How long do you have to fight a parking ticket?

• The sign. A photo of every sign covering the space, close enough to read. If it was missing or blocked, show that too.
• The curb and the car. A wide photo that shows where the car stood against the sign, the hydrant or the line.
• The meter or the receipt. Your paid session, app receipt or a photo of a broken meter.
• The ticket itself. Check the plate, date, time, place and violation code. Errors are worth raising.
• Anything with a time on it. A dated photo or your saved parking time.

This is general information, not legal advice. Each city decides what it accepts.

The Department of Finance says to request a hearing within 30 days after the ticket was issued to avoid late penalties. You can dispute online, by mail or with the Pay or Dispute mobile app. If you ask after 30 days and a judge finds you guilty, you pay the penalties too. About 100 days after the ticket, an unpaid ticket with no hearing request goes into judgment. A street-cleaning ticket is $65, and you can check your block’s hours to see whether the sign and the ticket agree.

The city gives the registered owner 7 days from the date of issuance to contest. If nothing is received, a Notice of Violation allows 21 days to request a hearing. For a winter-ban ticket, check whether your street is on the list.