of the month (06/31/13). Would the officer’s dyslexic notation of the date suffice to have the ticket dropped?
Thanks,
Priya
Priya,
Thanks for your kind praise. Yes, you should win this ticket. Explain it in a letter and attach a copy of your registration information (including expiration date).
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
Hi. I received a handwritten parking ticket with the following defects –
1- Date was written as 1/23/12 instead of 1/23/13.
2- State was left blank.
Does the plate designation requirement under VTL sec. 238 inlude identification of the State or just plate number. Also, is the description of the body type satisfied by the officer simply checking off sedan or must it also state 2d or 4d like in the printed tickets.
Thanks.
Thank you.
Jennifer,
These mistakes are good. Fight this ticket.
The ticket, however, does not need the 2d or 4d.
Matthew Weiss
I received a ticked for parking in a “No Standing Bus Stop” on a Saturday night through Sunday morning. I have parked in this spot for years on weekends without ever getting a ticket. But I found out that the sign that allows weekend parking was down when I received the ticket. Now it is now back up again and people are parking on weekends without getting ticketed. Will I be able to have my ticket dismissed?
Alex,
You have a great defense. Take photos and send them in with your argument about the downed sign.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
Received a ticket today for no parking 8-6 M-F. There are three spots in between the two no parking signs – I was clearly parked legally with two other cars. How do I fight this ticket and prove I was legally parked? Isn’t it my word against theirs?
Jane, you should take photographs showing your vehicle was legally parked, the nearest street signs and the street address of the building of which you were park in front. If you cannot capture it all in one photo, then you need to take a series of connecting photos showing same.
Matthew Weiss
Hello,
This my issue, I parked my commercial truck on the street at 7am. Signs posted say street cleaning 8:30am-9am and meter parking from 9am-7 pm. I came to move my truck at 8:30am and find that construction has begun and they taped up all signs and put up “no standing all times”, while I was inside working. The ticket time says 8:08am..what can I do, they literally changed signs on me?
Lu,
You should plead not guilty and fight this ticket. Explain what happened and include the photographs that you hopefully took.
Matthew Weiss
I’ve rcv’d a ticket for a non seatbelt violation. In looking it over the officer filled out the ticket without entering my registration expiration. He had my registration in his hand, and he entered all the other fields, do you think I could win a not guilty plea?
Paula,
Assuming a “non seatbelt violation” means that you weren’t wearing your seat belt, then omitted registration expiration is not a fatal defective to the charge and, therefore, will not be enough for you to get a dismissal.
Matthew Weiss
Hi Matt,
I am a brand new NYC driver (less than a month) and received 3 parking tickets over the course of one weekend, which I was out of town during. They are all for parking near a fire hydrant, but each of the tickets displays a different amt of feet from the hydrant (3 ft, 8ft, and 11ft). Also, two of the tickets display the location as: 309 E 90th whereas the other says 308 E 90th. And two of the tickets were written within 4 hours of each other! (2:14am and then 6:56am). I plan to go in-person to fight these and hope I can get them reduced in some way, but I am not sure how to set up my defense. Any help would be very much appreciated.
-Vanessa
Vanessa,
I am sorry to hear about your misfortune. I didn’t read anything that was helpful other than two of the tickets were issued relatively close in time. Plead not guilty and argue that one of these should be dismissed as redundant.
Good luck.
Matthew Weiss
Hello. So I received a handwritten parking ticket in Yonkers, NY for an expired inpection sticker on my NYS registered vehicle while parked in a shopping center. Upon reviewing the ticket, I noticed that the police officer failed to fill out the caption where it asks for the actual expiration date of the inspection sticker. Also, he filled in the VIN#, but did so incorrectly. He did fill in my plate # correctly though. Do you think I have a shot of it being dismissed?
Vinnie,
Yes, give it a shot. You may get a dismissal here. Make sure you attach a copy of the registration showing the expiration date and the discrepancy in the VIN.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
Hello, so here is my situation. Im sure its very common but since im a new comercial driver im still learning the rules and regulations of parking and traffic in nyc for commercial vehicles.. i was unloading in a no standing zone because of the convinience which was a mistake of mine. But this is my first ticket and another thing he gave me the ticket without any warning and then walked over to the other vehicles in the same no.standing zone and gave them warnings and didnt issue them a ticket and walked away.. can i fight this ticket and say he was being selective or i feel like he was being descriminating.. i took a picture of the car in front of me with him walking away. Is it worth fighting this ticket? Thanx in advance.
Gloria
Gloria,
You can fight this ticket but I don’t like your “I was discriminated” argument. Rather, if you can prove that you were only expeditiously un-loading, then you are allowed to “stand”.
Matthew Weiss
What if all of the information on the ticket is correct, except for the State? The ticket says “AK” for the state, but it should be “KS”.
Thanks!
Ryan
Ryan,
That might work. Plead not guilty and send a copy of your registration showing that the state of registration is incorrect.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
Hello, so I received a ticket for being parked in a bus lane but my car was within more than enough clearance of the bus sign . I took pictures to prove this. In addition I noticed that the expiration date and date/time first observed is missing. Would any of these help me fight this ticket? Thank you in advance!
Krissy,
Unfortunately, none of these items render your ticket fatally defective. With regard to the bus stop, it is 40 to 45 feet in length so there is a good chance you were still within it.
Below is parking ticket guru Lawrence Berezin’s take on parking tickets issued in a bus stop:
You can beat a bus stop ticket if you are dropping off or picking up a passenger.
Don’t expect to find a yellow curb to indicate a bus stop zone. That would be too easy
The parking signs on the block hold the secret to the length of a bus stop zone. There must be at least one official NYC parking sign that designates the beginning of a bus stop zone, with an arrow indicating the direction(s) of the bus stop zone.
There does not have to be a second bus stop sign to indicate the end of the bus stop zone. If there is not a second parking sign anywhere on the block in the direction of the arrow(s) on the bus stop sign, the bus stop zone ends at the corner.
The bus stop sign regulates the portion of the block in the direction of the arrow until the next NYC parking sign. The bus stop zone ends at the next NYC parking sign.
If the one official bus stop sign has arrows pointing in both directions, then the bus stop zone goes in both directions until you reach another NYC parking sign or the end of the block.
I hope this information helps.
Matthew Weiss
Hello Matthew,
Got a parking ticket while I was getting into the car. My butt was on the seat, but the traffic cop was writing the ticket at the time. I had control of the vehicle and occupied it before he finished the ticket. Can I argue what time it was? He did not notify me that I was being ticketed, despite the fact that I was actually in violation at the time.
Thanks!
Rudy,
You didn’t write what type of ticket that you received but, for many types of parking tickets, it is illegal to park, stand or stop even if you’re still seated in your car.
Matthew Weiss
Got it. It was No Parking for Street Cleaning.
Rudy,
You can stop in a “no parking” area but only to briefly pick up or drop off. If you were seen there for more than a brief stop (and/or without dropping off or picking up), then you do not have a good defense to this ticket (based on the information furnished).
Matthew Weiss
Received a parking ticket for parking during cleaning hours. However, the ticket shows only the first 3 symbols of the car’s license plate, which is a standard one with all 6 symbols. No expiration date is shown either on the ticket.
Will this license plate error serve as a ground for an automatic dismissal? The car is registered in NJ, not in NYS.
Thank you very much!
Gene,
This may be a winner! Give it a shot and raise these arguments as well as any others that you have.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
Matthew,
on, 1/2/13, I woke up to a parking ticket on my for an expired inspection sticker. My inspection expired on 12/31/12. I received (a handwritten) ticket on 1/2/13 but the date of the offense on the ticket states it was issued on 1/1/13 at 8:50 am. I want to fight the ticket because my car was not parked on the street nor at the stated place of occurrence on 1/1/13. It was (admittedly) parked on the street at the stated date of occurrence on 1/2/13 at 8:50 am…lol.. Ironically, I got my car inspected on 1/2/13.
Do you think I can or should fight this ticket?
Thanks,
Cherelyn
Cherelyn,
Yes, you can fight it. You will have to prove through evidence that it was issued on the wrong date.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
Hello…
I received a $165.00 ticket for “blocking a pedestrian ramp.” I have photos that prove I was not blocking the ramp, but I was found guilty because my photo didn’t show the street sign of my block. I’m appealing and showing more photos with the street sign but my car isn’t in the photo with the street sign. I have witnesses that will sign a statement and appear to testify that I didn’t move the car when I took the photos showing I was not blocking the ramp. Do I have a case?
Dolores,
Sadly, you will probably lose your appeal. Generally, on appeal, new evidence isn’t considered. You were required to present all of your evidence during your trial. With that said, please don’t let me from discourage you from trying.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
Hello!
I received a parking ticket for parking 5 feet away from a fire hydrant (which I do not believe is true). Prior to receiving this ticket, I had been parked at this spot for an entire week without being ticketed. Also, the expiration date on my ticket for my registration is listed wrong. It says 06/12 when it is in fact 06/13. And, there is a “N/S” listed under the Year portion of the make of my car. Are any of these considered to be defective? I also took pictures of where I parked as well for when I plan on appealing. (Also, what does NS mean under the CD portion). Thanks in advance for your help!
Erica, I passed your question along to parking ticket guru Lawrence Berezin of NewYorkParkingTicket.com. He replies as follows: “If your car was registered in NY and the expiration date refers to your registration, you may be able to beat this parking ticket. If vehicle is registered out-of-state, it is dismissible if the plate has those little decals signifying month and date of registration expiration.”
Hi ! I received a ticket for parking in a “no standing zone” however, i parked right after the pole where the no standing zone ended. The pole i parked right after actually had no sign on it, but it being a pole that clearly used to have a sign on it, i parked there thinking i was in the clear, since there were no signs throughout the rest of the block that indicated that i could not park there. Was I right in thinking i was in the clear? i also read online that a no standing sign usually ends at the next pole on the street, so i parked AFTER the pole with the missing sign on it. I asked 3 different people on the block that day after i parked and they all said i was in the clear. I thought they would know since they live in the area.
Lee,
My friend and parking ticket expert Lawrence Berezin answered a similar question a few weeks ago on this thread. Below is his response.
“[T]he rules allow one parking sign located anywhere on the block to be sufficient to inform the driving public of a parking rule regulating a parking space.
This is another example of the absurdity of many of the arcane parking rules.
Parenthetically, the parking rule displayed on a parking sign regulates all parking spaces in the direction of the arrow on the sign until the next parking sign in the direction of the arrow, or if none, the end of the block.
I’ve beaten a a fair number of cases when the parking sign is not visible. It is easier to prove ‘invisibility’ when the parking sign is hidden by a tree branch. Distance never wins, sometimes height will.
I suggest you check the front of your parking ticket for a omitted, misdescribed, or illegible required element.”
Received a parking ticket this morning on 34th street between Queens Blvd & Skillman Avenue. I parked adjacent to a pole with absolutely no signs on it indicating that I could not park there. Knowing this area, I purposely looked around to see if there were any other signs. The only other sign on this block was twisted around and facing a totally different direction than the direction this one way street was going. Other cars were parked around me. Can I fight this? I have pictures of the pole I parked next to (with my car in the shot) and the bent pole from the other end of the block.
Ariana,
Yes, give it a shot. Make sure you photos show the street sign and one (ore more) street numbers on a nearby building. If not, take a series of photos to show your precise location.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
My husband received a No U-turn ticket on Monday, 12/10/12. The ticket is handwritten and the date of offense plus the date affirmed are written as 12/10/13. Should he plead Not Guilty? If yes, should he state that the dates are incorrect when mailing in the form or wait for a hearing? Thanks very much.
Janet,
Yes, he should plead not guilty. With the right judge you should win this case. He should say anything about the wrong date until his trial and, even then, only after the police officer testifies and rests. Further, your chances for success based on this error are enhanced if you delay your trial until after December 10, 2013.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
this morning i got a ticket for parking in a no standing zone but I was parked where the city put lines in where people should be parking, I am assuming the no standing sign was for the garage door at the side of the building but I did not park in front of the garage but only where the lines were drawn to be parked. Other cars where parked right behind me as well, do I have a fight with this ambiguous street sign? Should I submit photos of the area in question, I believe there wasn’t a sign saying not to park on the side I was except that specific zone.
Jahoon,
Unfortunately, the sign controls (despite the “City put lines”).
Matthew Weiss
I got a $90 ticket in Nassau County for an expired inspection 10 days after it expired. The only information not recorded on the ticket is my VIN.
Any shot at me getting this reduced or dismissed if I show I got the inspection the next day?
No, the VIN is not a required element.
I received a NYC parking ticket the other day for parking in a NO PARKING zone. The ticket cites a vehicle make of “SUBA”, my vehicle registration states the make is “SUBAR”.
Additionally, the Meter # field was left blank on the ticket. There was no meters where I was parked, does this need to say “N/A” or something similar?
Would either of these be enough to contest the ticket as defective?
Thanks!
Ann,
Unfortunately, these two items don’t seem to be enough for your to win. Feel free to try, however.
Matthew Weiss
Hi I got a $35 parking ticket because I didn’t purchase muni meter ticket. Can I just reply “not guilty” by checking the “incorrect sign” box (because the signs in the area are confusing!) so as to get an offer to reduce the fee? or do I have to provide written explanation with the not guilty plea? I don’t think I have enought reason to get the ticket waived, but if I could at least save few dollars…. please advise thanks
Debbie,
I don’t think such an effort will save you any money but, of course, you’re free to try.
Good luck either way.
Matthew Weiss
Mr. Berenzin,
I recieved a parking ticket because the front half of my car was in a “No Standing” zone. I attend SUNY Maritime College and I was wondering if there was any way I can get the ticket dismissed. The ticket does not include the expiration date and it improperly states the body type of my car. The ticket states that it is a SDN but it is a 2DR hatchback. The place of occurrence is illegible and it does not state whether it was “Front of” or “Opposite” of the location written. Also, the “Time 1st Observed” is not filled out nor is the VIN number. Do you think this is enough to get the ticket revoked?
Thank you very much,
-Justin
Justin Langan,
These items may be enough especially the wrong body type and illegible place of occurrence. Plead not guilty, make your arguments and include a copy of your registration showing the correct body type.
Good luck!
Matthew Weiss
Thank you very much Mr. Weiss. The ticket got revoked due to illegibility of the occurrence. I didn’t even have to give any more reasons as to why the ticket was faulty! Thank you so much for the information!
-Justin
Justin,
Perfect! Congrats!!
Matthew Weiss
PS I recently beat a reckless driving ticket on these same grounds.
Marty,
The only parking ticket a warrior is empowered to delete is one for failure to display muni- meter receipt. You are required to find the warrior within 5 minutes of the time the parking ticket was issued, and present a valid muni- meter receipt. Otherwise, nope.
Best,
Larry
Dear Marty,
Good afternoon.
Great question.
I am sorry to report, the rules allow one parking sign located anywhere on the block to be sufficient to inform the driving public of a parking rule regulating a parking space.
This is another example of the absurdity of many of the arcane parking rules.
Parenthetically, the parking rule displayed on a parking sign regulates all parking spaces in the direction of the arrow on the sign until the next parking sign in the direction of the arrow, or if none, the end of the block.
I’ve beaten a a fair number of cases when the parking sign is not visible. It is easier to prove “invisibility” when the parking sign is hidden by a tree branch. Distance never wins, sometimes height will.
I suggest you check the front of your parking ticket for a omitted, misdescribed, or illegible required element.
Best,
Larry
Lawrence,
Thank you so much for your prompt response, albeit not the one I was hoping for…! Incredible that I will lose this fight…..there is scaffolding up right above my car, and it’s likely that the STREET CLEANING sign is ABOVE it, but no way I can prove it since it isn’t visible….!
I’ll follow-up with one more question, although it’s probably moot. I arrived at my car just AFTER the officer had scanned the registration on the car. He hadn’t printed the ticket or put in any other information in yet (i.e. intersection, etc). He says that once he has scanned it, there is no way to delete (he MUST print the ticket) . I don’t believe that. Do you know?
Once again, thanks for your advice, and thanks for providing this wonderful service.
Hi Matthew,
I see you give excellent advice here. Perhaps you can help me with my situation?
I parked on 118th & Pleasant Ave. When I came back, the officer had JUST scanned my registration. I looked around, and the CLOSEST “No Parking – Street Cleaning” sign was mid-block – close to 100 feet away! (there was construction scaffolding above me, which may account to why there was no closer sign). I lost in the “mail-in” try, but asked for an appeal. Is there an ordinance that states how close the sign must be? And my second question is, I recorded the “100 feet from my parked car to the closest sign” on an Ipad. Can I use that video evidence in court?
Thanks very much!
Marty,
Thanks for your kind remarks.
Lawrence Berezin, the go-to guy for parking ticket issues, will answer your question shortly.
Matthew Weiss