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Anatomy of an NYC Parking Ticket

You've just parked at the corner of 45th and 9th ave to pick up food. As you walk back to your car, you see something under your car's wiper and you have a sinking feeling. It's that piece of paper NYer’s love to hate — a parking ticket sitting at the bottom of your windshield.

What happened?!? I was there for just five minutes! This scene is repeating daily by upwards of 60,000 people a day in NYC. Nothing gets New Yorkers riled up like parking tickets. In this article, we’ll demystify what a New York City Parking ticket is, how it works, and how to pay it.

What is a NYC Parking ticket and what does it look like?

Outside

All NYC parking tickets (except photo tickets) come in a characteristic orange envelope that New Yorker’s instantly recognize. In the old days, people cut a check, added a stamp, and mailed off there payment — but today, the envelope is mostly there to protect the ticket from rain, wind, and snow since most people pay online.

Inside

Most often, you’ll get a printed parking ticket, which is the easiest to decipher. Your parking ticket gets filled out with the required information listed below:

Ticket Fields

  • License plate & State

  • Plate type

  • Registration expiration date

  • Make, year, body style and VIN of car

  • Section of the law that was violated

  • Clear description of the violation in "plain English"

  • Date and time the parking ticket was issued

  • The exact place where the ticket was issued (does not include status and/or equipment violations)

  • Date and time of the parking offense

  • First observation time

  • Expiration date of registration (or inspection), if the charge was for expiration

  • Signature of the issuer of the ticket

  • Meter number (for specific meter violations)

  • Parking Ticket Number that is printed as the bottom right

Example of Printed Ticket

Reference: Required Elements in a Ticket | NYC.gov, Sample Printed Ticket | Pay NYC Fines

You can also get a handwritten parking ticket. All of elements mentioned above should be accurate or legible for the parking ticket to be valid.

Front of Sample Handwritten Ticket

Back of Handwritten Ticket

Sample Handwritten Ticket | Pay NYC Fines

What happens when you get a parking ticket?

It takes about five days for a parking ticket to enter NYC’s system after it is issued, and you have two options: pay it or you dispute it.

Fight it

About 30% of tickets are disputed, and about 50% of those disputes are won - so it’s worth trying if you feel you have a case. Its easiest to dispute a ticket online, which can be done on the NYC Department of Finance website. Disputing a ticket in person takes your precious time away as hearings where you can fight your parking ticket are conducted only from Monday to Friday during regular business hours. In either method, be prepared for submit evidence, such as a pictures and a a written defense. During the time of your dispute, your ticket won’t accrue any penalties.

Pay It

If you don’t want to fight your ticket, the easiest way to pay your fine is through Pay NYC Fines. Pay NYC Fines is the fastest way to pay & manage NYC parking tickets. Get alerted of new tickets and upcoming penalties via text and pay in less than 1 minute.

Visit Pay NYC Fines to learn more.