Marc Perkel Rantz

This does not appear to be a worthwhile fight. Suggest selecting another. Say you do find a lawyer, spend time, money, and effort and win: best case city says, “you are right, it really is a tax, we’re sorry and will stop writing parking tickets….” Not likely, perhaps, “will reduce the size of the parking ticket fine”. Okay you still get a ticket with reduced fine. Unless the city reduces its spending (ha!), it will need to get money elsewhere. I guess you will feel better if it is from a source explicitly know as a tax, but there is a real chance the combination of the reduced parking fine and alternate revenue source will result in your paying the same amount or close to it. But you still loose because of the time/money YOU spent getting them to change.

At first glance, a more efficient approach might be:
(1) Simply pay the ticket. The cost of the fight may cost more than the cost of the ticket, and even though you have found a loophole, you may ultimately still be forced to pay. Buried deep in an obscure addendum…“VIN not required if can’t be seen”.
(2) Try harder to find legal parking. Perhaps carry a bike in your car (attached), park further away and then bike to your ultimate destination: “free exercise” and a little fun/adventure—depending on the neighborhood may need to pack heat (just kidding).
(3) Change your desires to minimize the needs to visit places with insufficient parking.
(4) Focus on creativity rather than Lawyers: Bad example but the only one I have now (I’m from a place with plenty of parking): If there is non-metered parking, create a collapsible plastic car look-alike and place them in spaces where you may go. You drive up, press the collapse button, decoy car goes flat you park on top.

I can imagine it's worse now there than when i lived in SF 20 years ago.No matter where you parked there was some cop on a cushman scoping out every car and slapping tickets one after another.This one guy i worked for there had thousands of dollars worth of tickets on his van.Somehow he got it back after it was towed without paying.

San Francisco is not a great place to have a car.Last time we were there 2 years ago it was a nightmare trying to find a parking place so we gave up and dropped the car off and took muni around.The only downside to that is all the nutbags on the bus riding with you.The trolleys are not that great either and filled with tourists.BTW Marc ever see that guy with a white van around fishermans wharf with that dog with a wig and sunglasses?The guy was making a fortune with that pooch taking pictures with tourists.

Fud

I am also very fed up with the parking situation in San Francisco and the racket that Dept of Parking is running. Mine started when I moved to SF a few years ago and I got a $100 ticket for not having a front license plate, which was not required by the state where I came from, and now they are ticketing me for parking on my driveway in front of my own house claiming that I parked on the side walk. I leave in the Richmond district and one should pay attention that in that part of the City sidewalk and driveway are one and the same. Now the City is using a loophole they found to get more revenue. But do they use it toput more cops and traffice officers on the road and stop RED LIGHT RUNNERS - of course NOT, would they use that to improve the condition of the city streets - absolutely not. How about using the money to get new busses and improve the mass transit system - NOT. The money is used to partially fund hiring more Parking Control Officers. I wish to get together with the people of the city and correct this problem, but it seems that people pay the tickets because it is not worth their while to fight for thier right and their principle, allowing the City to get away with it.

BM

Marc: Did you have any success with the "VIN" defense? I'm just wondering, because last night I got drilled with a $275 ticket for parking within 3 feet of a sidewalk ramp. I certainly plan on fighting this unbelievably frivolous ticket, but I fear that no matter how much I protest, it won't accomplish anything.

Matt

dpt is a bunch of crooks. it is the most illegal scam ever. but they are onyl the henchman of the mayors office and the city who wants to rip off hard working citizens. have u noticed that more and more signes are going up to confuse the hell out of everyone? on most streets, there are usually 4 parking signs, on several spearate polls. one of which says you can park there, another one says u can't. some say parking ok from ** to **, some say no parking from ** to **, some say 2 hour parking from ** to **. and most fo the time these fuking signs contradict each other. what the hell to do? lets take down the signs and paint happy faces on them.

and also these fuking tow truck drivers are ass hole evil trolls who should be killed. they make a living on others misery. these fukers deserve to die. same with dpt.

All the tickets I've gotten have VINs on them-- form the electronically printed DPT ones (they have the full VIN) to the SFPD issued ones. Even one that was issued at 4am in the park had the last 4 of my VIN even if it took a flashlight to find it.

Are you sure your car doesn't have it in a non-standard or hard to read location?

If you have a no-plates ticket, it's a fix-it ticket technically and you can put your plates up and have a cop sign the back of your ticket and pay a $10 fine instead of the $100 fine.

http://www.sfgov.org/site/dpt_index.asp?id=13441

I received a parking ticket for parking on my own driveway! Not only did I receive this parking ticket but EVERYONE on my street did!!!!!!! This hasto be some kind of SCAM! So the ticket remarks read "Blocking Sidewalk Per Complaint",I don't know if I stand at chance at fighting this ticket BUT I'm am definitely writing a letter to request for a review! The funny thing is, I live in Daly City, didn't think it was as strict as SF.
I hate parking tickets!

I JUST RECIEVED 3 PARKING TICKETS IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD (ALL SLAPPED ON TOP OF EACHOTHER WHILE I WAS SLEEPING AT NIGHT) FOR PARKING IN MY OWN DRIVEWAY!!! THE TICKET STATED PARKED ON SIDEWALK. I LEFT A 6 FOOT GAP BETWEEN MY CAR AND MY GARAGE, THE SIDE WALK WAS CLEAR! WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF "THE SIDEWALK"? THIS IS TOTALLY REDICIULOUS. I PAY RENT FOR MY GARAGE SPOT AND I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN USE THIS DRIVWAY...WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??!! TO COURT I GO!! I CAN UNDERSTAND BLOCKING THE SIDEWALK BUT PARKING IN ONES DRIVEWAY AND SHARING THIS SPACE SHOULD BE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE LAW! DPT PARKING MAIDS HAVE NO SOUND JUDGEMENT AND ARE ABUSING THE SYSTEM. THIS REALLY NEEDS TO STOP!

I got a Yellow Meter zone parking ticket. I didn't park at meter at all. I dropped off a passenger at the corner next to the yellow meter parking space.

As my passenger was disembarking, a Meter Maid pulled up and "honked" me. So, through the rearview window...I held up my hand..flashing the 'Peace Symbol". I left and drove two blocks.

The Meter Maid followed me for two blocks, came up to my driver side window and said, "I wasn't going to ticket you, so why did you flip me off?"

I said, I gave him the 'Peace sign'...which meant 'chill'. And that was the end of the conversation. However, 3 months later, I get a collections notice from the DPT for $77.00 for non-payment of a yellow parking meter ticket.

So, what the Meter Maid did, was to issue a false citation because he thought I gave him the Finger.
So, I'm going to fight the citation and file a complaint against the Meter Maid for issuing a false ciation.

It took the DPT 7 months before they looked at my request for a protest letter. Now, I have to go to DPT on Harrison for a 'first-come-first-served hearing. They don't even assign a time. It's another two hour wait. All of this, is to make it in-convenient for anyone that protests a parking ticket.

I wonder why the SF DPT Meter Maids, while on break or lunch break consistently park their vehicles at Fire Hydrants, Meters without paying, or Red Zones in clear violation of California Vehicle Codes?

Why are they allowed to get away with this? Well, I asked a Meter Maid the other week, and he said, "Who is going to stop me!" This was stated in an argry tone of voice. He even looked at my license plate, maybe I might get another ticket in the future.

We have to take a stand against these little Police Officer wannabes! We have to complain to the new Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsome and have him clean up the DPT.

Two of the DPT Department Heads were recently in the newspapers...one in December 2003, for fixing parking tickets for her friends, and another got busted in a SFPD cocaine raid.

This is how the Meter Maids feel they are above the law, they merely follow the example set forth by their Department Heads.

I just got a parking ticket for $250 saying I was blocking wheel chair access on a crosswalk. My car was not in the cross walk at all!

What the fuck? Anytime I have protested a ticket it always gets denied. Any tips on how to fight this?

How many tickets do you have to have for these bastards to tow you? They towed me when I'd exactly five. Is this legal? I had to let them keep my truck as I could'nt afford to pay.

I recently got a ticket for parking on a Sunday in a metered spot. The meter said "free parking." I wrote to the DPT and protested my ticket. They wrote back and said that they had not made a mistake and that the ticket was issued correctly. Hmmm ok lets see cars are doubleparked in my neighborhood for two blocks long on Sunday for church, but I get a ticket for parking in a metered zone marked free.

Yeah those bastards are running a game. Is there anything we can do about this bullshit????

I have a few suggestions:

1) Carefully study any posted signs near where you have parked before walking away. The permanant posted signs are not contradictary (unless you are some sort of HOPELESS DUMB ASS!)

2) Familiarize yourself with the parking regulations in your neighborhood, especially the law against parking on the the sidewalk, (enforced city-wide). Rest assured, if you park your car on the sidewalk on MY block, you WILL be reported and ticketed, maybe even towed!

3) If you should find yourself the unfortunate receipient of a parking citation, take reponsibility for your own actions and acknowledge your own error, even honest mistake, instead of WHINING LIKE A SPOILED BRAT and BLAMING YOUR PROBLEMS ON SOMEONE ELSE! Grow up and respect our City and its Laws, or move back to where you came from!

San Francisco government is a huge bloated bureaucracy. In SF it takes double the number of workers that it does in other cities. Instead of curtailing costs and being responsible, the city government passes it on to the public or private businesses – payroll taxes, alarm fees, parking tickets, etc, etc. People like Brendan support this kind of “responsibility.” San Francisco voters are also known for passing every conceivable bond measure and increase in government compensation. Why not, most of the people are on the government payroll? Not long ago voters approved bonds for capital improvements for the schools. In a giant fraud, funds were put into operations instead of capital improvements. Did this cause the voters to hesitate the next time. No way.

There is no responsibility in the city/county government. Of course, if we, the public complain about meter maids parking in places where we, the public would get a ticket – its called whining. When we complain about the size of these tickets – we forget that these are needed to pay Guards at SF General Hospital over $190,000 a year in compensation.

The greatest whining will come when all of the small businesses leave San Francisco along with big business and non-government workers. No one will be left to soak and the party will be over. Then we will learn about responsibility.

Errr I was thinking of visiting San Fran.....with my car on a two week trip thru California my hotel wants $35.00 a day and the garages and meter police scare me away. After reading all the comments. You can lose more than your heart in San Francisco. I guess they get all the business they can handle, so gouge!

Everyone, the parking control officers are just doing there job. How do you know the tickets you give is a scam? As for sidewalk tickets in front of your driveway, yes you can park in front of your driveway but you do not own the sidewalk. That is why people get sidewalk tickets. And don't you people know some people do call in and complain about cars on the sidewalk. Some people don't have better things to do than look out theor window and call and complain about sidewalks. Don't complain about the PCO's, complain about the people who just look out their window and have nothing better and be nick picky about sidewalks.

Why are people complaining about Parking officers parking in fire hydrants, etc. Police officers park in bus stops, fire hydrants, etc. Why don't you people tell them not to park in those zones? Why don't you tell them they have to find a parking space before doing their job? And for people who honk at Parking officers, why don't you honk at police officers and tell them to get off the road? Why don't you tell them to move over and let you through?

Parking officers a police officer wanna be? Why don't you go up to a police officer and tell them they are pigs and stop stuffing your face with coffee and doughnuts.

There's actually plenty of parking (650,000 spaces, actually) in San Francisco if you're willing to pay for it. Almost every neighborhood has a lot where you can park for $50-$200/month, or you can rent a garage from someone for comparable prices (cheaper than rent, for sure!)

San Francisco is a great place to live because so much of it was built before the car became dominant means of transportation. Our old, active neighborhoods with people walking everywhere, and busy downtown served by transit, are great.

If I have to pay hundreds of dollars a month to store my personal property, why do you think you should get to store your property for free because it's in the shape of a car?

If you want easy parking, go live in Walnut Creek. If you want to live in San Francisco, park legally. There's plenty of parking if you're willing to pay for it. This is not a communist country where you get your parking paid for by "the masses!"

Everyone has a right to protest a ticket that they get from DPT. Reasons I hear from other people: "How can I get a ticket parked here when I was at the doctor's office at that time, "The VIN number was not covered, therefore the ticket should be dismissed because the Parking Control Officer lied" and "I had money in the meter.

I am not calling all drivers liars but I do see some drivers lie to Parking Control Officers. So, what should the Officer do about it? Some officers believe the driver and take the ticket back and some officers don't and tell the driver to protest the ticket by sending in a protest letter. Therefore, the driver gets mad because it's a waste of time.

So I say this to you drivers out there, how should the officer know if you are lying or not. If you are not lying, then I feel bad for you but what happens if you are lying just to get out of a ticket? Then you have no right to yell at the officer just because you can't get out of the ticket. Why don't you yell at a police officer after you got a ticket? Is it that different? If you guys think so, then protest the ticket and sees what report the officer turns in.

I was walking down the street when this guy had the nerve to call a Parking Officer a name. If people have the guts and nerve to call a parking officer a bad name, then that person should deserve to get a ticket in the mail.
Also, if a person stops a Parking Officer and yells at them just because of a ticket, then that person also deserves another ticket.
Remember, if a police officer gives you a ticket for anything, would you stop, find another police officer and start yelling at them? Why not? You don't want to be arrested? Don't you think the Parking Officer would call for back up?
People, if you get a ticket from a parking officer, take it and leave. If you need to protest the ticket, then protest the ticket. Stop causing more trouble for you and the officer!

I parked a slightly inclined street and by accident curbed my wheels in the wrong direction. I got a ticket for $25. That's alright, I made an honest mistake, but the meter maid decided to give me a $35 ticket for an expired meter even though when I got back to my car I still had 4 minutes left on the meter. I protested one ticket that I didn't deserve two years ago and after months of letter writing they wouldn't relent and I had to pay. I'd like to protest this ticket, but past experience tells me my time and aggravation are worth more than $35.

i have about $4000 in dpt tickets. i know, i'm a bad person for letting it pile up like that, but it's been about a year since i've had a car now (my car got towed and i had to give it up because i couldn't afford the tickets on it -- so they charged me $250 to take my car away!). anyways, i'm interested in settling my old tickets for a lesser amount so i can get a car to help me earn a living. does anyone know of a good, reasonable lawyer who can stand up to the dpt and plea my tickets down to significantly less than what they cost now?

Hey Dave:

I live in Nob Hill. Care to tell me where I can buy a parking space for $50-200? I really would love to know.

Why is everyone trying to get the lawyer to get back at DPT? If you want to complain, you go to Mayor Newsom. He is head of the city. Then, he will direct you to the department head. Heck, like the other people say, if you were going 68 mph in a 65 mph zone and you thought you went 65 mph and a cop stops you, what are you going to do? Bitch and complain and get a lawyer? What lawyer would waste his/her time and fight the city? I would like to see that. The lawyer would concentrate on high profile cases and make money than sit and wait until a judge will here cases against DPT.

As I learned, if the officer was going to write you a meter ticket and you just got in your car a left, should the officer just stop or continue on writing you that ticket? People should try to stop and talk with the officer and plea your case. Heck, if that doesn't work, then you tried. And people, if you lie to an officer and give a stupid reason, then I do not blame the officer for giving you that ticket. Tell the truth, say you forgot to pay your meter or say that you knew it was the fire hydrant or red zone that you parked next to. See if the officer takes back that ticket. If not, again then you tried but you can not bad mouth the officer because you knew that you parked illegally.

People, I say that if you can not afford parking in San Francisco, then you should not drive in the city. Save your money for something else other than a car and parking.

And I called a parking officer a meter maid and they gave me a bad look. Remember, they are parking control officers. Parking officers do not just enforce meters, they also do your lousy complains like blocking driveways, not curbing your wheels, etc. Those do not have meters.

Think of it this way, why don't you guys call a police officer "pigs" or "donut eating" officers" and see what they will do next. Hey remember, not all officers eat donuts as other people think and say. And another thing, why don't you guys honk and tell the police officer to pull over and not block traffic? If you have a guts to talk back to a parking control officer why don't you talk back to a police officer?

If you do not agree with the ticket and you call a police officer, what can the police officer do? Call the parking control officer and say why you gave this person a ticket? Take it back? Of course not, the officer will tell you to protest it. And do not bother in looking for the officer, if you do, for sure the officer will not take it back. Trust me, I've done it and it wasn't a good site. I wouldn't leave the officer alone and cops came as soon as parking officer called it in.
Remember SFPD works closly with DPT. Gee, I just found out that DPT is overseen by a SFPD Commander.

Drivers who have the nerve to stand up to a Parking Control Officer deserves what is coming to them. Why piss the officer off even more. Why stop to flip them off? Why stop to yell at them? That gives them more reason to copy down your license plate and get a ticket in the mail. Hey, you deserve it because you just pissed the officer off. If you get the ticket, take the ticket and if you feel that you can protest it, then protest it. if you lose, you lose. If you don't like it, then live somewhere else. Find a city that doesn't have any parking issues.

If us the citizen that gives DPT and the Parking Officer a job. Even though you thought you paid the meter or have enough time on that meter, if that meter says expired and the officer is out there giving you that ticket, you deserve that ticket. If you want to plea, go right ahead. If y ou can get out of it, then you have luck on your side. if you can not, then it's not the officer's fault. And again, do not yell at the officer. It gives them more pissed off to write you another ticket and gives you more headaches to take time to protest the tickets.

Oh and one more thing... just to have an opinion on parking officers parking on fire hydrants and red zones, I agree with some people, tell a police officer not to park in the bus zones, red zones, and even fire hydrants.

And for the multiple signs on one pole. If you all went to school and learned how to read, read each sign carefully. Look at the time and date. If that time and date matches the time and date that you are there at the moment, don't park there. Even better, if you are unsure, don't park there at all. If saves you the money by not getting a ticket but wastes your time in looking for another space.

Would anyone comment on if they have beat any parking or street sweeping tickets and how?

ok, I have all you so called "whinners" beat. I have been a resident of San Francisco for over three years. I paid for my parking permit over DPT's magically new and improved internet program. What happens? No permit in the mail. All of a sudden I'm collecting citations for being a non-resident. So I contest my tickets to their ever so chearfull, non-biased, helpful reviewers who wouldn't dare trample on my civil rights. Thier response: if you want a new permit pay for all the tickets you've got because we failed to issue you a permit in the first place. Meanwhile during the 4 months it takes them to review a second letter, I'm getting three or more citations a week. So I send them another letter (this is my fourth one by now): Do something before I get booted or towed. This is where the fun begins. Of course no action had been taken and a boot team is dispatched. Ever try talking with a PCO who is thinks he's about to secure $2000 in revenue for the department? Don't even try it. I was immediately treated with hostility, disrespect, and outright unproffesionalism not to mention a great threat of force when the metermaid started pounding my car with his fist. Upon doing so I got in my car to leave. He jumps in front of my car, refuses to leave, and continues to vandalise it! During the assault, I told them I was going to call the police and was told the police would laugh at me if I did! Well I went to the police to report the misconduct, vandalism, and I was immediately arrested! What for??? DPT lied to the police telling them I pushed them and then tried to run them over!! Thank god for my neighbors who witnessed the whole thing!

The parking situation in San Francisco is horrible, we can all agree on that.

I'm not complaining about what constitutes blocking a sidewalk or missing signs, or faded signs, or conflicting signs, or signs covered with spray paint, or getting a ticket even though there's still time on the meter, or having a photographic machine determine the circumstances of a yellow/red light violation, or getting a ticket for parking at empty Ocean Beach or Marina lots... but I am complaining about officers who write tickets in accordance to ticket laws that have little or nothing to do with parking justice, but everything to do with quotas and/or soaking people with fees.

1. Fix or replace all the messed up signs!
2. Make sure signs are conspicuously posted!
3. Don't write tickets if there's really no just _offense_!
4. Give people with multiple tickets owing hundreds of dollars a community service option instead of having to fork over hard-earned cash!

It seems to me that the MOST efficient city department is the DPT, especially the meter/street sweeper officers. There's a veritable ARMY of them that never fail to perform their duty. They swarm over every street and alley of our beautiful city, intently examining every car and lovingly marking them with colored chalk, etc. Recently, my car was stolen (twice), and each time I found my own car (with no help from SFPD), by calling DPT and asking them if a parking ticket had been issued for my license plate. Sure enough a parking ticket had been issued and after going to the address on the ticket, my car was sitting right there! Why can't these noble DPT officers link up with the SFPD to find out if the car they are ticketing is a STOLEN CAR?!

There are a LOT of people in San Francisco paying a LOT of money to DPT, and just through parking tickets alone.! Is there a way to band together as a political force to make some changes to these parking ticket laws? I for one would sign a petition and volunteer some time towards this end.

Did you know it is legal to park in a "NO PARKING FOR STREET SWEEPING" zone after the sweeper has passed. TRUE! I fight every ticket I get and have had some limited success to date. All I can suggest is read the parking codes and understand the law. FIGHT THEM ON THE LAW. DMV says you must have a front license plate attached if one was issued to you. FIGHT IT, they can't prove two license plates were issued. I would like to find an attorney that will crawl up the ass of the DPT as they are regulated as to the use and manner in which they handle the money that is collected. I think there is a possible case here for a good attorney. I for one would volunteer to be the lead plaintiff on a class action case.

For the no front license plate, the state of california always issues 2 license plates. If you only get one, it is your responsibility to go to DMV and get the other. If not, then you deserve the $100 ticket.

If you want to fight DPT, you would have to fight the City and County of San Francisco. I would think that a lawyer that makes a lot of money would not waste their time dealing with the city unless they think they can win the case against the city.

Oh one more thing David, you can not prove otherwise that DMV only gave you one plate. If you have no front plate, go fix it.

Great SF parking forum, by the way!

My question: I got a 'blocking sidewalk' ticket. Does a corner have to be painted red, or is it illegal to park at any corner? The alley way is very ambigious. Yes, people walking across the street were slightly hindered by my car, but the red zone did not start until the fire hydrant. There were no posted signs, and I wasn't blocking the street in any way. There was no disabled ramp either.
I will protest anyway, just so I don't have to pay the ridiculous $50 for this until months down the line.
Also, the ticket was out of date and showing fines that were in place last year.
I agree with everyone's view here that it is a tax, they don't give you an inch AND don't do their job properly. I'm already protesting a wrongly issued ticket. The meter was out of order, and it was after 5pm when I parked but still ticketed. They can see if it's not working instead of not having credit, they just ticket and put the burden on you to protest.
Even areas where there is parking, they are paid to roam around looking for the slightest hint of a violation and don't obey proper traffic and parking code themselves. Maybe a camera phone might be a good investment, to catch them violating codes...

In response to Greame, Parking Control Officers are not the only one not obeying the law. How about those SF Police Officers? Are they really speeding to go to a call or are they speeding so that they can get off by their sign off time? Why don't you take a picture of a police car parked at a bus stop so that the police officers can have lunch across the street. We get mad at PCOs because they can find the slighest violation to get us. Just let them do their job. If any of you guys can't stand the parking in the city, then you shouldn't be owning a car in the city. We have it much easier than the people in New York City. If you have a complaint, stop complaining about PCOs and complain about the police officers.

hello everybody,

I visited the dmv the other day to register my car and was told I'd have to pay parking tickets in excess of $600.00 - I didn't pay the tickets, but did pay the registration fees.

I have heard that if I choose avoid paying the tickets I'm to sell my car without plates - anotherwords remove the plates prior to sale of the vehicle - and that this would relinquish my obligations to pay the outstanding tickets on this car.

Has anybody heard of this strategy before?

Any and all comments welcome.

Thanks,
Rico

Hello have anyone ever stop to realize that a parking citation is an invitation for an idiot who assumes liability for what he or she finds on the windshield?

Read "Due process"

Or better yet ignore those slips and ask DMV why should you pay for tickets on a California state owned vehicle?

After all you DON'T OWN that car! "A certificate of tittle" Is not a "Tittle" just as "a gift certificate" is not the gift itself.

I got a $100 Parking ticket for "parking on the sidewalk". I parked in someones driveway but left more that 5 feet between the garage door and my car. I understand that if you leave enough space for a wheelchair, that is permitted. I even remember Gavin Newsone commenting that he wanted this to change. ANy suggestions on fighting this?

I racked up over $2000 in parking tickets this one year going to school in the city. I was so pissed the first few times... I think I even paid for one of them. After that I just didn't care cuz they were such a-holes. I must've gotten one at least once a week.. some weeks almost every day.

When the final warning notices for all the tickets came I let it go on as long as possible. And when they were threatening w/ legal actions and revocation of my license I looked into doing community service for it, but ended up flaking out on that too. I just kept ignoring the threatening mail for about a year or so.

I ended up selling that car later and somehow all the accumulated fine from all those tickets just magically disappeared. The new buyer of the car (an employee of a friend) never complained about them either. Ha! you a-holes in frisco gov. I bet you're pretty sore about all them fines u never got to collect with trying to rob ur own residents!

San Francisco blows.

Parking on Sundays in the left lanes along Guerreo & Dolores?

Seems there's a drasticly UN-Equal treatment suit there.

Yup. 5 tickets is the limit. I had 5 unpaid parking tickets because I have been unemployed. Since I live in the parking hell zone around Chinatown-Russian Hill-North Beach, the DPT vehicles are everywhere trying to nail you. I hadn't even used my car for a month, so when the meter maid ran the plate number of my dusty vehicle, they booted my car. Unaware, after a week, they towed my car. 4 days after that, I get a letter that my car has been towed. The tickets amounted to around $500, which I actually was going to pay this week since I am working again. But since they add on the boot fees, the towing fees and the storage fees for 5 days. This amounted to an additional $500.

So for $1,000 I can have my car back? Gee thanks fellas. And thanks for letting me know that you towed me 4 days after it happened so you could get a slam dunk and keep my car. Blood Suckers....

OK, thanks for letting me vent. I am really pissed off that there were no alternatives available other than, "Hey dude....WE KEEP YOUR CAR". Selfish bastards.....

i just received a deliquent notice for a parking ticket issued one year and two months ago and I did not even receive either the ticket from the officer on the windshield or the ticket in the mail!!

what is this? now i owe the city $110 for a ticket i did not i even know was issued to me for a car that was a rental! can someone explain this to me? is there a way to contest this? can i find more info on the ticket, the car i don't even remember renting, or the any other info to jog my memory.

this is preposterous! please help!

If you have had the pleasure of LDC Collections, you may rerceive a notice that says, " IF YOU HAVE SENT IN PAYMENT OR PROTEST, IGNORE THIS NOTICE."

I had already sent in the payment for the lower amount and had an unresolved protest in process.

Now they are telling me that I owe another $60 in late fees for money that has already been collected by them.

Who other than the LDC Collections people do I call? I have sent them letters already. They say THEY can send the protest of their late fees to DPT, but not me. They say THEY can't dismiss late fees even if it is their mistake.

Am I supposed to trust them to argue my case to DPT? I can't imagine this happening.

Don't we have enough evidence for a class action lawsuit? 140,000 late fees got reversed in Seattle recently due to a class action suit.

Who would we sue? The city, LDC? What department?

Does anyone know anything about the 2 Hour limit on certain streets? What if i moved my car to another spot on the same block? Is that still considered a two hour violation?

This is not about tickets but it is about a related subject of cars being towed in SF from Private Property. I am a retired attorney and I spent the Summer of 2004 in SF and had the unpleasant experience of having my car towed. It was my fault. I admit this. But what I discovered afterwards is enough to make you open the window and scream "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!" In fact I was so mad I created a blog explaining the law and how it is being violated by Golden Gate Towing Company and perhaps others. I tried to get the SF Weekly, The Guardian, The Examiner and Channel 7's I-Team to do a story about the excessive charges since they had already done stories on City Tow, remember them? None of these Media sources showed the slightest interest in the story. Only one of them had the courtesy to respond to me. The others just ignored my information. My only purpose was to inform the residents of SF of the excessive and illegal charges they are being subjected to. So I am trying to get the word out on the internet. Here is the site I created. http://sftow.blogspot.com/
Please check it out and let others know.

"Does anyone know anything about the 2 Hour limit on certain streets? What if i moved my car to another spot on the same block? Is that still considered a two hour violation? "

NO. YOu have to move it more than a block away. The parking nazis issued me a ticket for that.

the most jacked up thing is, I got another ticket today for 2 hours parking in the residential zone. They marked my tired at 9:07 and gave me the ticket at 11:08. This is simply ludicrous, as if they are praying for people to break the law.

In addition, parking was not scarce but rather abundant in the place where i was parked. This is getting ridiculous. It really seems like it is a tax and not a civil penalty.

Hey does anyone know about hill grade measurement? I got ticket for not curbing my wheels on hillside. I parked on a small but seem look like a flat streets. Got ticket for 3 percent grade. Any experience it? I think I should be ticket for small hill but flat look street.

Thanks -

Hi Fellow Parking Sufferers'
I hate the DPT too. I just paid over $500 in tickets and am still working off tickets thru Project 20. I am doing "Sunday Street Cleaning."
Something nobody would really want to do but it credits me 12 hours for 6 hours of work.
My complaint is the Gavin Newsom should look into what is going on with DPT and Project 20. Project 20 pays parking offenders, volunteers, $6.00/per hour. This amount is paid as an offset to whatever amount you owe the DPT. I think the rate should be increased to $10/per hour. This is SF and the Board agreed to pay anyone who works for the City of San Francisco a minimum of $10/per hour. Project 20 is not even paying minimum wage to parking offenders.
Project 20 also deals with 1st time offenders. I once worked with a shoplifter who only got one day 12 hours of time for stealing. While I had to work off 60 hours.
The system sucks and is not fair to residents of San Francisco. We pay the highest parking fees in California. Is that fair? Why does this city have to go after the most vulnerable people to make money for the Cities Budget. Why not ask Arnold for some money! Why not start by changing Prop 13 and tax property owners fairly. Especially commercial property owners! Tax them too. Make it fair or I will move to Walnut Creek!
The site of a free parking lot makes my heart melt!

Two things:

I tried the no VIN number thing, it was rejected and I was forced to pay the fine.

I wrote a letter contesting the ticket and citing the vehicle code, I wish I could find the letter citing their response...it said that since I wasn't contesting that the ticket was invalid based on switched plates or other circumstance but rather a technicality, that the 'spirit of the law' was upheld and I should still pay the fine...regardless of whether the letter of the law had been broken. UNBELIEVABLE!

Hey, this is a great idea to start a site. I was hoping to get some useful info here, but instead had to read through a bung of complains about how the parking is bad. Well, you would not be here complaining if it was great. So, what are you all planning to do about it?
Yes, city is just taking advantage of the situation with parking, but they are not above the law. I have just successfully disputed a speeding ticket, and have contested a NO-licence plate ticket (twice).
It is possible to do, but the only way you can do it if you know your rights and laws that DTP is trying to enforce. Many times they are hoping you would not want to fight.
Without spending too much time on a lecture here is how I did it:

First: I read and highly recommend it to all a wonderful (!!!!) book by NOLO Press "Fight You Ticket in California". It's cost is $29.99, but it is really priceless. I followed every step described in the book for fighting a speeding ticket and won by preventing an officer testifying against me.

Second: for parking tickets in SF refer to the city website http://www.sfgov.org/ and look into Traffic and Parking Agency. There are rules printed there about the meter parking and other things. Many times the parking officers don't follow those rules. If you really think your ticket was given in error then find the subject on that site, print the description of the regulation and then explain how it was violated by the officer and why were you within your rights. Good luck.

I could use some advice on this one.

I received a $35 street sweeping ticket a few months ago and the payment due date was Dec 8th. I sent payment on Dec 3rd however the DPT did not post my payment until Dec 16th? Unfortunately I found this out the hard way when I received a penalty letter in the mail slapping me with an additional $25 late fee!
I called DPT to figure out what had happened, and they told me to fax in a copy of my cancelled check so they could see the date on the check as proof. Though it was a hassle, I called my bank and received a copy of the check, dated Dec 3rd and all. I faxed it to the number they gave me with the proper attention header and called it a day.
A few weeks later I received another notice in the mail stating that I had not paid the penalty and now an additional $35 fine had been placed on the existing fine!?
Once again I called DPT and asked how I could have received another fine when I had sent my cancelled check in as proof as requested. The DPT agent, Suyin, responded that they never received such a fax? I told her I could supply a copy of the fax transmission as proof but was told that would not be necessary. Since I already had Suyin on the phone, I figured I could email her the copy of my cancelled check and handle the matter over the phone.
Unfortunately this time she stated I had been given incorrect information the first time and actually had to produce in addition to my cancelled check, a copy of my bank account transactions, and a check register? Not knowing what a check register was, I asked how I could get one of those, only to be told everyone should have one? After Suyin explained what a check register was, I told her I do not keep such a thing since I do a majority of my bill paying, etc, electronically. I offered to send her the cancelled check and copy of my bank account, but was told, that without the "check register" I was going to have to pay the additional late fees!
I asked Suyin how I could further protest this matter but she told me that once a ticket is in "penalty" there is no further protest action I can take!?
I asked if there was any way the DPT could have misplaced something and she stated they do not make mistakes and that payments are "always" posted within two days after receiving them. I kindly reminded her that my fax, (which I do have proof I sent via the fax transmission) was misplaced...
Her reply was I should have used some sort of priority/insured method to mail my payment for tracking purposes. That is nuts!
It is almost like the DPT can force their way into my wallet and take what ever they want!

Any advice would be appreciated, this can not be right, can it?

Thanks,

James

Funny, lastyear, I wrote a book an parking in San Francisco and couldn't muster any local interest in it at all. You'd be surprised what you can and cannot do when it comes to parking.

Anyone deal with getting parking tickets from the "Parking Control Service" folks? They are the private company (not government related) that enforces parking in Bay Area shopping center lots, and issue those tickets that look very similar and official just like the DPT's.

Do a little research, and you find out that Parking Control Service is likely owned by Richard Puccinelli, who also owns the "California Parking" garages around San Francisco.

Smart business man, eh? You either pay to park in one of his garages, or else park in the wrong place and you'll get a ticket from his parking enforcement company. He gets paid either way.

And even though Parking Control Service has a PO Box mailing address in South San Francisco, their phone number of (415) 563-4888 traces back to the California Parking garage at 1910 Union St in San Francisco. Yup, good idea to hide behind a PO Box, since I'm sure they don't want to have angry mobs of people showing up in person to complain about their parking tickets.

I recently received a $40 parking ticket and even though I sent them a receipt to show that I purchased something from one of the shops in the center, they said I was observed leaving the lot and that my receipt does not prove that I was in the shopping center the entire time the car was parked on the premises during the 20-30 minutes I was there. (?!?!?!?)

How's that for trying to stick it to me with an argument that attempts to circle me in every way possible.

Since this is a private parking enforcement company, do their threats of collection activity and small claims court have much bite? Anyone know what the downside is in case I decide not to pay? Or any suggestions on how to deal with this situation?

I just received a fraudulent parking citation from the SF Parking and Traffic Department. I live in San Diego, and I've never driven my car up there. The citation violation (in other words, it was for a failure to pay an original ticket) had my name, address, make and color of car and license plate number (no VIN). Has anyone else had this problem? I'm in the middle of protesting the ticket, but I also sent copies of my protest to the SFPD and the SF Mayor. Scary!

To the dolt telling people not to refer to "parking enforcement officers" as meter maids. I can only imagine that you are a meter maid, while personally I've never been involved in a situation where a police officer directly helped me in any way, I still have to respect cops for maintining the peace, there presence on the streets is of undeniable importance. Meter Maids are like Nazi vultures, if there were no meter maids, do you trust that society would be able to self govern when it comes to parking? I do. Here's how I avoid tickets.

1. If you purchased your car new, reattach the paper dealer plates.
2. Purchase and affix clear strips of velcro to the sides of the plate frame and the back of your actual license plates then press.
3. Arrange some gas receipts in a natural looking way so that they obscure the last four digits of your vin# in the windshield.
4. Whenever you need to park illegaly, remove your plates and throw them in the car.

I've seen them get out walk up to the windshield and get back in their little dork mobile to drive away several times.

Beware though, not that this ever happened to me =-) but I think it might give a particularly anal retentive maid the right to tow you. Receipts should not look like they were placed to block on purpose! Again, nothing that happened to me (cough) but imagine a guy coming out to find a meter maid telling him that he needed the vin # revealed immediately or a tow truck was coming. Then imagine the car owner telling him to get bent and getting in his Land Rover to drive away. meter maid pulls up to block his exit and Land Rover driver excecutes a perfect low speed pit maneuver on dorky meter maid mobile without leaving so much as a scratch on the bully bar before taking a few alleys home and never hearing about it again three years later.

Good luck

You'll need a password of snerge to get to my site. DPT San Francisco, absolute bunch of crooks. I have fought and won several tickets though but it was a long drawn out process that involved making some police reports and then filing a discovery motion under PC1054.1 with the DPT, miraculously my tickets were dismissed in the interest of justice. Anybody who wants the details can e-mail me.

The other in san francisco I got a ticket because the police officer said I didn't stop in a stop sign. I stopped, perhaps I didn't fully stopped but I stopped.
The ticket says "DPT never stops". They fine for $350 and it sounds like a run a through a stop sign which is hot what happen.

What can I do to fight this ticket.

I'm not sure who all the apologists for the DPT are- I can only imagine that they are meter maids themselves. The bottom line, unquestionable truth of it is that meter maids (please don't give them the dignity of such a ridiculous title as "parking control officers") do nothing to enhance or protect the public good. It is purely a function of revenue enhancement. It's disgusting that such a nightmarish bureaucratic mess like the DPT can be inflicted on a population without their general consent. There are entire nations that function properly an even efficiently without the absurd parking laws we have in place in this city. There are towns in this very state that don't even have a single parking meter!!! Dear lord can you imagine the anarchy? What do they do without the diligence of our noble "parking enforcement officers" and their trusty 3 wheeled steeds?
The whole function is useless with regards to the greater good. They're, without exception, assholes. It's disgusting to walk into the offices- it just wreaks of soul sucking, low-grade evil. To ever compare one of these people to a police officer is an insult to the law enforcement profession. They should all be made to wear bright green neon jumpsuits with little beanies on their heads- to distinguish them from real police officers and also of course to make the more visible for their "safety".

I recently beat two parking tickets in Los Angeles, I got a lot of my information on how to fight parking tickets from the website http://www.rebel101.com/fight_parking_ticket.asp

I'm sure a lot of the info is also relevant to SF tickets too.

Is there an upper limit to the number of citations that you can get for the same offense within a 24-hr (nay, 6 minute) period, or can various 'officers' endlessly slap one ticket after another onto your windshield, limited only by the speed of their little printing devices?

I received two street cleaning citations recently - the first one issued at 8:32am, the second by a different chap, at 8:38am - the second fellow claimed the VIN was 'NV', though the first one seemed to have had no trouble spotting it.

I'm willing to pay $35/- for the initial citation. I see no reason to have to pay another $35/- for the second.

I tried searching the SF DPT website for specific information regarding a possible cap on the maximum number of citations for the same violation, but with no success. If anyone out there has any pearls of wisdom to share, I'd love to hear your suggestions.

I was in San Fran on business and only used valet parking. In December, I got a letter from the DPT that on SEPT 23, I was illegally parked. They wanted me to pay $103. I protested stating that I never parked on any street in San Fran, never had a citation on my car and that if it was really illegally parked, it had to be a valet attendent. I was in a conference when they said I illegally parked the car. I also asked for a copy of the citation. I did not recieve a copy of the citation but did receive second letter that the citation was correct and that I must immediately pay the ticket. I live in Ohio, a mail protest - RIGHT! Is there any recourse. I plan on sending them a letter from the other 3 people that were with me that all swear no citation was ever on car and that we never parked on any San Fran street. The letter is leaglly notarized. Will this work?

I went to pick up my kid at the pizza parlor. I pull up to where he is standing at the bus stop, he jumps in, we take off. Got a ticket in the mail a month later for $250. I understand that this is illegal, however, sometimes it is more dangerous to slow down and yell out the window to your kid to cross into the street where you have double parked. I'll bet the ticket for double parking is more like $50. so in the interest of humanity, maybe the parking police should back off a little and show a little understanding.

Andy, I just got a $250 citation for dropping a
person off at bus stop so that she could take the
muni. Wonder what you did with your ticket.

Hi,
I am hoping that somebody can give me some advice. My car was towed yesterday, Thursday 7/14 on Ashbury st. I had parked my car there on Sunday (4 days before it was towed). At the time I parked, there were no restrictions (I park the car there all the time) What happened is that some neighbors placed one of those "no parking" signs so that they could park their moving track after I had parked the car (maybe the next day or just a couple of days ago, so I never saw the sigh. Does anyone know it I can protest it? I had to pay $185.75 + $40 for the ticket. I am low income and this is a huge financial burden for me. I appreciate any advice you can give me. Thanks in advance.
Patricia

I got a 100% on sidewalk, have researched, and I was not on the sidewalk in front of my house.I was wondering why I got the ticket, still am. Sidewalk is clearly marked and it is plenty large for pedestrian right of way. I understand one cannot park vehicle in driveway if it encroaches "sidewalk" and that the whole reason for the ticket is because people end up blocking pedestrian right of way by parking on sidewalk!

VEhicle's mirror was not even hanging over sidewalk which is allowed by 10".
Sidewalk is defined as where pedestrians travel , and also as the area, clearly marked like 2 squares so many inches wide. I WAS NO WHERE NEAR THE SIDEWALK.
People do not use my driveway to walk or stroll or wheel by. They do not need to.
I have protested and I have been deamed a lier, in person at Howard street office. This is unbelievable.
DPT shows up 1 hour late for neighbor complaint and cites my car because why? He thought I was from a different neighborhood because I just bought my house and vehicle registered at previous address. What is DPT loophole?
I go to SUPERIOR COURT in a month. I am not a lier. I would pay if I were blocking the sidewalk. MY vehicle is compact and happens to fit in my driveway without touching what is clearly the sidewalk in our neighborhood.

who are you people defending the dpt? you've got to be kidding me. the department is run by a bunch of mindless drones trained to collect as much money as possible and disregard each and every protest, regardless of right/wrong. when i owned a motorcycle years ago, i asked a dpt official (who was driving their little cart down the street) if it was okay to park near a particular curb. they said "yes". i returned ten minutes later to find a ticket on my bike. i would have argued the matter beyond the usual dpt protest denial received by mail, but who has time to stand in the dpt line for 3 hours. after all, i have to work so i can afford to pay my city taxes.

got parking ticket for the year not being punched on my temporary disabled placard. have not found code saying there is a fine. not my fault not punched, dmv did not punch. was end of month. must meet quota?

Got a ticket from the DPT after going around a double parker and getting stuck in an intersection (light was green going my direction). The DPT dude was directing traffic and was extorting some sort of language that did not sound remotely like English. I asked him what he wanted me to do as I could not go backward (double parker was behind me STILL double parked) or forward. He yelled and gesticulated at me, I still could not make out his broken English. In the end, 3 weeks later I got a ticket for blocking an intersection. He sure was on top of the job directing traffic! Yes, they do make it hard to protest a ticket. As for the signs in the City....utter confusion! Even my dad who was a cop for 30 yrs. in SF refuses to go to the City because of the parking situation. I'm on board if you sue the City. And for all you suckers who rollover for a ticket that was so NOT justified.......We would still be under British rule. Shame on you!

Just got screwed with a $250 bus zone violation,on Fillmore and Lombard, how the fck can they justify a $250 ticket , it was dark, there was no visible marking or sign and i was gone for no more than 5 mins (it must be a hotspot and he must have been waiting). I just can't believe the ticket is that much!, that is outrageous. Has anyone had any luck explaining their situation and offering to pay a lower ammount?

DPT is everywhere! How do they know where and how long you left your car for. I doubt they just sit there and wait for you. They rather go out there look for violators than sit and wait for you.

It is not just DPT that gives us tickets. I know there is this lady that just sits in front of her window and calls DPT to come out to cite sidewalks, red zones, etc. Doesn't she have better things to do than call and have my car ticketed?

DPT, means don't park there. I like to respond to what everyone has to say but you know, not everything is DPT's fault. If the lady at the window didn't call DPT, then not ticket would be issued to me. But unfortunately, the lady did and I got a $100 sidewalk ticket. Thanks lady at the window.

Great site. Where are the responses from everybody? I want to hear complaints about people calling DPT, not DPT waitng for us behind the wall or car!

I had a 1963 Dodge Dart, which I purchased a few years ago. The car had originally been sold in Arizona, and brought to California sometime in the '80s. Since I didn't like the look of a plate on the front, I never installed the second California plate there.

Everything went fine for a year or so, until I got a $100 ticket for not having a front plate from a DPT officer. I did a little research on line, and found that Arizona cars in 1963 (as now) were not required to have front plates. I copied the exact wording of the AZ DMV rule, and wrote up a very carefully-worded explanation with that info, plus a claim that, since the car was intended for the Arizona market, it had no provisions for mounting a front plate, and if the State expected me to install one, I would have to take the car to a shop and have them drill holes in the bumper and make a bracket for the plate.

This was untrue; there actually were holes there already, but I gambled that the DPT would be unlikely to inspect my car. I added that I was willing to comply with California law, but that it was unreasonable to expect me to know that California required both plates, and that accommodating the front plate would be a hardship, albeit one I would be willing to do.

After waiting in line for an hour at the Traffic Dept. for the chance to speak with a supervisor, my name was eventually called. I was very polite to him, and handed him the letter, and let him read it. He asked a couple of questions, shrugged, and dismissed the ticket. No mention of needing to mount the second plate or anything! A little victory!

DPT is a an outright frivolous SF department. I parked my car at a meter near Civic Center last month and returned a few hours later with 4 tickets that were issued by some meter maid with the initals J.B.!!!! Of course I was expecting 1 ticket, but 4...give me a break!!! I've been a SF driver for 13 years and have never experienced that! One of the tickets was $50 for having a license plate cover that I purchased from Kragen to prevent any broke-ass person from stealing my tags; it became a state law effective 7/22/05. Currently, I'm contesting 2 of the tickets. Maybe the F.B.I. should conduct a thorough investigation on DPT!!!! Oh one other little note...I've seen DPT issue parking tickets in residental areas way past 6:00pm!! Go Figure.

I am curious about the parking in the left lane allowed on Sundays along Gerrereo Street. Should this lack of enforcement led to other Illegal parking being nullified due equal protection?

I once got a ticket for not having my registration sticker even though it was clearly on my car. So anyway I was really mad about how these DPT workers dont even do their job right. So I literly spent an hour looking for this scum bag who gave me this ticket. What I did find was another DPT worker and was on his lunch break. I let him have an ear full and he called for his boss and I got the ticket reversed.

Do a stranger a favor.
When you notice the chalk mark on the tire, Wipe it off.
Who knows who put it there?

Keep your city clean by removing chalk grafitti from tires.

Might cause the meter maids some consternation and reduce the number of parking tickets.

Certainly will bring a smile to the face of the pweson racing the mmeter maid to their car when they see her drive right on by.

I tried the VIN thing as well and failed. It seems that failure to record a VIN number is a regular occurance in SF (happens on 75% of the parking tickets I get - small sample but nevertheless)... I think its an efficiency/lazy thing on the part of DPT - they don't have to get out of their cart if they ticket you and then put your ticket on the right side of your hood and motor on rather than get out and walk around the car to actually look at the VIN.

The problem I have is that the law on this is clear black letter. Its not the DPT's or City of SF's place to decide which laws to which it will adhere to and which laws it is won't. Why should it be exempt from certain provisions of the law and individuals not?

I plan on contesting this again an when rejected appealing that up until its thrown out. Then I will have a precedent for every ticket I ever get in the future.

There is likely some form of class action here as well for an entreprenuering lawyer...

I too am fed up with the parking tickets in this town. The meters are only good for 1 hour, if you happen to miss it by just a few minutes remarkably a ticket is already on the car. It amazes me how on top of an expired meter they are while other matters like improving the quality of mass transit take years.

I've gotten notices for 3 tickets on a truck I SOLD over a year ago. Have explained this numerous times to DPT and LDC Collections....DMV royally screwed up and didn't process my release of liability (no longer have my copy of it, long story). LDC continues to harass me, which wouldn't be any real big deal, but they eventually turn over "dead beats" to the state tax board and they WILL grab money out of your bank account without any warning. Don't tell me that that doesn't happen, as it already DID happen to ME (a while ago though). I eventually got it back but that story is enough to write a book. Pardon moi Francais, but FUCK THEM. Why is it on ME to prove ME INNOCENCE? WTF? I'm put in the position to expend my time and money to show them that they're wrong. THIS is wrong. Hey Newsom, get your shit together.

Is is valid to argue that the ticket was issued on a holiday (New Year's Eve) and a Saturday, and thus I didn't think that it was necessary/required to fill parking meters?

Class Action???

I got a parking ticket on a street that both parking signs have been removed. I took good pictures and protested it. They turned it down with no reason (a scam in itself I believe). I got the denial notice late due to travel, past the 21 days for a hearing request but before the payment due date. I followed instructions to request a hearing anyways, and sent in proper payment of $50 before the payment due date. They returned my check saying it's past the hearing due date, and sent me another bill for $25 more than the original amount because it's now "overdue." I called them, waited for 15 min and talked to someone. I told them I did send in the payment by the due date, she would not listen and keep saying it's now $75 and hung up on me. I feel this is so unfair, nothing less than highway robbery. Is there something we can do to stop this madness?

Sincerely,
Shawn

Last night my car got towed in the upper haight because my bumper was "20%" blocking a driveway. I walked all the way to the end of shrader st. from belvadere in the rain with my records and cdj to find my car gone. When I went to pick up my car they charged me $185 dollars to get it out. Then when I actually got to my car there was a ticket on it for another $75 bucks, God damn! I thought... I understand that it was my fault and i am not hear to bitch about it like these other pussies. I just feel that in my situation a simple ticket would have taught me a lesson... I however got the the ticket and tow combo! Gotta luv SF...

I had a parking ticket from May 05 for street sweeping. It was around West Portal, and the signs were located behind the canopies of a tree lined street. You could not see the sign unless you were directly next to it. I took pictures and sent in my protest. I checked back in June 05 and they told me it would not get processed until Jan 06 due to their heavy backlog. Now, I checked and they denied my protest since it was received late for review. They claimed they sent out a letter denying my protest in July 05 that I never received. Conveniently since without this denial letter of having had a review, I could not go through the appeals process. Now, I must pay the citation with penalties. They say I have no options, but I think a Civil Court complaint, a Civil Grand Jury Complaint, and a de novo hearing request will at least catch their attention. Dede Owens is the person in charge ... make her work for her pay. Nothing but a bunch of crooks.

The biggest complaint I have with this whole racket is that it is not about opening up parking spaces. It is just another way for a city in a budget crisis to tax it's citizens without a having to call it a tax. The only way I can think to change this is basically to start telling your local governemnt officials that you plan on voting for the opposition because of this issue. Not likely to do any good but one can hope. oh and just because I hate cops, who are nothing more than violent thugs. Fuck the police!

Last year my car broke down and I was forced to borrow a friends car for a day. I work in sales so I have to drive in the city all day. At one of my accounts I stopped in the yellow zone for half a minute, with the car running and me in the driver seat while another person ran outside and handed me some paperwork I needed through the window. It was also raining outside. As the person was walking out a DPT pulled up behind me and honked to get me to move. I opened the window and yelled out I needed one more second. As I was getting the papers the DPT again honked and I quickly moved. At the next light I was next to the DPT who had followed me. He then handed me a ticket for yellow zone infraction. I was immediatly upset and told the officer that he was a crook. I took the ticket and drove off throught the intersection. The DPT officer continued to follow me closely for a few more blocks. At the end of the day, since it wasn't my car I chopped up the exsperience as yet another uncaring/unlawful DPT ticket and paid it without protesting. It wasn't until 2 months later that I got a call from my friend who was wondering about past due tickets from the DPT all on the same day around the same time. In fact it turned out the officer decided to write me up for several false tickets on several blocks within a 5 minute span, including one for no front licence plate. What made it worse was it wasn't my car and the tickets had already gone up since it was over 30 days. I protested them and after 6 months only 2 were dismmissed. All in all I paid over $300 for the tickets. thats why now I say "FuCk the DPT! forever!"

Well I just got the "petty neighbor blocking sidewalk comlaint"ticket for $100 saturday in Noe Valley. I was parked half in the street with the frnt half my car on sidewalk. The sidewalk is 15 FEET wide. Technically I was on the sidewalk, but 2 women with 4 dogs easily passed between the house my car. I'm going to protest this ticket. Do I have any chance of having it dismissed? They also neglected VIN #, had wrong month and year after "time checked." thx

My car was just towed this morning as a result of a 'driveway complaint' made at 7:33 am.
The thing is, I was not blocking the driveway. Nor was I anywhere near going over the curb. The curb was not painted red nor stamped with DPT. I got out of my car to make sure I was not blocking anyone or anything and discovered that there was amble room for the exiting and entering of a vehicle. Well, aparently there is a flood of idiots in SF that seem to require NO one park with in three to five feet of the entrance to their drive way. No offence to those who own SUV's, but if you can not manage to pull one into your driveway then try driving a smaller car- or better yet learn how to drive it.
The best part is that when I went to get into my car this morning there was worker truck parked where my car was- and it was totally in the drive way and half way in the spot where I was. It seems a little to convienent that the guy repairing the windows of the house that had me towed managed to get the spot after I was towed and not someone else driving by.

I am thinking they had me towed so their repair guy could park there. Which is totally messed up since I am a full time student who works so I can barely get by and pay for school. This whole thing is costing me over $400.00.
I was wondering though about that vin issue. On the ticket they gave me there was no vin and that would save me $75. I am going to contest this, does anyone have any suggestions on what would help me?
I realize that winning these things are not common but i have to try.
Thank you.

How do I fight a bogus...Didnt stop before turning right on Red.....I went thru Yellow Light turning right...

I do agree with those who stand up for the parking officers and say that if one does not follow the signs that one should be ticketed. However you cannot ignore the clear fact that San Francisco has gone out of its way to make the city hostile to cars, whether it was denying the construction of thoroughfares or parking garages, many of the city's voters have done all they can to punish anyone who drives.
However, the muni system is far from ideal. I live in the mission and work in the Sunset. In order to go from home to work, which is only a few miles away, I have to take two buses and the N-Judah. The trip takes over 45 minutes not to mention the stupid way that transfers are handled. Why would I take a 45 minute standing bus/N-Judah trip just to go about 4 miles?????!!!!
So I drive. However, all parking in the surrounding streets is full where I work because of the presence of a huge private school that fills the streets with parents queuing up to drop off their kids. So I park in the Golden Gate Park. There is huge construction going on in the park, closing off much of the parking, and the parking is only 3-hours, so during work I must make trip after trip back and forth from my job to the park about 4 blocks away every couple of hours and then drive around in circles waiting for a spot to open up, which I then have to wrestle from all the other circling cars to get!
Does this not sound a bit ridiculous?
How about UNBELIEVABLY ridiculous. As in you tell someone whos not from here about it and they just can't even believe it.
oh, and yes I too am not allowed to park in my driveway at home, so parking in the mission is itself a task, requiring me, a small girl, to walk for blocks through one of the most dangerous parts of the Mission at night where I face harrassment and more than one of my friends has been mugged.
I do ride my bike and enjoy it very much, but i need to carry a load of stuff to and from work, and this will not fit on my bike.
so.....
NO ONE CAN DENY THAT SF IS HOSTILE TO CARS and THOSE OF US WHO DONT LIVE LIKE PUNKS (like many of my friends) FIND HOLDING A NORMAL JOB NEEDLESSLY EXPENSIVE. I make about $2000 a month! you think I can afford $300 a month in parking fines?
huh????........................

Everyone should just start protesting every ticket, every time, to the maximum number of appeals, even if the ticket is clearly, patently valid (unless you're illegal in a handicapped zone in which case shame on you). It's already taking them 6 mos to process an appeal, just keep your money in the bank that much longer, and make them spend more for processing the appeals.

I got a $350 ticket last year for pulling into a bus zone to pick up friends at a BART station, because there was NO legal place to do so, and because I had NO idea that this unannounced, unmarked, and clearly-unconstitutional fine had been levied against drivers by the State of CA. I fought the ticket thru all levels of appeal but lost, so now it's been added to my vehicle registration fees.

Is anyone aware of any action at the state level to rescind or at least rewrite this law? Want to help me start one?

So... I got a boot put on my car on Friday. I went to go pay it off on Harrison street (DPT) and they said that they were closing and they had no time for me and to come back on Monday. These bastards. So my car had to sit there all weekend with the boot on and I couldn't do anything about it. Guess what happened?!?! They gave me a TICKET for street cleaning!!!!!!!!!! A ticket! it was their fault in the first place that I couldn't move my car. I can't believe this. I know that even if I contest it, they won't approve it. They are evil. They are actually a privately owned company... they are making profits off us and the money is not going to the city. What do I do here?? How do we stop this madness?

I am visiting my son who lives near Bush/Grant. Last night I parked at a commercial/truck meter near the intersection since it was after 6PM therefore legal. Since I am from Florida and not used this parking mess, I failed to note the sign which has grafitti sprayed on located about 30 feet down hill from me. Since I was walking uphill to Grant there were no other signs. Anyway, this cost me a $185 tow, a $40 street cleaning and a $60 tow violation for a total of $285. I have been really watching my meager supply of money by eating on the cheap etc. so this is really painful. Why not put a TOW AWAY notice on the meter itself...just a simple sign above or below the meter that says NO PARKING BETWEEN 7 - 9AM OR TOW. Why do I have to walk half way down the block to see what the parking restrictions are all about. I have been thinking about moving here, but starting to have my doubts since I use my car a lot.

I fully agree that the San Francisco DPT is a corrupt and also inept organization of organized criminals and they need to be exposed for what they truly are. I just received a parking ticket through the mail nearly a month after the ticket was issued apparently because they wanted me to have to pay a late fee for supposedly parking at a bus stop where I only briefly stopped for about five seconds to let off a single passenger. I never got out of my car or turned off the engine. No ticket was attached to my vehicle or given to me at the time by a "peace officer" . I guess some fool somewhere in the DPT office saw my car in their RED light camera photo of someone else running the light. I checked the California vehicle code and there is no such law against stopping momentarily at a bus stop. Section 22500 at the California dmv site does not include merely stopping briefly at a bus stop as being against the law. On another instance I was given a ticket for parking on a street curb where there was no posted sign clearly visible or within a reasonable distance to my vehicle. I decided to pay the ticket instead of going through the hastle of protesting it which I now regret doing since even after I paid the ticket the DPT continued to report to the DMV for over two years that I never paid the ticket. Even after I went in to the office and showed them the cancelled check they continued sending the bogus late fee notifications. The fine was finally dropped after two years and waiting in several long lines to talk to a supervisor at the DPT. If we are going to be billed for the same thing over and over after paying the bogus fines then what is the use in paying them at all? I would like to know how these criminals working for the DPT could be stopped from committing further wrongs against the people who have legitimate jobs in San Francisco and have to earn a living? Incidentally in my opinion the person who posted on this site named ( "Brendan" at April 4, 2004 11:26 PM )should admit that he works or worked for the DPT and is part of the corruption. I will fully support any class action law suits.

*Before you read this, please excuse me for my use of the word "douche." It is not because my education is elementary, but because that man is a real douche and there are no better words to describe that man without using the forbidden words of the FCC and words deemed degrading to other sexes and sexual orientation. Thank you*

I am indeed disgusted with the DPT. I have a story to share with you guys that happend to my parents two years ago and I regret not taking the initiative to fight against the ticket. Instead, I procrastinated the task and eventually the ticket was almost due so we just ended up paying for the ticket. Hey I was 16! Anyways, it all started around the Richmond District. A meter maid appeared to be giving tickets to cars a couple of yards from our parked car. So my dad went out and put money into the meter.

When he reached our car, he still gave us a ticket saying, "The reason you fed the money into the meter is because you saw me."

The owner of the car next to me did the very same and still got a ticket with the same response from the meter maid.

Boy, when I heard this story again a couple days ago, I became very disgusted and enraged not only at myself but at that very douche meter maid.

This ticket should be easily overturned. Even though I do not have a degree in law, this case could be argue with logic. Just because a meter maid is visible a couple cars away does not mean the car owners that did not get written up yet cannot feed the meter. What if the meter already has time in it? Can't they say they're just adding more coin into the meter? And also just because the meter is expired,is there a legal barrier preventing car owners from feeding meter, giving money to the government? But no, there are some douche meter maids out there who dare to tarnish the repuation of the DPT and our city government although there are some who are really nice.

Well that's my story. Makes you wonder that some of the douches in our world are in our very city. Please feel free to give your point about this story, although it might be very unlikely because of the fact that this story might end up on the bottom of the page and the last post was made last month.

I parked in san Francisco at a meter and paid for an hour at 10:35 AM. at 11:05 am I received a citation for "TC202 Parking meter/OUT Down" I returned at 11:24 AM and rthere was time still on the meter. Comments field of the citation said no DP Placard. There wan no handycap parking sign or any paint on the curb. There was no notice of any special parking condition for that day. Other cars at other meters were not ticketed. I can not find a listing for TC202 on the web. I want to write a letter of protest, but I need to know where to finf on the Internet an explanation of "TC202" to see what the violation is other than $40.00 fine as stated on the ticket.

I think this is the single best, most useful page on the internet (obviously I'm a little PO'd at the moment...)

DPT is the biggest legalized racket out there -- I feel completely helpless! I've just sent in a succint, to the point protest letter citing the above referenced passage regarding VIN numbers, and am eagerly waiting a response. I will keep you posted.

Marc Perkel - more power to you. I am seriously on the verge of starting a grass roots organization. Can you imagine the awesome fundraising parties we could throw? I think parking is the unifier of the 21st century...cutting across all creed/race/socio-economic background!

Who's with me!?

What about "street cleaning". Why so much of it so often? In my neighborhood, a very low traffic volume area, we have street cleaning on each side once a week. However, on some streets in the downtown area, the "clean" the streets THREE TIMES A WEEK on each side! I can't count the number of tickets I've recieved in front of my own house at 8:00 in the morning, I can't imagine living in these areas. You might argue that with higher traffic volume comes the need for more cleaning. Well, in downtown Berkeley many busy streets are "cleaned" ONCE A MONTH. There is no obvious difference in the cleanliness of the streets. And BTW, the reason I put the word in quotes is because they don't clean the streets so much as blow stuff around and its only the parking spots that are cleaned, so the traffic volume answer is a little dodgy. Which streets would I rather eat my breakfast off of, the Berkeley ones or the San Francisco ones ? I don't know. What I do know is that the city has turned this task that was formerly a public duty, and an inconvenience for them, into a money making machine bleeding us taxpayers dry. I wonder how much of this money goes to funding more "meter officers"... taxation without representation?

Reply for John's post of May 27:

TC202 is a local (San Francisco) Traffic Code for parking overtime at a meter. The comment on the citation "no DP Placard" refers to the fact that vehicles with valid Disabled Placards are exempt from the time limit at parking meters. So just forget about that part. Getting a meter ticket depends on how much time is allowed at the meter where you parked. Most are 1 hour, some even 2,
but there are many that are only 15 or 30 minutes. Those meters have green tops on them. You say there was still time on the meter, but what the PCO's really go by is what time they first see your car and what time they see it there again. They used to use the chalk sticks to mark the tire, but now they use those handheld computers. Maybe the meter was broken, but the time limit still applies. From what you say in your post, it sounds like the PCO made a mistake and maybe confused your car with another. Check the citation to see if the PCO noted a "time checked" and "time cited". I would most definitely protest this citation. I hope they dismiss it.

Reply to Zack's post of June 21 --

Street cleaning is a neccessary civic function, and yes, I remember when the residents, myself included, took care of the street and sidewalk in front of our house every day, and didn't need City street cleaning "service". However, over time, newer arrivals didn't bother to sweep the sidewalk and street in front of their homes or apartments, ever. So DPW put in new street cleaning zones, which was OK on some streets in concept, but fails when you see that the equipment they use does not pick up much at all. They DO break up oil and grease from parked cars to some extent, but trash and litter mostly just gets blown around. Berkeley might have fewer days because of budget for DPW and parking police, and because it's less windy there than in SF. Too many people that live here now are slobs and just don't give a shit, and throw their crap and litter all over the place, and the wind blows it around all the time; it's always a mess where I live. BUT: I always move MY car for street cleaning, because I know what side of the street and what days and times it's going to be. I've been living where I am for about 10 years and have gotten about 5 or 6 street-cleaning parking tickets when I forgot to move my car. If you can't count how many parking tickets you have gotten for street cleaning, whose fault is that? The City's for having a street cleaning program that doesn't work quite well to your liking, or yours for failing to move your car? Is there a special reason you can't get out of bed by 8AM or park on a different block in anticipation of street-cleaning days? I suggest you call DPW and let them know their machines don't really clean the streets all that well. I have called, and they are almost friendly, but they say to lobby the Board of Supervisors to get better equipment for them to clean the streets better. Until then, quit whining and move your car before street cleaning or park on another street the night before. Good Luck.

Yesterday I parked on 9th Avenue near Clement. It was 3:26 pm by my cell phone clock. When I got out of my car I saw there was 20 minutes on the meter so I didn't feed it. I made a mental note that I should be back by 3:46. I went around the corner to the Goodwill and left there at 3:46, got back to my car at 3:47 and there was a ticket there time-stamped 3:43.

WTF?

I could protest it but let me tell you, the procedure to protest is ridiculous. You have 21 days from the date of the ticket to file a written protest. THEY WILL DENY THE PROTEST. Once you get the letter of denial, you have 21 days to go down to DPT in person (mind you, a quarter buys you 6 minutes at a meter around there, so you might get another parking ticket fighting the first one!)...then you wait and wait and wait til your number is called, then you have to PAY THE TICKET...then wait and wait and wait, then you get a hearing with a hearing officer. Who may or may not dismiss the ticket. Then, if the ticket is dismissed, you'll get a check in the mail - this usually comes within a week or two, so that's not bad.

The good thing about protesting a ticket is that while it's under protest (and it will be marked so on their compputer) you can still renew your car's registration with a ticket on your record. And, the penalties don't accrue until the protest is resolved.

There's also a way to work off your tickets by doing community service. It's called Project 20. DPT doesn't advertise it but it's available. It works like this - you go down to DPT and sign up for Project 20. Only the tickets you currently have on your record can be dismissed through this, only a maximum of 10 tickets per calendar year and, I believe, not the penalties. You pay an administrative fee of between $20 and $150 (based on dollar value of outstanding tickets), and then you work it off by volunteering for a non profit at the rate of $6 per hour. I have two $40 expired meter tickets totalling $80 so I would have to work 13 hours - and I have to pay a $20 fee. So I am working 13 hours to save $60 - that's only about $4.62 an hour! I think I'll work for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition :-)

You can only sign up for Project 20 twice in a calendar year, and you have to pay the admin fee each time. The second time, you only get to write off 50% of your tickets.

You can't protest a ticket once it's enrolled in Project 20. You can't enroll a ticket in Project 20 once you've protested it.

Anyway, I got a ticket once that was so bogus, it made my head spin. Parked at a meter on a rainy day. This was back when meters were $1 per hour. Put a quarter in, it went to 28 minutes. Already feeling ripped off! Put another quarter in, it went BACKWARDS to 27 minutes - oy veh! Put in two more quarters didn't budge from 27 minutes.

Wrote a note, taped it to the meter. Put the exact time on it. Came back 50 minutes later, had a ticket.

Chased down the parking control officer and said "didn't you see my note? it was on the meter!" he said "the note wasn't there." I said "well it was there when I got back!!!"

It was in my neighborhood right outside a cafe where I get coffee, so as I sat there with my dog over the next few days I asked people who parked there if they'd let me watch them feed the meter. It ALWAYS did the same thing that happened to me. I got phone numbers and business cards from these people.

Protested the ticket. Sent in full details, copy of the (rain-soaked) note I had left, business card of guys who had this happen to them.

Six months later? Protest denied "our repair records show there is nothing wrong with that meter."

So I went in in person and the hearing officer IMMEDIATELY dismissed it.

And, here's a tip if you ever get a hearing - point out to the hearing officer that you usually DO pay your tickets (he can verify this) but that THIS ONE was just not fair. My hearing officer said that carries a lot of weight with him.

Oh - one more thing! I had a personalized license plate once that was the plural of a word (ie, had an S at the end). I got a ticket once - and PAID IT - before I realized that the license on the ticket wasn't correct - it was my personalized word but without the S. They would NEVER have attached that to MY car's record....I felt like an idiot when I realized!

My wife parked in a Residential 2-hour zoned space at 12:45 pm on Monday, July 10. A parking ticket was subsequently placed on the car, issued at 1:49 pm by officer "A.D.", badge #0137. Under the "Time Checked" section of the ticket, there is no time entry. In short, the car was parked for one hour and 4 minutes. It should have been able to remain legally parked in the same spot for another 56 minutes. Instead, it was ticketed with "OVERTIME NO DP PLACARD" and referring to section "TC315A RESIDENTIAL PARKING"

The problem I have with this situation is that the dispute process places the burden of proof on the victim (my wife), rather than the police. How is my wife supposed to prove her innocence when the ticketing officer is now free to invent whatever "Time Checked" value suits his/her needs? Whatever happened to "Innocent until proven guilty"?

We will fight this ticket. It is unlawful, unjust, and unfair. For the sake of justice, I hope that we win.

To the guy above this post, i think this DPT guy A.D is trully an asshole, he kept giving people ticket without real violation. couple of my friend got similar violation and tried to contest it, but rejected.

this is getting out of hand, and DPT people can do whatever they want to do this. we should really do something, DPT is like a parasite in our community now.

I am so happy I found this site!
I received 2 f-ing tickets in one week to the total of $140!!! The first was for "blocking the sidewalk" - but I swear, I parked in my driveway, leaving a 5 ft. clearance behind my compact car - I think there WAS a little old lady at the window calling - because EVERYONE who did the same that morning got a ticket!!!

Then, get this, this is classic - I was IN MY CAR, getting ready to pull out of a street cleaning zone. I was looking down to snap myself in and put something on the passenger side seat. I looked up, ready to turn the ignition and I see this hand put a TICKET on my car.... the ratassbastard didn't even come out of his little tin can to see there was someone in the car ready to go!!! So, I try to open my door - his cart is too close for me to get out of the car - which I think was on purpose because he KNEW I was in the car - I open it enough to get my head through the top and told him very politely that I was in the car getting to go. He yelled at me and called me an idiot for not stopping him from writing the ticket when I saw him. I told him I didn't see him and he again yelled, saying that that wasn't his problem. A random guy across the street yelled at him telling him he was rude. Then the ratassbastard starts driving away and yells that he wasn't going to take back the ticket. I told him he didn't have to be mean. Then he says he wasn't being mean and drives his sorryass little cart away as fast as it could go. I am so freaking mad I could rip the guy's head off.... Does anyone think I can successfully protest these tickets? I'm reading the nightmares everyone's going through and I'm thinking, maybe I should just pay the fine and chalk it up to living in San Francisco.

I love this City, but these rude ratassbastard DPT guys really need to chill and learn how to be reasonable human beings -- especially the one who gave me the ticket on Middlefield Dr.!!!!! Hello!!! I was going to drive away and leave!!!

I'm trying to calm myself long enough to check out the suggested websites on how to protest a ticket in Cal.

You have to be careful when parking in San Francisco. It doesn't take a college degree to become a meter maid and most of them are a bunch of morons that can't do their job right. If you try to protest a ticket, 99 percent of the time it will get rejected unless you have some kind of proof that the ticket issued was invalid. Just yesterday I received a ticket for parking at a one hour zone ten minutes after I have parked their. I parked my car there at 3:10PM. According to the ticket my vehicle was checked at 2:10PM and the ticket was issued at 3:20PM.
There was no chaulk mark on my tires. The only logical explaination I can think of is a similar colored vehicle was parked their before me and the meter maid failed to remember all the details of the other car and assumed that my car car had been there much longer than it actually was. This is absurd.

I'v recieved two parking tickets at $100.00 each in a 13 hour time period for parking my motorcycle on the sidewalk (a nieghbor must have called).I went out in the morning and two tickets were on my bike.
$100.00 is outrageouse for a motorcycle.

My question is: does anyone know how many tickets someone could get in 24 hour time period?
is two tickets in 13 hours legal?

I can see 1 ticket every 24 hours but two in less than 13 hours aint right!
could a cop right me a ticket then wait 10 minutes (oh noone has moved the bike )then right me another and so on?
thanks for any info
charles

Is it true that parking tickets have gone from $35.00 to $$50.00??
I got a ticket today (it was my fault for forgetting to feed the newly installed meter) but had no idea the fee had gone up so dramatically. I think a $50.00 fine for parking a motorcycle is outrageous. I could see something like quadruple the paying rate for ten hours of MC parking, but 20 TIMES the rate is scandalous!! We need to make the DPT fine rates more reasonable- especially for a vehicles that are one-fifth the size of cars. Fines for motorcycles in motorcycle parking should not be the same as cars (sorry, it's just not right).
BTW, if you go to the DPT site and click on Hearing Notices/News, go read the PDF of the latest Bi-Annual Report (FY03-04). Interesting read- $82 million from tickets/fines.
I guess the only silver lining for everyone else is that I'll now ride 20 days less this year to recoup the cost of the ticket!

I just moved to SF and in the first few days got two tickets. I guess in both I was technically in violation of the law, but in no way in spirit.

The first ticket I got while moving in - the first day I got here, I got a No Residential Permit while my car was outside my apartment being unloaded. I immediately went and got a temporary permit the same day, but I guess I have no recourse.

The second was a few days later, I parked with my car a few inches into a driveway. It wasn't blocking it at all, the user could easily get out, but apparently they complained and I got a ticket. Again I imagine I have little hope protesting since I was technically "blocking" the driveway.

Hey DPT, thanks for the welcome to the city. Also, the neighbors who are constantly calling about frivolous "parked in sidewalk" or "blocking driveway" are the real scumbags in my opinion. Sure, make the call if you're really blocked or if you warn someone and they keep doing it, but calling right off the bat for no good reason is just evil.

i have just discovered a website (which i cannot type in here, due to not wanting to pay $500), but it has a very logical name -- the thing you want to fight plus the classic dot com. you pay half the price of the ticket and they guarantee that it will get dismissed. and you get to see the letters they send.

has anyone noticed a gigantic step-up in the number of tickets for not curbing one's wheels on a "hill" or greater than 3% grade? three percent of what? how do they know? i was parked on an almost flat street and got one of these.

Dear readers. Thank you Marc!!! It is time that we all stand together! there is power in numbers! True, 100 even 1000 residents upset means nothing to the "City by the bay" I have so many nightmare stories about the DPT that you would not believe it! They and the LDC are A-holes! If you do send anything, send it return receipt and certified otherwise on of the "Two open windows" will tell you that you could have simply wrote all of the letters last night and brought them with you! I love being accused of lying, don't you?? My most recent issues are: I have had very serious knee and leg surgery which has left me unable to walk with out the use of a walker. Outside of my apartment is a cut out where 3 cars can park. You can park there from 6:00pm to 7:00am and then it is a red zone, even though it is not painted red. As I live on a 15+degree hill, I can not walk up and down it with a walker. So, at the request of my doctor, I looked in to getting a handicap placard. I checked with the DMV and there it tells you that you can not park at a "red curb". as our curb is not red, I called the DPT and talked to the highest supervisor that I could talk to. He told me that "as long as the curb is not painted, I could park there with my placard" So I did and, you guessed it, I got a $60.00 dollar ticket. I called the supervisor back and asked what in the hell was going on and he told me "Oh well, I guess I was wrong" I am now battling this along with threats that they will boot my car and tow it away. I have been waiting for over 8 months to get a reveiw for two other tickets. The DPT is sorely deficient and should be closed down for reorganization! We all need to get together that hold a rally in front to Da Maya's office and call the press! United we stand, devided we all get "PUNED" in the rump by these morons! Thanks for listening!

Another parking complain in Berkeley!!!
One day when I organized things after moving into a new place, I saw a Xerox copy of a ticket issued 6 months ago. Just out of curiosity, I went online to check the ticket number.
Blast!!! Blast again!!! Blast again and again!!!
I have two outstanding ticket unpaied and I owe the Berkeley goverment $105 for each ticket. I was aware one ticket and don't know anything about the other one.
Don't elect the current Tom Bates and remove the current plice chief Mary Kusmiss.

Called the Berkely goverment and only found out both tickets are for the same reason: "missing tab on the car".
However, I do have the tab on the car. The tab is on the front plate because I made a mistake to attach the "month" tab on the front and never could move to the back plate because DMV only gives "year" tab afterwards.
For the ticket I am aware, I had to switch the front and back plate and had an officer sign it. I honestly don't remeber if I have chosed to contest it or I decided to pay it. But I am for sure I didn't ignore it.

I explained this to the Berkeley officer and they told me both tickets have passed the 21 days hearing time and the only option is to pay them.
During the past 6 months, I didn't received any notice from the Berkeley office.
I wonder if I don't check out of curisity, the ticket will worth, guess what, 162 billion dollars just after 5 years. Even Bill Gates plus Warren Buffer can't pay off for just half of one of my tickets according to their asset in 2005.

My story- I have a European front bumper on my '97 BMW. The front end was hit and repaired but the body shop did not reattach the front license plate- they would have to drill holes into the new and VERY expensive bumper.
I placed the license plate on the dash on the passenger side.
The first ticket for no front license plate(which I am protesting) was for $100, no comment about it being a correcitble offense. The ticket was placed in the hood crease on the passenger side about 6 inches away from the clearly visible license plate.
Now, I get a second ticket (same neighborhood, different officer's initials). It comments that the plate is on dash, has the comment that it is a correctible citation and the fine is only $50.
The one thing we all know is that parking fines are never reduced in SF.
The vehicle code cited in both tickets does not specify that the front plate be affixed to the front bumper.

That site where you pay 1/2 the price of the ticket does not work. My appeal was rejected and when I notified that site to claim a refund, I was given a list of 6 documents I need to produce, notarized, to claim my $20 refund. Yeah, right. Also, FYI, when you get an "odd" ticket, repeat tickets, or an entire block ticketed, you can bet someone in the neighborhood called the police non-emergency line and asked for citations to be issued. Believe it or not, the police dislike those calls just as much as we do, but have to comply.

How long can one ignore the the tyrants at LDC before they take action such as this, "...your wages will be garnished and your property will be seized."
I just received my second "notice" from LDC for two consecutive tickets I received in May. Apparently, I owe $210 and I am trying to be as evasive as possible...

1. We never received our neighborhood parking sticker (which cost $60) and did not notice as the car was stored in the North Bay. Brought the car to SF for my son to use while he was home for two weeks from college. Received a $40 ticket for expired parking sticker; went ahead and paid it to avoid hassles. Arranged for new sticker from DPT. Then received a notice that the ticket had not been paid; ignored the notice (as it said to do) since I had paid it. Received second notice threatening to report to DMV. Called and found out that another ticket had purportedly been issued the day before; we never saw it and the car was parked right in front of our house. Now, owe $75 with penalties! Wrote letter of protest, but doubt it is worthwhile.

2. Parked in parking lot at Laurel Village for lunch at Rigolo. Shopped for a few minutes at Emily Lee. Drove to my doctor's appointment in Jordan Park and then returned to Emily Lee to purchase an item. 9 minutes after the parking attendant helped me find a spot, he gave me a $40 ticket for exceeding the 90 minute limit! Wrote a letter on September 11 to Parking Control Service about their error and have heard nothing. Just called and left a message thanks to this message board which had the telephone number!

In about 30 years in SF, I had not received a parking ticket. I am scrupulous about parking legally. But no matter how careful you are....

What is the obligation to pay a "Parking Control Service" ticket, allegedly for "unauthorized parking" at a San Francisco mall? I did NOT park illegally. Do they have power to enforce?

In November 2004 I posted a comment on this site about illegal or predatory towing and directed the reader to a blog I created at sftow. This blog address has now been changed and the blog completely updated to help people all over California, not just in San Francisco get their cars and their money back after their cars were illegally towed. The new blog address for this updated site is
predatorytowingincalifornia.blogspot.com

Luigi,

Like you, I got the same Parking Control Service ticke in South San Fran. These guys are incredibly sketchy. Ticket was dubious, as was the justification for denial of my appeal. Nobody picks up their phone line, and voicemails are not quickly returned.

Could use advice on how to deal with them as well.

cary

I fully agree with the idea that bogus citations should be protested to the fullest legal allowance. I can say from my own experience that it is quite possible to get a ticket dismissed by submitting a mail hearing letter so apparently not everyone working at the DPT is part of the conspiracy to collect money from fraudulently issued tickets or perhaps the DPT needs to be threatened with the cost of a court decision in order to drop one of their fake citations. The DPT's real hidden agenda seems to be to cause hardship to working people by collecting a bogus tax. One way to legally retaliate against the DPT is to go around with a damp cloth erasing the little yellow chalk lines that they put on peoples tires. I figure for every bogus ticket they give me I should erase at least 100 yellow marks. As far as protest letters go you can expect them to be denied until they reach the mail hearing stage since it seems the initial letters are not even being read. I happen to know the DPT does not read initial protest letters because in mine I pointed out that I never received an actual ticket and that none could have been placed on my vehicle since I never left my vehicle and no officer came forward to present a ticket at the time I was falsely claimed to have parked illegally and yet the DPT still asked me to place a copy of their imaginary ticket in with my mail hearing letter. California law states that tickets must also be issued within a set period of time from the occurrence of an alleged violation. If no such violation occurred and no ticket was issued except on a computer somewhere because a corrupt DPT person simply lied then how is one supposed to measure that period of time? What the SFDPT tries to do is confuse and intimidate people into paying for tickets, which are not even real. I have found that even if I pay one of their fake tickets in full and show them the cancelled check twice they can still go on sending notices to try and collect the same fine over and over again for over two years. In other words the SFDPT has created an environment in which nearly all tickets should be protested and this they have brought on themselves. If the DPT can arbitrarily decide a ticket was not paid even if they know it was then clearly all bogus citations should be protested. By the way if a ticket has no signature of a peace officer or other authorized person on it then it is not a valid ticket. California law does not allow the issuing of anonymously written parking tickets. If the name of the authorized person is not readable, or present and or if only an initial is written then the DPT is attempting to avoid accountability by not revealing the accusers identity. Do not allow the DPT to continue to violate the civil rights of the working people in San Francisco. Protest all bogus citations.

On Veteran's Day we were told by at least two different S. F. meter people (who we asked in advance) that it was okay to park in a yellow zone because it was a holiday. So we were very surprised to get a $60 ticket for doing so. Does anyone know the law in S.F. on this?

So the day before yesterday I got a $275 ticket for parking in some blue spot, for about 2 minutes & had to sit there as the cop wrote my ticket since I got back to my car as he got out of his.
Now, the car is brand new & doesn't even have plates on it & it's decided that we're selling it now. If i don't pay it you think there would be bad repercussions?

I have heard that every time the issue of raising parking fees (and driveway parking fees in particular) comes up before the board of supervisors, there are howls of protest. The supervisors respond by saying it is and has always been permissible to park in ones own driveway (on the sidewalk) as long as there is room to pass. I have actually had this echoed by DPT when I've called (to protest a ticket, presumably). It seems to me that what we really need are the minutes of the supervisor's meetings where these discussions take place. I'm on a mission to find that information and would welcome any advice as to how to proceed. I'll check back here to share any progress I've made, and look for suggestions.

As a follow up to my post with respect to my quest for city council minutes regarding driveway/sidewalk parking, I found a very interesting SF Superior Court document advocating common sense ticketing for this practice. You can read it here: www.sfgov.org/site/courts_page.asp?id=3725

Parking Control Service. Do not pay them. They can't do shxt to you. Just a private company, they don't have the power to enforce anything.

From about 1990 through about 2001 I escaped several thousand dollars of tickets across several automobiles simply by selling the car after it had aquired a half dozen or so. In more than one case, a friend and I "ping-ponged" a vehicle back and forth and thus escaped dozens of tickets on a single vehicle. It is worth noting that this trick _never_ worked after the vehicle had been booted or towed: going to DPT saying (DMV paperwork in hand) you just bought the car and want it realeased did not work (believe me I tried a couple times). In that case I adopted a different strategy: after one of my cars had been towed and sold at auction, I would respond to demands for payment of old tickets by saying that it was my understanding that "the agressive act on the part of the State of towing and selling my car acted as liquidated damages for the tickets owed," and that's the last I would hear of it. Over the last few years, the wording of the warning letters (esp. by collections: LDC or LDO or whatever) has become increasingly intimidating, implying that unpaid tickest may follow you to attach to any future vehicle you might try to register. At one point several years ago I wrote LDC and implied I didn't owe on old tickets because I sold the vehicle. They wrote back asking for the exact date of sale, implying I was responsible for tickets prior to sale. This most recent time around, (about six months ago), for the first time I got a letter from "Auto Return" or whatever implying I owed for storage of my vehicle while it was waiting to be auctioned off. It cited code, I hope I can find the letter and would like to check out the code, somehow I'd just bet the code they cited was not relevant. Still, as of this date, I've not found any "teeth" behind these intimidating letters: no marks on my credit report, no hassles at the DMV, this after 18 years of "playing the game" with DPT. I'll have an opportunity for a sanity check in a few days, when I go to transfer/register yet another vehicle into my name: I'll let you know how it goes. One thing I expect to never change, old tickets on a car won't "stick to the car" and haunt new owners. If that were the case, we'd all have to run down to DMV to check for old tickets on a used car before we bought it. Used cars trade legitimately under such a wide variety of circumstances: auctions etc., that a change in that law/practice would be a huge restraint to trade. Incidently, I've fairly well decided not to engage in any of these activities in future. From now on I'll be protesting my frivolous tickets and paying that one out of ten that's legitamate.

Watch out for Parking Control Service.

http://www.judysbook.com/cities/sanfrancisco/Uncategorized/115391/p1/Parking_Control_Services.htm

Last Wednesday night I parked my car on the street in my neighborhood (the Marina). The next day when I went out to get it at 11:30 am it was gone! It had been parked legally so there's NO WAY it was towed. Turns out it HAD been towed, however. Thursday morning, from the commute-hour towaway zone near the Tenderloin where the THIEF WHO STOLE IT had left it that morning!

SF Auto Return, the company that now has the towing contract with the City of SF, has a pretty convenient web site - you can enter your license plate number and it will tell you whether your car has been towed. It also explains the fees. $188.25 impound fee (that 25 cents just gets me, for some reason). $30 per day storage fee. Which, if you get there within 4 hours after your car arrives in their lot, they will waive.

My car had been ticketed at 7:37 and arrived at the impound lot on 7th Street (right around the corner from the Hall of Justice) at 8:07. I found out at 11:50 am where it was, and hopped on the bus right away. I called SF Auto Return from the bus (three times, they kept putting me on hold and cutting me off) and finally got through at 12:02. The woman told me I had 5 minutes left out of my 4 hour "grace period" but if I asked for a supervisor when I got there, the supervisor might waive the $30 storage fee.

I got there at 12:15 and was seen at 12:25. When I asked them to waive the fee the person behind the window snippily said "Our records PROVE that we told you at noon that your time was almost up." I said "YES, I CALLED YOU FROM THE BUS!!! My car was STOLEN!" then she said smugly "Well, your car was parked ILLEGALLY. THAT is why it was towed." I said, "Yes, it was parked illegally. By the THIEF who STOLE it and DUMPED it there!" Then she said "Do you have a police report?" I said "No, I called the police from the bus and they said you wouldn't waive the impound fee even with a police report, so I thought I'd try to get here as soon as possible after the 'grace period' expired and try to get the $30 storage fee waived, before I went and filed the police report." I then asked to speak to a supervisor The supervisor said they would not waive the fee as it was (then, after all that wrangling) "40 minutes" past the grace period expiration. And they "might" waive it within 15 minutes, but not "40 minutes."

So, I'm going to find out the names and home addresses of the greedy bastards who own this company and post them on-line - that's a promise!

Anyway, I got my car back, and no windows had been broken. It was difficult to get the key into the ignition but I could start the engine. However the ignition was not in the "off and locked" position and would beep whenever my door was open. This worked itself out over the next 24 hours.

Oh, by the way, if you go over to the Hall of Justice, to the police window on the first floor, and wait TWO HOURS in line (with only 3 people ahead of you!) you can file a police report and they will give you a form instructing SF Auto Return to waive the $60 "administrative fee" - so I "only" had to pay $128.25 + $30 = $158.25 to get my car back.

The thief also stole my registration and proof of insurance, so I had to go to DMV and pay $16 for a new registration form.

And I paid $29.99 + tax for The Club. Apparently it's not 100% secure but it does provide a deterrent.

And, if you have a 1980's or 1990's Honda - beware, three of the other people waiting to get their stolen cars out of impound also had these cars (as did I).

It's amazing to me that the City allows a private company to profit off the misery of crime victims.

Oh, and one more thing? I asked the policeman who came to check out my car (which they have to do before they'll create a police report)...whether they would dust for prints. He said no. He said that if I took it to Pier 29 and PAID them, they might. But then the guy back at the Hall of Justice said they don't prosecute auto thieves in San Francisco. They just flat out DON'T. I said "Even if they catch them in the car?" and he replied "Even if they catch them in the ACT OF STEALING THE CAR."

Wow. Doesn't anybody in City government see the connection between car thefts and the lack of criminal prosecutions? Call it the poor man's rental service - boost a car, use it for 24 hours, then dump it. Next time you need wheels? Steal another one. Go ahead, leave your fingerprints all over it!

Oh, I forgot to say something. When my car was stolen, I got a $60 ticket for parking in a towaway zone. I'm going to protest it. I'll post later when I find out whether they accept my protest, or whether I'm on the hook for that ticket too.

Another thing - there are three levels of protest, and I urge all of you, regardless of the cost in time and inconvenience, to pursue ALL of them on EVERY ticket you get. Clog the system, it'll stall and die!

1) protest in writing

2) protest in person (after they deny your written protest - and they almost always do)

3) if your protest in person is denied, you can then escalate to an administrative hearing, I believe in front of a judge. There's info on the DPT web site about this third step.

Just imagine if everybody did that - hee!

For Tom, who couldn't find details of the various violation codes:
http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/site/uploadedfiles/dpt/CitationPenaltySchedule07-11-05.pdf
This has the costs of various violations.

For Meh and Sharon:
http://www.sfgov.org/site/dpt_index.asp?id=13441#holiday_enforce

a virtually unreadable chart with the various holidays that parking is and is not enforced.

Nothing is enforced on New Years Day and only street sweeping and meters are enforced on Labor Day (residential permit restrictions are suspended)

Also, DPT doesn't do moving violations, so I don't know why people are complaining about running stop signs/etc. That's the SFPD.

I just got a ticket for a 3% grade violation on a flat street. I will be protesting this.

As evidence, I simple took a tub of tupperware, filled it with water, and then took a picture from a level orientation. Since the water is flat and the top of the tupperware is also flat, you can get an angle measurement out of this. Then, use your computer to measure the angle (or print it out, fold it to get things lined up, then use a protractor).

One confusion is how to translate grade into an angle. My best guess is that 90degrees is 100 grade, but I'm not sure. It could be that 45degrees is 100% grade.

Anyway, if you have a ticket and take a picture, please send it to me:
howard _atNOTSPAM_ chongman org
(email written to prevent auto-harvesting)

Hi, just popping in to follow up: I was able to register my latest vehicle without any hassle, again so far as I know there are no teeth to the ticket laws beyond getting booted and towed. It may be we're benefiting from from California and DMV in particular's utter inability to construct a computer network and database system that actually works.

We received a parking ticket on a holiday. We thought parking meters weren't in use on holidays. Is there any hope for using that as a defense?

So right across from my apartment there was a space that had been illegally painted red. Some people like to extend their red zones but this was an entire space. A few weeks ago the city came out and painted it grey and put a little red on one end. Since then it had been a ticket frenzy. Someone keeps calling (the person who painted it red in the first place?) DPT and getting cars ticketed.
It is nuts. But what makes me angry is that I parked there. I totally fit. Not in the red with my front nor anywhere near the hump with my rear. And I got a Ticket for $75!!! This was at 10:50 am.
At 12:14 I got a ticket that had no violation code and it had the wrong address. It said DP Placard on the bottom but the area is a two hour zone and the time checked was 11:00 am and the time issued was 12:14pm. that is only ONE hour and 14 min.!!
This is crazy. So I am protested. BOTH. I take a picture of my car everytime i park near a drive way. So I have visual prove that i fit.
I am sick of this. It has gotten out of hand. I feel that this spot is a ticket trap for the DPT. I also can not believe that they gave me a ticket without a violation code and for the wrong address. oh wait yes i can!

You need to be real careful during any day of the week for those special event stuff the city has going on all over the place. The PD failed to put the no parking event signs up in time according to the city code of advance notice and they towed my van, took me six months to get my money back and I was just about to file on the city attorney office when my check came. Worthless Wasterful and yes crooked operation, and I was here when we had the chance to vote for this Dumb Ass DPT system, and I voted NO, but the Madison Avenue Advertiser types for the city won and now, its like the war, WE TOLD YOU SO IDIOTS. You signed away all your rights. NEVER sign away your rights, you NEVER get them back.

Got a bogus ticket today at Howard, between 4th and 5th near Buca de Beppo restaurant. Says "No DP placard". Duh, there was no blue paint and no sign about disabled person anywhere! Who the fuck do these dumb asses think they are? I took two photos to prove they are full of shit.

I'm going to require that they not only dismiss this nonsense, but that they pay for the developing of the roll of film, and a postage stamp, as well. Fuckers. What a goddamn waste of time.

DPT is a bunch of crooks. I got a notice of deliquent ticket in the mail in January for parking illegally on the sidewalk in a street in San Francisco on 12/31. The thing is, I live in Santa Cruz and was not even in San Francisco that day. I appealed and was denied and now the only choice is to go to an administrative hearing, which means either doing it over mail (so another useless administrator denies it) or take the time, go to the stupid office and face them, which I will do just as a matter of principle. It means, I have to miss work, drive to San Francisco, deal with some idiot who is probably going to have a power trip and then probably be denied. ALL FOR SOMETHING I DID NOT COMMIT. I even asked in my appeal for a copy of the ticket, and they did not send it to me.

In short, I am going to do whatever I need to because it is just wrong.....

G

I think i have become a victim of a parking scam!!! I just received an LDC Collections Systems notice stating that I am late on a parking ticket ($100) for a car that I have rented with an Arizona plate.

I've never rented a car and if i'm correct you have to be 25 to rent one. i'm only 24! I have my own car with a california plate.

I looked up the license plate online on the dpt site and there are THREE tickets up! I'm not paying those! It's not my car!!! I never received a notice for any of them except for this LDC paper.

Not to mention that you have to send your payment to a PO box!

what do i do!?

I got a ticket for not having a neighborhood parking sticker. FUNNY THING IS: I DO!! WTF!!?? So, I sent in a protest letter, giving them permit number, the expiration date etc.

Then I receive a letter relating that my protest had been denied and that I owe $50.00. HUNH!? What a pain in the ass...so I can re-protest via mail but I have to send in a deposit of $50.00 to do so on the condition that I if I win my case, they will refund my money. OR, I can go down to the office for an administrative hearing and waste my time taking 1.5 hours off of work and losing more money.

What a great system for the City to make money!! Maybe Newsome should stop tossin some married woman's salad and read my protest letter! Likely...

I don't know if anybodys mentioned it, but there are also these horrid assholes at http://www.sfmta.com/cms/vcons/13455.html who are giving out free parking and clogging up neighborhoods with construction workers and all there trucks. And, on top of that, they show up at like 6:00 in the morning before anyone else and take up all the other parking spots before even parking in the spaces that they have marked off. It is making life even more miserable and if you do manage to find a place to park, you have to move again in 2 hours. How the hell are people supposed to actually work in the city under these conditions? What is wrong with these assholes?

It amazes me the lack of accountability there is for these ticket personel. I am being nice here when I refer to them as such since I can think of many other things I would rather say. That aside it seems almost unbelievable that there is no recourse for people to fight these tickets and that the city lets these people get away with breaking the law and falsely accusing others of doing something wrong. And it does not just happen to those of you in San Francisco either. I traveled to Los Angeles and it happened there to me as well as thousands of others. Here is my case: I traveled to Los Angeles on March 6, 2007 for an audtion for my teenage son. My younger daughter, age 7 was also with us. After the audition was done we drove to Argentum photography to pick up my sons new headshots. I parked on the street at metered parking. NO it was NOT STREET sweeping day at that time. No I did not fail to put money in the meter nor did I use somebody ele's leftover minutes. I put my own money in and crossed the residential street to pick up the headshots, leaving my teenager and daughter in the car watching a movie. My daughter didn't feel well and my teenager didn't want to go in. the windows were down partially and the doors were locked. I was immediately across the residential street for less than 10 minutes. Upon coming back to the car my son said "mom, the parking lady came up to the window and was looking in at us. She didn't say anything but it was weird. I told him "oh thats ok. Maybe she was checking since she could see the movie playing. theres still time on the meter." Then we left. She of course was nowhere to be seen at that moment. This weekend...now April mind you, I received a notice in the mail labeled Notice of Delinquent Parking Violation. The date...March 6, the location Seward street in Los Angeles. Now granted the adress was NOT where I was parked. It stated street sweeping. I don't think the time is correct either, but bottom line is this. I was NOT parked wrong. I am FANATICAL about street signs and times on them. So much so it drives my teenager crazy at times. I had TIME on the METER that I PAID! My teenager and daughter were in the car and this so called city worker starred right at them and never said a word or anything. I was assigned a ticket that was NEVER GIVEN TO ME, until it had doubled. Upon doing a google search I discovered just how often this happens in Los Angeles. Just how often nobody gets their wrongful ticket dismissed. Just how often peole give up and pay it since they can't fight it anyways. The company running the ticketing is a private company and they are also the SAME company that handles the disputes and authorizes who gets to go to court and who doesn't! WRONG WRONG WRONG! I am contemplating contacting channel 4 news done there in regards to this. I know they have done stories on this exact type of thing previously. What amazes me is NOTHING has changed. The city takes no responsibilty and they get away with it. What a shame! I have NO TICKETS except this supposed one on my record. Not speeding, not traffice, nothing. And now some stupid city employee is able to fine me for something I DID NOT do, and get away with it. They are able to lie and get away with it? This amazes and saddens me.

Once I was parked in a bus stop on Polk and Filbert waiting for my girlfriend to buy something in an adjacent shop. It was 6:30 at night. I had my radio on and was talking on my cell phone. The engine, head lights, and emergency lights were all on. I didn't notice but a DPT parking enforcer had parked behind me in a truck. After a while he walks up to me and says he was attempting to get my attention for the last 5 minutes so I would move. He said he was honking and flashing his headlights. In my opinion his attempts were feeble and weak, and I told him I heard and saw none of these advisory guestures. He then puts a 'parking in bus stop ticket ($250)' on my wind shield. I looked him straight in the eyes and said, 'F--- you, youre a f---ing a--hole.' My voice was calm and deliberate. I know he went home that night and thought how pathetic he and his job were. Whatever though, cuz I still had to pay the ticket. DPT Always wins. Always.

Got a ticket from city college, paid it. Found out that the officer's sloppy handwriting said $75, not $45. In the meantime I was figuring this out, I got a ticket for parking in front of my driveway.
I called to deal with them. The woman I got was "C.U." and she was nice and calm and helpful. I said her helpfulness made my day, and she waived the first ticket and told me to fight the second one in front of my driveway.

So one waived, and one about to win through battle. She deserves some love. I hate tickets, hate the system, do my best... but she is a bright spot in our system. Sheesh!

OK, I just got a -$250- ticket for supposedly blocking wheelchair access on a sidewalk. It wasn't doing that at all, simply the bumper verged into the red-painted curb area that -borders- the sidewalk entrance. The "red" sidewalk paint had faded to almost completely grey. I photo'd it and am protesting, and in general they are very bad at making parking spot indications clear in SF. And it drives me crazy.

But regardless, I know that they're still far from taxing cars, especially large trucks, enough. The city is far too auto-centric, and whether it's parking tickets, tolls or gas taxes, we need to make the drivers (myself included) pay for what they use up, and to clean up the mess they make. It's an issue of personal responsibility: if you want to drive, great, but you should pay the cost of driving. As it stands, you're getting a fantastic deal and not paying you're share, so don't sue and whine that you want to pay even less, and take even less responsibility for your own actions.

The -real- scam is the scam the oil industry is pulling over on you, compared to that this inefficient city parking infrastructure is miniscule.

I actually paid a ticket 2 days after I received it from the DPT (as I always do), but they never recorded it as paid in their records. I even had proof from my bank with a cancelled check, but no matter what I did, they wouldn't change it. It's impossible to get through to anyone there with half a brain who has the ability to make anything happen. During this dispute, i wasn't able to register my car "because of the "outstanding ticket" for which late fees accrued. The dispute went on and they still wouldn't fix it, and since my registration was past due, my car got towed. So, I had no choice but to double pay on my ticket, pay hundreds of dollars in late fees and fees for impoundment.

I find it ironic that the city has money to pay people to drive around all day and ticket us for the most minute violation (most of which we are completely unaware of) but they can't do something as simple as resolve their own mistakes. That is a scam. And to those of you who think that we're just complaining, wait till that happens to you. Altough some laws are fair, they've created some ridiculous parking laws so that they are always guaranteed the revenue from our parking tickets. We are honest and tax paying citizens; and this city needs to be accountable for where it gets it money and how its being spent. I can only assume that those of you who can't empathize are one of of san francisco's smug bicyclists whose arrogance is almost worse than a parking ticket.

I am a grad student and work from home, which is surrounded by restricted residential parking. The exception to this is the half a block on the street where I live, it is instead one hour parking and thus I cannot get a residential sticker. I get parking tickets nearly daily though I try to move my car continually. The DPT just sits on the block and writes tickets. I tried to get the planning commission to redress this but they said I only gathered 50% of the 60% signatures needed to have them take up the issue.
anyone with ideas? Thanks-girlie

I just got a parking ticket from this "Parking control service" for a stupid reason while I was shopping in South San Francisco Ross. It says on the ticket the car might be towed if I don't pay. Did anybody deal with these guys before? Any useful information is appreciated.

Your driveway begins at the property line and extends as far as your garage. If your garage door is AT the property line, you have no driveway. You can park across the curb cut, parallel to traffic, but not on ANY PART of the side walk.
Roads for cars
sidewalks for people
not too hard to remember, I hope

Here's a couple of useful definitions:

Sidewalk - portion of the street between the edge of curb and the fronting property line. Thus, if you parked in your driveway, but your vehicle extended beyond the property line, you are blocking the sidewalk and could be cited. Note that DPT goes out on a complaint basis, so someone walking by, or your neighbor, had to have complained in the first place. Also, when they go out in response to a complaint, they ticket all violations along the entire block, not just the complaint itself, to avoid a neighbor versus neighbor quarrel. Note that it makes no difference how much room is behind the vehicle for a pedestrian to cross. If you're in the sidewalk, you're in the sidewalk and the parking control officer is required to cite, period. Don't forget, someone called DPT out there first! Bottom line, if you have a neighbor that routinely and egregiously blocks the sidewalk, it's only a matter of time before someone complains and everyone gets ticketed. Try to work it out with them before that happens.

Crosswalk - a painted crosswalk is self-explanatory. An unmarked crosswalk is typically the two lines connecting sidewalk edge to sidewalk edge and property line to property line. This is how most painted crosswalks are painted. A good rule of thumb is if you're vehicle sticks out beyond the curb return (the curved portion of the sidewalk corner), you're probably in the unmarked crosswalk, blocking a ramp, or both.

Driveway - Is the point at which the curb begins to slope downward. It is not the edge of the garage door. Some driveways have red tips, some legal, some illegal. Driveway tickets are also issued on a complaint basis.

"No DP Placard" - This is simply a note on the citation that the Parking Control Officer has checked the vehicle to see if a disabled placard was displayed.

Yes, i am angry as hell also! I was gonna go on a crusade also because i got so pissed off! I've been driving in sf for 14 yrs or so and i 've seen these vultures are such jerks.

Double parking tickets for $75, can you believe that? A couple yrs ago when they started to crack down on double parking ( i ran into a restaurant for like 5-8 secs! to freaking pay for my take out) and got ticketed at the same block on 3 separate occasions.

A couple weeks ago, i parked on a sunday at about 7-8pm in the middle of a block. And i got ticketed and it said that it was a red zone, $75. What the hell is a 'red zone' doing int he middl eof afreaking block? IT was faded. I'm writing in, i dont think i have a chance, as you all know they are there to get you. so hopefully i 'll be able to get a face to face hearing.

several yrs ago when i wnet to school at a Uni they even hire students to write out tickets and they made those meters enforce from 9am-9pm. and you can protest and request for a hearing or some sort but you'd have to pay a 'fee'. It's crazy.

a couple yrs ago i got ultra-upset when they started going into PRIVATE PROPERTY to cite. (shopping plazas where stores like Ross, safeway, 24 fitness are). I was in sf's potrereo hill shopping plaza (old Melody toyota). IT was holiday season, around christmas holiday). as usual i wnet to 24 hour fitness to swim. i parked in the lot. the lot had a '3 hour parking ' sign on it. i swam and showered, went upstairs to safeway to get a couple items, and then went to ross. When i got back, it might have been a lit' over 3 hours, but those A****Holes slapped me with a $75 ticket. y'know how full the entire parking lot was during htat time and it was simply immoral and inhumane to give out tickets knowing full well that during the holiday season lines could be 1 hr long! I wrote a letter and sent a copy of my 24 hr gym card, a safeway recipet. they later replied and said they wont accept it and 'how do we know u were at the gym'. i was sooo upset. This again happened at another safeway shopping plaza (on Market st.) which allows only 1 hr parking. This time i made some noise as i was mad as hell up to the cashier. cashier just kept saying 'call a number' but u know when they refer u to one, it's useless...i continued to argue & requested to see the mgr. and i told them how disgusting i found them to do this to patrons...anyway, after some more noise, he took the ticket away (i'm sure many ppl were upset abt it also) ...i told them hell if you're gonna have a coffee shop, sell food /meals, then you shd expect ppl to eat here. how can you do this to customers. insane. $75 tickets.

2 weeks ago i got another one on a sunday. i was on a slight hill and i forgot to turn my wheels. and got nailed. i just can't believe how insane this is.

i was thinking of writing letters and collecting signatures. And going out to video and pohotograph illegal parking and how THOSE dont' get tickets. (eg some churches aroudn town i've noticed simply double or triple park)...there's a street on Valencia (?) where i've seen rows of cars park in the middle of the street! it seems to be a common practice.

I'm so glad to have found this thread and to see it's still alive! I would happily be a part of any legal action we could take to force DPT to behave within the law. I spent $80 to fight a ticket that had no VIN even though the VIN is required and my VIN is legible, it was denied. Recently, I got a ticket for parking in front of a parking sign that was illegible due to graffiti. My dispute was denied. I demanded a hearing. My hearing was denied. This was 8 months ago, and the sign is still defaced with the same graffiti, and it continues to presumably generate thousands of dollars in DPT revenue from all the poor souls who can't read it. The other sign on the same block is also defaced. I'm going to take this case next to the superior court.

People should carry baseball bats in their cars to beat parking officers with.

Be it SF or LA, parking tickets are the government's ability to put there ho's on the street (parking enforcement) and bring the pimp (city) back their money. One thing is true, not all pimps are in Las Vegas!

The SF Parking Racqueteering Scammers sizes up to nothing more than another way to steal money and rape the citizens. Most cities in this country are designed AROUND automobiles, therefore we are put into the NEED to use them, on the whole that is. So what do they do? They TAX us to have to drive and park and make us waste our time contantly thinking about it. Could you imagine being taxed on using doors to get into your work? You can only go through those doors at certain times? Same sh*t. Since people have to drive, in general, we should be required to have parking available, for free. That is what our supposed state taxes and bridge tolls are for, right? Our money, our say! It would be EASY to create public parking that made sense, but that is not in the EVIL interests of the corrupt power structure. Our reality is only possible because we LET it be. Until more people become aware of the monstrosity that our world has become, nothing will change. We were warned centuries ago, by many, as to the world in which we now live and accept. See following quote:

If we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our NECESSARIES and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, and give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; And the sixteen being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they do now, on oatmeal and potatoes, have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; But be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains around the necks of our fellow sufferers; And this is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for a second, that second for a third, and so on 'til the bulk of society is reduced to mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering...and the forehorse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression.
-Thomas Jefferson (yes, really)

I am furious with SF's DPT. Today I got a $50 ticket for parking over an hour in a one hour zone. The ticket said my car was checked at 10:30am. I WAS HOME AT 10:30am?! What makes me even more mad is that I noted to myself that I left my car at 11:50am to meet someone at 12noon. The ticket was issued at 11:54am. GRRR! I want to screaaaam.

I received a notice of delinquent parking violation in the mail today, but I never got a citation on my car. Don't they have to charge you first, or does SF just put notices in the mail hoping that I will just pay? I even used one of those parking chip cards and kept feeding the meter like a good South Bay visitor.

I will note my parking chip card number in my contest to prove I actually did pay prior to and perhaps after the actual time of violation (alleged because I never received the citation and no I didn't not drive away), but this was almost a month ago.
Yes I will contest the citation, but does anyone in DPT really read these?

Actually, that's a good idea, sj-visitor. I've heard that you can get a pre-loaded card to feed the meter. Do you get a statement that shows the dates, times, and locations where you used the meter? If so, I think you could use that information as a defense.

Also, I think it's a good idea, if you use parking meters while on business (for example, I sell on eBay so I go to thrift stores a lot and spend a lot on meters)...it's a good idea to have one card for business use and another card for personal use, that way you can document your business-related parking expenses.

And no, parking fines are not a deductible business expense - at least not when I last got audited by the IRS!

The SF parking cards are not like Fastrak. They're like pre-paid calling cards, only with a smart chip on them. There's no registration, so no statement to show transaction history visible to me. Come to think of it, most pre-paid smart chip cards I have used in the past store history on the chip itself. I'm not sure if the SF meters store transaction history on them, but this is what I am hoping to show in my defense.

Contesting the ticket is such a pain, no wonder many people just cough up the $40 fine. But not me. If they want their $40, they'll have to show me what I allegedly did. No blank checks for SF! They've already got my $20 in an interest free loan with my pre-paid parking card, isn't that enough!

I will say that SF did something right by making these pre-paid parking cards in the first place because they are very convenient. I bought one at a liquor store about 1/2 a block from my parking spot, so it's possible the meter maid could have nabbed me between coin feeds and when I bought the card.

Despite hours of trying, I've been unable to find a real set of parking rules online. For example I got a ticket indicating I'd violated TC315a - the residential permit law. Some people say that this law means that you have to move your car at least a block away rather than moving and reparking on the same block. I can't find a description of what the law exactly is online - I can just find several pages indicating the fine. municode.com doesn't have it, nor does the SF government site. Do I actually have to go to the library to figure out what the rules are?

If signs are missing, eligible, etc., you should appeal!

CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO TRAFFIC CODE

ARTICLE 3: OBEDIENCE TO SIGNS AND STOPPING OR PARKING

SEC. 40. SIGNS REQUIRED.
No provisions of this Code requiring signs shall be enforceable against the alleged violator if at the time and place of the alleged violation the sign required by this Code is not in position and sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant person.
(Ord. 890, App. 10/24/40)

SEC. 42. SIGNS, LOCATION OF.
Where parking limitations are provided for in this Code, signs shall be erected and maintained not more than 200 feet apart, indicating by legible letters, words and figures the hours prescribed for said parking limitations within 100 feet on either side of the sign, except that such signs need not be placed within the boundaries of the grounds of a public institution, provided signs stating the parking limitations within such boundaries are erected at each entrance to the grounds of such public institution.
(Amended by Ord. 58-74, App. 1/23/74; Ord. 239-00, File No. 001598, App. 10/20/2000)

I've been ticketed by DPT a few times, a few times unfairly (fast running meter mostly). And yes, it's a PITA to fight a ticket.

But seriously, most of the complaints here are quite ludicris. Hey, learn to READ the signs. Respect people's driveways. If you're stopping at a bus stop don't sit their listening to loud music and yapping on the phone but BE ATTENTIVE SINCE YOUR IN THE WRONG! If you didn't get your resident sticker, why are you still parking there day after day after being ticketed without getting some sort of resolution immediately!

COMMON SENSE saves you lots of money! I've been driving in the city for 15+ years and I can not say I've been "unjustly" ticketed other than fast running meters wich is not really the PCO's fault. I know parking is a BIT** in the city, but that's the price of being where everyone wants to be.

I have just recieved a $75.00 ticket. I was parked at a space on Funston street in the Inner Richmond. The ticket was for blocking a drive way. I was not blocking the driveway and took photos of my car to prove it. I will fight this ticket but I don't have I much hope of getting it dropped. I have those really annoying neighbors that call and complain too. The ticket stated there was a complaint. Is it true that the officer has to issue a ticket if there is a complaint? Can't they use their best judgement?I have gone to a hearing for this once before. The officer that issued the ticket is NOT required to attend hearings and in a situation where it's your word against the officers they will always error on the officers side, even though they are not at the hearing. It seems you actually have to go to court (not just a hearing) if you want anything to happen. On a side note this may be a hot tip: I was told by a meter maid that if I claimed I was having car trouble in my protest for a ticket they would drop the ticket. I did this once and they did in fact drop the ticket but they would not disclose a reason for doing
so. Great Site. Thanks for letting me release my rage.
-Heidi

I have a good one for you, and im going looking for more info on it. but the cushmans that the meter people drive is considered to be a motorcycle, so the person driving it told me.
Well they dont wear a DOT aproved helmet like im required to wear while on my motorcycle. they are using a Bell brand bicycle helmet. I called bell and asked if any of there bicycle helmets were DOT approved, and they said that they werent.
I scream foul here.

I sent in my protest letter for my non-existent ticket. In turn I receive a letter from SFMTA/DPT that says that due to an increase in parking citation protests, my review may take 4 months.

Either the city is being a bunch of lazy asses, or good folks like you are protesting your citations, making the city work harder for their money.

You KNOW its a bad sign when you have SF city's online payment page for paying tickets bookmarked on your Mac!

I feel ashamed to say, I use it almost monthly. I can't believe the shadiness of our traffic cops. Some of my tickets are legit but a few have been outright scams. Wrong date and times, 'parking more than 2 feet from the curb when I was only 17 inches, I measured it!

But I'm afraid to fight after I've lost more money trying to fight a couple of them. But I did get one of them back in San Luis Obispo County when the copy showed up and I brought enlarged digital photo's of where I parked and how the no parking sign was missing that day. Was happy about that one. But SF seems impossible to win. They just screw you, same way Bush and our current government does with all our tax payers money. WHERE DOES IT GO!? Into bombs? we literally blow our money up. its a sad world.