When a parking ticket is issued for a traffic violation, the violation goes to the owner of that vehicle, not the actual driver. A parking ticket violation is not a crime and can only be punished with a fine. 

Contesting a parking ticket

Parking tickets can be contested by mail or in person. The parking ticket you received has the address of where to send the appeal. You have 7 days to contest the ticket. If you don’t contest in 7 days, the city will give you another chance. They will do this by sending you a notice that you have 14 days to request a hearing. If there still is no response, a Notice of Determination will be sent to you. It will explain that you have been found liable by default. This means that you were found responsible for the traffic violation since you weren’t there to fight the ticket. If you are found in default, you can still contest the ticket but you must go to court to request this.

Court vs. administrative hearings

The city’s case is separate from any state criminal case. The rules in criminal court are different from the rules at the city’s Administrative Hearing Facilities. In the city hearing, the rules of evidence are not as strict. Because of this, the city does not have to convince the hearing officer “beyond a reasonable doubt." To win the hearing, the city only needs to prove the hearing officer that it was more than 50% likely that the violation occurred.

If you miss your traffic court hearing date

Failure to attend court or respond to a traffic citation could let the court suspended your license. To remove the suspension from your license, you will have to resolve the original traffic ticket(s). Contact the courthouse where your matter is pending and make arrangements to take care of your tickets. This could mean paying any fines associated with those tickets or it could mean attending a hearing at the courthouse. Contact the Traffic Violations Section of the Secretary of State at (217) 785-8619.