You know the deal. You marked the calendar, set your alarm, but somehow you still didn't get out of bed in time. By the time you get to your car it's too late. There's a street sweeping ticket on your windshield.
Don't feel too bad. Street sweeping tickets are the ones that parking enforcement issues the most. They are also written within a very strict time frame which means they are also prone to errors. Since they are dependent on signs they are also prone to legal loopholes that other tickets aren't.
The first thing you should do when you get a ticket is put it to the SCARV test. That means you check the
Sign
Color
Address
Registration
VIN
Signs
When checking the street sweeping sign make sure that it is up to code. If any part of the sign is faded or obscured by vandalism then you can argue that it was unreadable. If the times or days of the week are stickered over you can argue that you were unable to see the sign at night when you parked your car because it was non reflective. Make sure you take a geotagged photo of your car near the sign. If for some reason you can't then find it on Google Earth and take a screen shot.
Also ask yourself Is there a sign on the same block that I parked? Is the sign more than 100 feet away? is the distance between the closest signs more than 200 feet? If any of these apply then the ticket is unenforceable and should be thrown out.
Color
Check to see if the color listed on your ticket matches your car. If it's close (i.e. a brown car is listed as beige or tan) then it's still valid, but if it's not close (i.e. a brown car listed as orange or red) then the ticket is unenforceable.
This happens a lot more often than you think. Especially with tickets written after dark
Address
Check to see if the address on the ticket matches the address that you're parked at. If it's off by a couple numbers (i.e. your car is at 1525 Main St and they wrote in 1541 Main St) then it's still valid. However, if the addresses on your side of the street are odd and the address on the ticket is even then you can argue that you were on the opposite side of the street when the sweeper came. You ticket will be unenforceable.
Likewise, make sure that they got the name of your street correct. If you were parked on Maple Street and they put down Maple Ave then the ticket will also be unenforceable.
Registration
The parking officer is required to enter your registration on the ticket. If they don't then it will count in your favor when fighting the ticket.
This doesn't apply to cars with dealer plates. It also doesn't apply to cars registered in states that don't include the month and/or year like California does.
VIN
The parking officer is required to include the last four numbers of your VIN on the ticket. This isn't always possible especially with cars where the VIN is covered, worn away, or obscured. Older cars often have VINS that are hard to find. Classic cars may not have a VIN at all. In these cases the officer is required to take a photograph of your vehicle. On street sweeping tickets they usually don't, especially in densely populated areas.
Pointing this out will not be a sure win, but it can work in your favor, especially if the officer wrote the number down incorrectly.
There are also apps you can use to assist you. www.fixed.com works for anyone who gets a ticket in Oakland, San Francisco or Los Angeles. Most of these issues should be easy enough to Matlock yourself though.
Hope this helps.
Don't feel too bad. Street sweeping tickets are the ones that parking enforcement issues the most. They are also written within a very strict time frame which means they are also prone to errors. Since they are dependent on signs they are also prone to legal loopholes that other tickets aren't.
The first thing you should do when you get a ticket is put it to the SCARV test. That means you check the
Sign
Color
Address
Registration
VIN
Signs
When checking the street sweeping sign make sure that it is up to code. If any part of the sign is faded or obscured by vandalism then you can argue that it was unreadable. If the times or days of the week are stickered over you can argue that you were unable to see the sign at night when you parked your car because it was non reflective. Make sure you take a geotagged photo of your car near the sign. If for some reason you can't then find it on Google Earth and take a screen shot.
Also ask yourself Is there a sign on the same block that I parked? Is the sign more than 100 feet away? is the distance between the closest signs more than 200 feet? If any of these apply then the ticket is unenforceable and should be thrown out.
Color
Check to see if the color listed on your ticket matches your car. If it's close (i.e. a brown car is listed as beige or tan) then it's still valid, but if it's not close (i.e. a brown car listed as orange or red) then the ticket is unenforceable.
This happens a lot more often than you think. Especially with tickets written after dark
Address
Check to see if the address on the ticket matches the address that you're parked at. If it's off by a couple numbers (i.e. your car is at 1525 Main St and they wrote in 1541 Main St) then it's still valid. However, if the addresses on your side of the street are odd and the address on the ticket is even then you can argue that you were on the opposite side of the street when the sweeper came. You ticket will be unenforceable.
Likewise, make sure that they got the name of your street correct. If you were parked on Maple Street and they put down Maple Ave then the ticket will also be unenforceable.
Registration
The parking officer is required to enter your registration on the ticket. If they don't then it will count in your favor when fighting the ticket.
This doesn't apply to cars with dealer plates. It also doesn't apply to cars registered in states that don't include the month and/or year like California does.
VIN
The parking officer is required to include the last four numbers of your VIN on the ticket. This isn't always possible especially with cars where the VIN is covered, worn away, or obscured. Older cars often have VINS that are hard to find. Classic cars may not have a VIN at all. In these cases the officer is required to take a photograph of your vehicle. On street sweeping tickets they usually don't, especially in densely populated areas.
Pointing this out will not be a sure win, but it can work in your favor, especially if the officer wrote the number down incorrectly.
There are also apps you can use to assist you. www.fixed.com works for anyone who gets a ticket in Oakland, San Francisco or Los Angeles. Most of these issues should be easy enough to Matlock yourself though.
Hope this helps.
