how bad is an unpaid parking ticket? (1 Viewer)

[Anthony Moore]

I got a parking ticket about a month ago and just havent paid it.

I plan on paying it shortly, but what would happen if I didnt? Would they just keep sending me notices? Is it something they can send to a collection agency?

Anyone have any first hand experience or just know what will eventually happen?

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Depending on the aggressiveness of the local authorities, you may have a boot on your car the next time it is observed. At a minimum I expect you will not be able to renew your driver's license or car registration.

My town has a wacky new parking system. The cops walk around with wireless PDAs with thermal printers. All they do is type in your registration number and the ticket spits out. They can write literally a hundred tickets per hour ! And if you don't pay the fine THAT day at a drop-off center across town, the fine increases dramatically. Quite the racket.....

 

[nolesrule]

Not only could it cause what Kirk said, but watch out for the late payment fee too.

 

[Mark Shannon]

They could probably send it to a collection agency, which in turn would only do bad things for your credit. Of course, you could always try to fight the ticket, but you'll never win.

 

[Grant B]

Parking tickets in san Francisco are a common occurance - a way to increase revenue without a vote.
Usually a boot or getting towed is over a certain amount, I think $800 now. I had 2 roommates who got towed - each owed over $1000.
You can always contest it

 

[Holadem]

My car was towed in NYC 6 months ago because of three unpaid parking tickets incurred in early 2002.

I basically walked out in the morning and did not find the car where I had parked it the night before. I walked around the neighorhood for almost an hour, wondering if I wasn't just mis-remembering the spot. I didn't want to believe that it was stolen - who the heck would want to take that over much nicer cars on the block? In a bitter twist of irony, there was a car exactly like mine, parked 2 blocks over, at the exact same spot. I ended up going online to the DMV site and sure enough there was my number.

The tickets totaled little more than a hundred bucks. But with late charges and towing fees, it came out to more than $600.

How did they spot my car? Well, this Marshall drives around early in the morning dialing in every plate on the block. Who woulda thunk. Fucking asshole.

--
H

 

[MartinTeller]

I know... how dare they try to punish lawbreakers? What a bunch of pricks. Next thing you know they'll be arresting burgulars or something.

 

[Grant B]

Having cars towed in SF & NYC, the big apple wins bigtime.
Hell on Earth!

 

[CaseyLS]

I don't understand why people get pissed at parking tickets. I haven't ever gotten one for parking legally. People just need to be more responsible.

 

[Grant B]

People just need to be more responsible.

I am sure you drive around Manhattan Kansas for hours looking for places to park?
My wife sometimes get home at 1am from her job and drives around for another hour and parks in our drive way.
You get tickets for parking in your own driveway.$70
Every street has street cleaning for a 4 hour period, you forget where your car is parked. $50
Improperly setting your wheels on a grade; $70
Some streets have tow away zones starting at 7am; +$200

Last I heard parking was at 125% in my neighborhood
So 1 out of 5 will be ticketed
A garage would cost ~$500k to build

You figure it out

 

[Grant B]

Also having the right change for a meter....it's not uncommon to see someone running like a sprinter.
Not a thief but someone who is trying to get back to their car before the MM.
More ways to get towed

You may also be towed for violations such as parking in a towaway zone during commute hours, parking in a yellow zone in the downtown core--or in any truck loading zone in a vehicle with less than six wheels, parking in a red zone, not moving your vehicle more than 1/10 of a mile in a 72 hour period (3 days), and the like.

And try to prove otherwise.

I have never gotten a parking ticket in the Burbs either

 

[Grant B]

 

[Keith Paynter]

Bill Cosby said it best...

Unpaid parking tickets are like savings bonds...the longer you keep them, the greater they mature...

 

[Ron Etaylor]

Actually Casey probably does have difficulty in finding a parking spot in Manhattan, Ks...home of Kansas State University with a huge student population in a small town.

I'm pretty sure any unpaid ticket in this state will result in a warrant for your arrest. They won't seek you out, but sometime when you get pulled over for some infraction, they'll run the license and you'll be going to jail. I know a guy who had a ticket for "left wheel to curb"(????)and didn't pay the ticket. He was later pulled over for having a headlight out, and when they ran his license, bada boom-- he got cuffed, printed, and got to spend the night in jail.

 

[Erik.Ha]

Grant...I'm a native of San Fran, and I'd have to agree with you... San Francisco sucks... I would have left town sooner but it took me years to figure out how to do it without making a Left Turn.

THOSE ARE ILLEGAL THERE TOO!

 

[CaseyLS]

Exactly Ron people need to learn to plan ahead. For my early classes I have figured out I need to leave my place about 25 minutes before class starts so I can find a spot near my classroom. For my later classes I need to leave about 35 minutes early.

 

[Ricardo C]

 

[nolesrule]

It's much easier to plan ahead on your way to classes, where people are coming and going ever hour. Parking turnover is very high. You should leave Kansas and try living and working in a real city.

That doesn't work when it takes you an hour to find a parking space when you get home from work at 1 am like the person above mentioned. Your boss isn't going to let you leave from work early so it'll take less time to find a parking space when you get home.

Even here in Tampa Bay we don't have the kind of parking spot scarcity that places like New York (and apparently San Francisco) have.

 

[Grant B]

Thanks Joe!

Sorry, parking can bring up emotions best left alone. My place was built in 1896, parking was never a concern back then. Today every lot has at least a single home; back then there was space between homes to keep the horse and buggy.
The only time you see empty spaces is on old movies filmed in San Francisco
With ever longer SUVs and cars, spaces keep disappearing. Luckily there is a street with a 40% grade that most people don't dare park on. When my wife comes in wiped out and in tears, that's where I find parking.
Unlike most places in America, I can walk to most important places (record & Dvd stores )....and the positives of the city outweigh the negatives.
Peace

 

[CaseyLS]

Good point. The people I usually hear complaining about parking are the students who show up rigt before class starts.

When I say plan ahead, I mean people need to learn the patterns of parking. If work starts at 9 and the lots are full by 8 then its probably best you show up at 7:55.

Of course coming home at 1 am and not being able to find a spot would suck.