How to Fix Your Parking Ticket

Parking tickets may have minimal to significant financial repercussions.

Parking tickets are annoyances that befall just about all drivers at some point in their lives. The financial penalty imposed by the ticket may be meager or massive. You can resolve a parking citation one of two ways: You can either pay the ticket or challenge it. Challenging a ticket can be a costly endeavor. It is wise to choose that course of action only if you were not guilty of the alleged violation.

Instructions

Pay the Fine

1. Look on the reverse side of the ticket for contact and payment instructions.

2. Follow the contact instructions to find out what your fine is. Some tickets disclose this detail on the ticket itself, in which case you can skip this step.

3. Mail payment to the address listed on the back of the ticket or given to you when you call the driver control office. Alternatively, you may drop payment off in person.

4. Follow up your payment with a phone call to make sure driver control received the funds and credited them to you before the court date specified on the ticket.

Challenge the Ticket

1. Gather evidence that you were not in violation of a parking ordinance. For example, if you received a ticket for parking in a handicap parking space but were unaware of the space's specific designation because it was not clearly marked, take a picture of the parking space to demonstrate your point.

2. Speak to a lawyer if you need legal consultation. Most tickets are for minor infractions which do not require legal consultation.

3. Appear in court or driver control for your hearing. You will find the court date listed on the ticket.

4. Present evidence proving that you were wrongly cited.

5. Negotiate the penalty, if possible. Many cities will overlook a person's first offense, for example. You may also be able to avoid the fine by attending a defensive driving course.

Tips & Warnings

• In many communities, lawyers have relationships with police officers, prosecutors, judges and other court personnel, and can make arrangements that citizens with no connections cannot. If you're desperate to get out of a parking ticket, you can seek a lawyer who can claim to be in a position to help you.

References

• City of Houston: Resolve a Citation
• Department of Motor Vehicles: Traffic Tickets
• World Law Direct: Fighting a Speeding Ticket