PLEASE NOTE: OTD LEGAL DOES NOT ASSIST WITH PARKING TICKET DEFENCE
As you are approaching your car you see a ticket affixed to your windshield. The time on the parking meter you were using has expired and you have been given a parking infraction by your municipality.
You pull into a parking lot and see one last available parking spot. You pull in and leave your vehicle, only to return to a parking ticket for Parking in a Handicapped parking spot. You look around and realize you missed the signage for the parking spot and are illegally parked.
You are now wondering, what does this mean for you?
Parking infractions or tickets are issued by your municipality under their local by-law. Municipalities are given the power to create by-laws under the Provincial Offences Act. Parking tickets are Part 2 offences under the Act and are enforced by by-law officers. Due to the ticket being issued under a by-law, as opposed to the Highway Traffic Act, there will be no demerit points associated with your ticket and the ticket will not appear on your driving record. In turn, the ticket will, therefore, not affect your insurance.
When given a parking ticket, you typically have 15 days to respond, either by paying the ticket or disputing it. Do not pay the ticket if you plan to dispute it. Instructions on how to proceed will be indicated on the ticket. If no response is made within 15 days, the ticket will be deemed undisputed, and you will be found guilty of the offence by default.
If the fine associated with the ticket is not paid by the due date (usually 15 days after conviction), shortly thereafter, the following penalties could occur:
License Plate
You will not be able to renew you license plate until the ticket is paid.
Late Fees
If you are late paying a parking ticket, an administrative fee will be added to the fine amount.
Credit Score
Unpaid fines could be sent to collections by your local municipality and affect your credit rating.
The penalties of parking tickets are quite minimal and limited to a monetary penalty. Our fees to dispute tickets are usually much more than the fine on the ticket (parking tickets are usually under $100.00). Because of this, we do not offer our services to fight parking tickets.
If you have been charged with an offence other than parking, we offer a free, no obligation consultation so you know what penalties you are facing when you receive a charge. The first step is to send us a copy of your traffic ticket for one of our experienced paralegals to review.