Summary & Quick Facts
- If you do not pay your parking ticket after 80 days, you will end up owing an additional $60 in NYC parking ticket penalties.
- If you do not pay or dispute your ticket within approximately 100 days, it will go into judgment.
- The City can take steps to collect the entire debt with penalties and interest by sending your debt to a collection agency or seizing assets.
- If you have more than $350 of tickets in judgment, your vehicle could be booted or towed.
If you have a car in NYC, it may seem like getting a parking ticket is totally unavoidable. Parking tickets are already expensive, so there’s no reason to make it worse! Follow these tips and you’ll be able to avoid all the New York City parking ticket fines you might receive in 2018.
Parking Tickets Are Bad…Don’t Make Them Worse!
As we mentioned in our article how to pay your parking ticket in 2018, if you let your New York City parking ticket fines add up, you will soon find yourself facing some hefty penalties. Not to mention the dreaded New York City parking boot or even losing your driver’s license! Don’t let parking tickets slow you down and burn holes in your pocket. Instead, you can avoid New York City parking ticket fines by simply being diligent. You’re better off paying or disputing your parking ticket instead of letting it sit there. Still, it’s good to give yourself a reason why you shouldn’t just stick your parking ticket in the glove box and forget about it. Afterall, Think of all of the better ways you’d rather spend your hard earned money!
What Happens If I Don’t Pay My Parking Ticket?
All drivers should know about all the potential penalties your New York City parking ticket fines may incur. If you don’t pay within a specified period of time, your original parking ticket fine may increase to a ridiculous amount that will really hurt your wallet.
This Will Burn Your Pocket!
If you get a $75 New York City parking ticket and you don’t fight or pay your parking ticket within 80 days, your wallet will soon feel the burn. On the 81st day, you’ll end up owing an additional $60 in NYC parking ticket penalties. That’s almost double your initial parking ticket fine amount! How does it add up exactly?
- After 31 days, a $10 fee is added to your initial fine.
- After 61 days, a $20 fee is added on top of the prior $10 late fee and your initial fine.
- And after a long 81 days, a $30 fee is added on top of the two prior late fees and your initial parking ticket fine amount.
After all is said and done, the total cost of the original New York City parking ticket you received balloons from $75 to $135!
What if I Wait longer?
We already have 135 reasons to avoid New York City parking ticket fines, though it doesn’t end there! If you do not pay or dispute your ticket beyond the long 81 days, at approximately 100 days, your parking ticket will go into judgment. Trust us, it’s as scary as it sounds! When your ticket is in judgment, the City will take the legal step of entering a default judgment against you. This means the City can take steps to collect the debt by sending your debt to a collection agency or seizing assets. It will definitely cost you!
The hits to your pocket may not end there, unfortunately. If you have more than $350 of tickets in judgment, your vehicle could be booted or towed. Failure to pay fines can also result in suspension of your driver’s license which inevitably leads to increased car insurance premiums. While most auto insurers won’t allow non-moving violations (e.g., parking tickets) to affect premiums, they certainly hike rates for drivers who have suspended licenses or fail to pay parking violations.
Best Way to Avoid New York City Parking Ticket Fines?
Pay your parking tickets as soon as you can! As we mentioned in our article how to pay your New York City parking ticket fines in 2018, paying parking tickets can be as easy as buying a MetroCard or ticket to a Broadway show. So why not take the easy road and knock out that parking ticket while you can?
More Tips Help!
The easiest way to avoid New York City parking ticket fines in 2018 is by not getting a ticket in the first place! Here are some ways you can stop the parking ticket fees right in its tracks:
Know the Laws!
Get familiar with parking regulations and street signs. It sounds obvious but you would be surprised! There are a lot of crazy looking signs out there. Not to mention the often confusing wording.
Conveniently, the official NYC website has a list of all parking violations and traffic offenses you could potentially get hit with while cruising the streets.
Remember, parking regulations can change on a dime for a number of reasons! It may be a holiday, bad weather, construction or a special event. So always look carefully at parking regulation signs for any changes. Also, keep this New York City Department of Transportation disclaimer at the back of your head: “The public is advised that parking regulations are subject to temporary or permanent changes and that posted signage must be observed for compliance with laws and regulations.” It’s always best to cover your bases and know before you go! Check out nyc.gov or call 311 to find out what the regulations are on or near the street you work or visit.
Read the Sign Out Loud and S L O W L Y.
We get it, we’re in a rush! Better yet, that guy is about to steal your parking spot!
Sometimes it may just be best to take it easy, take your time and look at all the signs around where you’re going to park. Don’t be afraid to look it over a couple of times and read it out loud! The small print and confusing language can make it easy to mistakenly park in a place you’re not supposed to.
Let the Hydrant Breathe!
Give yourself enough space between your car and the fire hydrant. Try to park 15 feet away from a hydrant to be sure you won’t get hit with a ticket, blocking the hydrant can result in a pretty heavy fine!
Never Park in a Crosswalk!
It’s always a good idea to never park in a crosswalk. Even a front bumper or the tail of a car poking into the crosswalk if can give a zealous parking enforcer the chance to slap you with a ticket.
Stay On Top of Alternate Side Parking!
One of the most popular and unfortunately easiest ways to land a parking ticket is by not staying on top of the daily alternate side parking changes. What is “alternate side parking?” ASP is a law that governs which mandates that cars clear one side of the street for a specified amount of time to let the street sweepers do their cleaning. You can find when it is in effect and when it is suspended by following the link above.
Make Sure Your Tags and Registration Are Up To Date!
This one is very easy to overlook and forget so be sure you keep these up to date. Even if your car is parked in the right spot, you will still get a ticket for expired tags! Imagine the fine you’ll get if your car is in the wrong spot too? That’s right, double the parking ticket, double trouble!
Parking Garages/Lots
While not your cheapest option, it is a sure fire way to avoid a New York City parking ticket. Choose to park in one of the many city parking garages and lots around the 5 boroughs. Parking garages tend to be one of the more safer places to park your car. Especially from parking enforcers! You can find the closest one to you by heading over to NYC Department of City Planning website.
Alternate Methods of Transportation
If you’ve driven a car in the city, you already know that traffic can be a nightmare. This is especially true during peak rush hour times. Your best bet may be to simply leave the car at home! After all, it beats sitting bumper to bumper thinking about the worst parts about driving in the city.
Luckily, New York City has a wide range of alternate ways to get around. If you can, nothing beats a good walk or bike ride to work! Over the past decade, New York City has added hundreds of square miles of bike lanes making it easier than ever for bikers to get around town safely. Not only will your wallet thank you, but your body will thank you as well!
New York City also boasts one of the best and fastest transportation systems in the world. Hop on a train or bus to not only beat the gridlock, you’ll also beat the traffic enforcer. After all, there aren’t any confusing parking signs underground in the subway.
There’s also always hopping in a cab as well. With so many classic yellow cabs around or ride-sharing services that now exist, you can definitely ride with piece of mind. It’s always great knowing that you won’t be responsible for any parking ticket when you’re in the passenger seat!