Apparently yesterday I was overparked by 6 minutes yesterday in downtown DC. I didn't get a meter vilation though. I got a parking in a no parking zone during rush hour citation. Here's the kicker...6 minutes over and it's a $100 fine.

I didn't even know it was a no parking zone. I even went back later to look at the spot and couldn't make sense of the signs. I mean who even thinks to look for a no parking sign NEXT to a parking meter!

Anyway, I don't live in DC. My car is registers in Baltimore County, Maryland. Do I have to pay this nonsense? Can they really do anything to me out of state? I know for a fact that I can go the rest of my life without ever going back to that god forsaken place.

I mean if it was $30 I might just send it to them to shut them up. But $100 for 6 minutes? I'm certain there are laws in this country about the penalties being commencerate with the crime. $16.66 a minute doesn't seem very commencarate with anything.

how do you think DC makes money? parking!

not sure if dc reports to the surrounding states. i got a parking ticket and sent it in on the last day possible. a few weeks later i got a late fee bill, and just threw it away. its been a year since and so far nothing, not even a 2nd late fee bill.

Just pay it and never drive into that city again. It sucks that you got a ticket but that's DC. It's as if the meter maids stand on the corner looking at their watch. When rush hour starts they just run down the row ticketing everyone.

It's not worth the hassle of coming into DC the next time and finding a boot on your car.

---Eric

Nothing will happen if you don't pay it -- unless you are ever illegally parked in DC again. In that case you will get booted. Is there no appeal option?

It's not worth the hassle of coming into DC the next time and finding a boot on your car.

---Eric

Well that's vertainly not even happening again. 1) I have no desire ever to go back there. 2) I've got another car that doesn't have any outstanding tickets on it if I suddenly had to go.

So the DC booting me threat doesn't bother me. They can't boot me in Baltimore. The question is can they make me pay the fine from outside their jurisdiction?

The boot is a good point though, Eric. It's just one I can easily avoid.

Is there no appeal option?

Oh get this...you can just show up to a walk in hearing at several locations. Apparently these are run by arbitors, not judges. (From what I can find so far. That might be wrong).

Sure doesn't sound kosher to me. Having outrageous fines that are contestable to arbitors on the city's payroll instead of impartial courts of law.

It's a real great way to promote tourism isn't it? Hassle everyone who comes there to visit their nation's capital?

The worst part...I was parked right in front of the IRS building..........somehow I should have realized I was going to get shafted right there.

You could try taking pictures of the signs. If they are real confusing the arbitor may reduce the fine.
BTW -- If you are the registered owner of both cars, it may show up in the computer as an outstanding ticket to you (not the car) -- so if you park your other car illegally and they run the plate, that car may be booted.

Well that's vertainly not even happening again. 1) I have no desire ever to go back there. 2) I've got another car that doesn't have any outstanding tickets on it if I suddenly had to go.

So the DC booting me threat doesn't bother me. They can't boot me in Baltimore. The question is can they make me pay the fine from outside their jurisdiction?

The boot is a good point though, Eric. It's just one I can easily avoid.
You never know... You might get offered a great job in DC YEARS from now. How much would it suck to have to pay the fine plus late fees? Or as Justin suggested, they might run your plate and boot your other car.

---Eric

Unpaid tickets can show up on your credit report...as I've seen on a client's. It might affect you later when you're looking to buy/refi a house.

Unpaid tickets can show up on your credit report...as I've seen on a client's. It might affect you later when you're looking to buy/refi a house.

Parking tickets do? Or moving violations?

I'd think a parking ticket would be an odd addition to a credit report because it can't be attributed to a specific person.

A traffic stop I could see, because there is no denying it was you who was handed the ticket. A parking ticket, there's not even a way to verify that the ticket was even recieved at all. It's just sitting there on the windshield. It can get rained off, blown off, pulled off by someone walking down the street, etc etc, long before the driver ever comes back to the car. Even then there's no way of telling who was driving it.

I'm not saying your wrong. Don't think I'm contradicting you. Just looking for clarification that PARKING tickets show up this way. And if they in fact do, that's really dicked up.

Parking tickets do? Or moving violations?

I'd think a parking ticket would be an odd addition to a credit report because it can't be attributed to a specific person.

A traffic stop I could see, because there is no denying it was you who was handed the ticket. A parking ticket, there's not even a way to verify that the ticket was even recieved at all. It's just sitting there on the windshield. It can get rained off, blown off, pulled off by someone walking down the street, etc etc, long before the driver ever comes back to the car. Even then there's no way of telling who was driving it.

I'm not saying your wrong. Don't think I'm contradicting you. Just looking for clarification that PARKING tickets show up this way. And if they in fact do, that's really dicked up.

Unpaid parking tickets do get turned over to collection.

Parking tickets do? Or moving violations?

I'd think a parking ticket would be an odd addition to a credit report because it can't be attributed to a specific person.

A traffic stop I could see, because there is no denying it was you who was handed the ticket. A parking ticket, there's not even a way to verify that the ticket was even recieved at all. It's just sitting there on the windshield. It can get rained off, blown off, pulled off by someone walking down the street, etc etc, long before the driver ever comes back to the car. Even then there's no way of telling who was driving it.

I'm not saying your wrong. Don't think I'm contradicting you. Just looking for clarification that PARKING tickets show up this way. And if they in fact do, that's really dicked up.

Yup, I just looked at the credit report again and yes, the delinquency tradeline shows "DC PARKING".

Don't get me wrong...I think it's total BS that they can do this, but it is what it is.

not to mention I think you need to pre-pay your fine before you can appeal. Then there are fees associated with that appeal. AND you have to take a day off work to go through the process. Its a bunch of crap.

Ive had a PA parking ticket show up through collections before.. I never paid it because I figured Id never be back there again.... I prolly should have just paid it. But since I didnt, the fine tripled.

If you really feel like trying to beat the system, just goto MVA and say you lost your tags, pay $25 to get a new one and you can park in DC again without getting booted.

not to mention I think you need to pre-pay your fine before you can appeal. Then there are fees associated with that appeal. AND you have to take a day off work to go through the process. Its a bunch of crap.

Ive had a PA parking ticket show up through collections before.. I never paid it because I figured Id never be back there again.... I prolly should have just paid it. But since I didnt, the fine tripled.

If you really feel like trying to beat the system, just goto MVA and say you lost your tags, pay $25 to get a new one and you can park in DC again without getting booted.

How will getting new tags help with his credit?

How will getting new tags help with his credit?

It wont, but he wont get booted :)

Man that is bull. How do they get away with that?

I thought credit reports were full of consentual contracts between two parties. In other words, I agree to a line of credit from a bank. I sign a bunch of papers to that extent. There's a paper trail showing that I did in fact agree to pay certain money by a certain time, and if I don't it goes to collections.

A parking ticket left on a car is NOT a consentual contract. There's no record it was recieved. There's no prior agreement to the terms. There's no sign next to the space saying "If you're parked here after 4PM you will be fined such and such an amount and parking here is an acceptance of this implied contract."

It's could be some random asshole taking plate numbers at 3:55 then making up fake tickets 15 minutes later that the car owners know nothing about. Then you can't even challenge the ticket in an inpartial court?

This is the law. This is chaos!

In a real court, the city has a real tough time proving anything. The ticking agent isn't going to be there 99% of the time. So the city never has an actual witness to confirm the ticket. There's no one there to dispute your claims that you left before the time ran out, or that there was no sign, or that there was still time on the meter, etc etc etc. It's your word against an empty chair in a court of law. In a arbitration it's your word against a guy who's paid by the very ticket you're fighting.

Then they have you in a stranglehold where they can report what you have little way of proving what could be a maliciously bogus ticket to a creditor?

Nothing about this sounds legal.

Man that is bull. How do they get away with that?

And that's why DC sucks. Part of it goes back to that idiot Mayor Sharon Pratt-something. Her whole campaign was, if you dont want to live in DC, then face the consequences.

And now they want to tear down Whitehurst w/ the same mentality. You all are commuters, who cares about you. :rolleyes

Parking tickets do? Or moving violations?

I'd think a parking ticket would be an odd addition to a credit report because it can't be attributed to a specific person.



You, as the owner of the vehicle, are responsible for all parking tickets whether you are the one who parked it there or not. And since you are the person who is responsible for making sure the ticket gets paid for, it can be reflected in your credit rating. That's how it legally works.

Even though you think the penalty is extreme, the commuters (those that live in md/va) during rush hour get really po'd for completely blocking a traveling lane by cars like yours. A tiny little bottleneck caused by one car parked illegally can create a delay for everyone and that equals a $ for each person delayed and in total equals $$$$ combined. That severe penalty is to make sure you dont cause hassle to all the Md/Va commuters. Plus that fine is to reflect the cost of tow trucks that go around and move cars like your around the block to open up the lane.

Forget arbitration, btdt. The only way you're getting off is if you have proof your car was not parked there or you have proof there was no sign saying you can't park there at that time.

Just pay the ticket. It's not worth the hassle.

This is almost worth the time and energy to fight the legality of this whole system to an appeals court (I guess you'd have to appeal to a federal court since there is no state court in this instance) just on the principle of the thing.

You should have seen this place. At 3 pm you couldn't find a cop in a donut shop. At 4 pm there were more meter maids and traffic enforcement personel than there were tourists. There was a graduation of some kind on a lawn near the Washington Monument. Cars neatly and cleanly parked on the grass in a way that HAD to have been organized. Not just random people. As I was leaving the city I saw a team of meter maids ticketing every car. All with $100 fines I'm sure.

That city needs to be smacked upside the head because they are taking ALOT of liberties with the law.

That severe penalty is to make sure you dont cause hassle to all the Md/Va commuters. Plus that fine is to reflect the cost of tow trucks that go around and move cars like your around the block to open up the lane.

My ass. I don't believe that for a second.

This is revenue collection and nothing else.

And that's why DC sucks. Part of it goes back to that idiot Mayor Sharon Pratt-something. Her whole campaign was, if you dont want to live in DC, then face the consequences.

And now they want to tear down Whitehurst w/ the same mentality. You all are commuters, who cares about you. :rolleyes

Maybe you should know a little more about DC before you post. :stickoutt Sharon hasn't been the mayor in years. The reason those lanes are open up for rush hour is to help the commuters who don't even live in DC, who don't help pay for repairs to the DC roads that you commuter tear up, etc.

My ass. I don't believe that for a second.

This is revenue collection and nothing else.

Yeah, it's a revenue collection. I'm sure if you were in shoes of the commuters, you would be glad to see a car get a ticket that's blocked your lane from you getting home to eat dinner/play with your kids.

Yeah, it's a revenue collection. I'm sure if you were in shoes of the commuters, you would be glad to see a car get a ticket that's blocked your lane from you getting home to eat dinner/play with your kids.


Not if the ticket is bullshit like this one is. There was not a clear indication that this turned into a rush hour lane within a reasonable distance from my parking space. There were 7000 signs up and down the street that I saw after I was looking for them. But when I parked the car and looked around, that particular space had no indication that the lane became a travel lane after 4. We even went back and looked at it later and couldn't find an obvious indication of that visable from the space. The closest one you coudl see from the space was across the street. That's hardly clearly posted. And even then the signs that were posted are confusing.

$100 for 6 minutes is NOT the legal deffinition of penelties being commencerate with the offense. It's exactly the type of thing those LAWS are on the books to stop.

Furthmore, the stupid city doesn't even have a legitimate, legal appeals process for bogus crap like this. If you're going ot make such a big deal out of this kind of thing, at least have a legal and fair appeals process in place to acknowledge that the system might have minor flaws in it.

This "It's our way or the highway" form of government is exactly the type of facist crap we've been fighting in this country since King George was in charge. Kind of ironic that the capital of hte nation that fought unfair rule is now an unfrai ruler itself, huh?

Yes. I just equated my parking ticket with the American Revolution. You did not misread that. :D

If the signs aren't clearly marked, then at least you have a case you can win.

Yeah, I agree the appeals process sucks in DC. But I'm finding that it sucks everywhere. I got a ticket in Va for parking for more than the 2 hr limit. When what happened was I was parked there for an hour, then drove somewhere for lunch, came back and parked in the same strip of parking spaces. So the ticketing officer thought I was parked there for hours.

I took a day off work to appeal it since I had receipt from the restaurant I went to which would show I was not parked there, but rather parked at the restaurant.

I showed them the proof I wasnt parked there and they still didn't dismiss the ticket because I was at a hearing, not a court. They told me that I would have to come to court to appeal it, and you cant go to court until you've gone to a hearing. Now that's bu!!sh!t. So that means I'm supposed to take two days off work just to appeal a $50 ticket for something I'm not even guilty of.

I once took a half day off work to fight a $25 improrperly displayed licence plate ticket on matters of general principle.

I had my Dodge truck and the front plate carrier ws damaged. I took it off my truck that was parked in the lot of my apartment building 50 feet from the door. I fixed the carrier inside and brought the plate back to reinstall it 10 minute later only to find a ticket on the truck for failure to display front tag.

I was so pissed I was happy to take a half day off work. The judge (I said Judge, meaning court of LAW, not hearing of shenanigans) didn't even want to hear it. Without listening ot the story his opinion was that if it was so important for me to drag myself down there over a $25 ticket that I must be right.

So let me get this straight on the DC appeal process. The ticket says I can mail in my defense. (No I'm not even playing. You can get a hearing by mail. I don't mean they mail you a hearing time. I mean they mail you their response.) Can I mail in teh defense, wait for it to be rejected, THEN take the issue to a real court where I can at least get a fair shake?


Sounds like the arbitors don't really serve a purpose. Sounds like if they just deleted the arbitors salaries they could lower the ticket costs and maybe folks wouldn't get to enraged over their pettiness.

$100 for 6 minutes is NOT the legal deffinition of penelties being commencerate with the offense. It's exactly the type of thing those LAWS are on the books to stop.

Do you not understand why you got the ticket? It wasn't because you were there 6 minutes over.

Do you not understand why you got the ticket? It wasn't because you were there 6 minutes over.
True, he should be happy he wasn't ticketed AND towed (to allow for rush hour traffic).

---Eric

If the signs are *really* that unclear then you should be able to get the ticket nullified and as a bonus you get to ignore my next comment!

My take is that if you're going to be in DC, especially around rush hour, you need to know about the parking and be very careful. I really have no sympathy for people who get tickets for parking in places that they shouldn't be in during rush hour. It's hard enough to drive in the city; a car parked in your lane doesn't help.

Do you not understand why you got the ticket? It wasn't because you were there 6 minutes over.


Allright I'll bite. Why did I get it then?


And not only were the signs confusing, but from the space I was in, the closest sign you could see was across the street in the next block. When I went back to look there was a sign about 2 spaces behind the one I was in, but from the space I was in, there was no clear indication of that being a rush hour travel lane.

Allright I'll bite. Why did I get it then?


And not only were the signs confusing, but from the space I was in, the closest sign you could see was across the street in the next block. When I went back to look there was a sign about 2 spaces behind the one I was in, but from the space I was in, there was no clear indication of that being a rush hour travel lane.
It's a brilliant idea... There are too many cars for the roads to handle... D.C. logic - "I've got it! We'll make everyone who is parked move their cars and use that as an extra lane during rush hour". Of course no one thought of the fact they are forcing more people onto the roads at the same time. Plus because they don't mark every single space, there is always a car parked illegally in the lane (or a tow truck trying to move a parked car). Essentially that "extra" lane is useless. At least they use the revenue from the tickets to repair the roads. Oh wait, I've seen their roads... I'm not sure what they use the money for.

Take some pictures of the area where you parked (or a video tape) and use it as your defense. If not, just pay the ticket and avoid parking/driving in DC.

---Eric

oh so you're the bastard who doesn't read no parking during rush hour signs and backs up 16 blocks of traffic b/c you didn't move your car. Die.


:D so I don't get a timeout :redspot

there was no clear indication of that being a rush hour travel lane.

DC on the map is one bigass indication of a rush hour lane.

DC on the map is one bigass indication of a rush hour lane.

Acutally it was funny. I couldn't get INTO the city at 10 am, but when I was leaving it at 4:30 it was a breeze. There was even an accident on Conneticuit Ave blocking up the works and we still moved passed it pretty efficiently.

Acutally it was funny. I couldn't get INTO the city at 10 am, but when I was leaving it at 4:30 it was a breeze. There was even an accident on Conneticuit Ave blocking up the works and we still moved passed it pretty efficiently.
No one rushes that much to get to work (they just blame it on traffic) but they will usually rush home. ;)

---Eric