Questions and Answers about Parking Tickets

Q. Can the Judge reduce my fine or dismiss my ticket if I speak to her/him?

A. The Judge can not dismiss your parking ticket unless the prosecutor fails to prove the violation at trial. The amount of your fine is mandatory and is set by City ordinance.

Q. The "handicapped only" space I am charged with parking in was not very well marked, or the markings were covered with snow/ice. How does this affect my case?

A. The City must prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that the violation of the ordinance occurred. You can be found guilty at trial only if the Judge is convinced that the parking space was marked so that a reasonably observant person would have known that s/he was parking in a "handicapped only" space. You may fill out a dispute form to see if you can resolve the case by mail. Otherwise, the question of whether you were put on notice that the space was a "handicapped only" space is one that will be decided by the Judge at trial.

Q. Under what circumstances will court costs be assessed? How much are they? Are they assessed for each parking ticket?

A. The Court imposes $25 in court costs when a defendant decides to appear before the judge to discuss his/her case. This fee will be charged for each ticket, but only once per case (if a case goes to trial, the court does not impose costs each time the defendant is in court on the case). If the defendant pays the fine at the front counter without seeing the Judge, court costs are not assessed.

Q. I received a notice from the City about a ticket that I never received. The ticket must have blown off my windshield or the violation occurred when someone else was driving the vehicle. Do I still have to pay?

A. The parking violation goes with the vehicle. If the ticket is not paid, your vehicle may be placed on the "scofflaw list", which could result in your vehicle being booted or towed. In rare circumstances, the Judge will consider waiving late fees (not fines), but only upon a showing by the defendant that s/he did not actually receive a copy of the ticket. The Court can not waive scofflaw fees.

Q. How does a vehicle end up on the "pick-up" or "scofflaw" list? How do I get my vehicle off of this list? Can I get a payment plan? Will I stay on the list if I set up a payment plan?

A. B.R.C. Sec. 2-6-7 provides that a vehicle will be placed on the "scofflaw" or "pick-up" list when the vehicle has a ticket that has remained unpaid for ten days after the court has mailed a letter to the owner, indicating that the overdue fine has not been paid. You may work out a payment plan. However, you will remain on the scofflaw list until the amount owed has been paid in full.

Q. Why can't I park a few minutes at a time throughout the day in a residential zone?

A. The City does not have the technology to keep track of how long a vehicle is parked in a residential zone. If a vehicle parks in a residential zone and then leaves, it will be deemed to have used up its allotted time for parking in that zone and may not return later that day.

Last Updated on Friday, 02 November 2007 07:31