How To – Dispute A Parking Ticket
Finding a parking ticket slapped under your windshield wiper is a sure fire way to ruin even a perfect day, but don’t fret New Yorkers! Just because you got a parking ticket doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t fight it and avoid having to pay a hefty fine. One of the easiest way to beat a ticket is to do so on a technicality. If you would rather to just pay it you can also visit our payment portal. Although traffic officers writing out the summons must enter all data correctly, errors can definitely turn up on your ticket.
Request An In-Person Hearing
If you believe that your parking ticket has incorrect information on it or is simply flat out wrong, you can choose to dispute it and request a hearing online, by mail, or in person at any Finance Business Center for a walk-in hearing. These hearings are on a first-come, first-served basis between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday – Friday with no appointment necessary. Hearings can be requested up to one year after the judgment date but it’s better to dispute the ticket within 30 days of receiving the violation as you can still be subject to late penalties after the 30th day. If the judge finds you guilty, you may have to pay the penalties. Once you have been granted a hearing, be sure to provide as much evidence and information that supports your dispute against the parking ticket. Don’t forget to bring a valid Driver’s License, your Vehicle registration and title or rental agreement.
Request an Online Hearing
If you choose to request an online hearing and have evidence you want the judge to consider (photographs of signs/street, documents, etc.) you must fill out and submit an online hearing request form. All evidence must be submitted at once since you may not have another opportunity to submit evidence after your hearing. If you are submitting evidence online, make sure you submit no more than 5MB of evidence to system as files that are larger than 5MB will not be accepted online. If this is the case, submit your hearing request and evidence by mail or in person at a Finance Business Center.
Request a Hearing by Mail
To have a hearing by mail, return the ticket with the reasons why you believe you are not guilty checked off on the back. Be sure to attach a letter explaining why your evidence and reasons support your dispute as well as copies of any evidence that you wish to present. If you are sending photographs of parking signs, include all signs on the side of the street where you received the ticket. Pictures must be of the entire block from corner to corner, with the front and back of signs. Include a picture of the street name. If you want show that the parking ticket has your registration information wrong, simply send or bring a copy of the registration with the correct information to your hearing. If you are sending or bringing a copy of a parking permit to your hearing, make sure the permit is good for the area where you were parked.
If you disputed the parking ticket online or by mail, the judge’s decision will be mailed to you. If you had an in-person hearing at a NYC Finance Business Center, you will receive the decision right away. If the decision asks you to provide additional evidence, be sure to follow the instructions and include your ticket number. Remember, you have the right to appeal a hearing decision within thirty days if you think the judge got it wrong too!