Parking ticket in DC?

Question

I have gotten a ticket in DC on a business trip. The sign says 2hr parking between 9:30 am to 4 pm. I got there at 3:30 pm. I put in $1.50 for 1.5 hours just to be safe. I get back and there is a ticket saying i was parking there during rush hour. There are no signs stating when rush hour was. I'm back in Oklahoma, but I took a pic of the meter. Has anyone contested a DC ticket?

Thanks for answering. What signs said you had to be gone by 4? I looked at the meter and it just said what it said, and I saw no signs.

Answer 1

I got the same ticket parking on Constitution Ave. I was parked at a meter that was the same as yours. It was a weekday and I got back at 4:15 and had a ticket. I did contest it , but was told that you have to be out of the parking space at 4 p.m. (like the sign stated) or you'd be ticketed and towed. Since the sign said 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., I lost that one. I paid the fine and learned from my mistake. Hell, I even live in Virgina!

Good luck...

Answer 2

You have a very tough one to win.

The signs don't necessarily say "no parking" during rush hour, they say you can ONLY park between 9:30 and 4pm for 2 hours. Generally there is a second sign saying no parking during rush hour somehwere on the street. It's on the meter too.

If you want to contest, you'll need to take pictures of all the signs on the street and the meter in question to show that there is no indication that you cannot park betwen 4-6:30.

This is a very tough one to contest, since most streets have many many signs indicating it is a rush hour zone. But if you can find someone to take a camera and see what you find in the block where you park you might get lucky.

Answer 3

You live in Oklahoma and the parking ticket is for DC. Very simple answer: Throw the ticket away.

Your state does not have reciprocal agreements with DC like Maryland and Virginia has. Unless you are going to drive back to DC and park illegally again, do not worry about it.

However, if you did this on a rental car, you must pay the ticket. No way of getting out of it.

Answer 4

The parking meter checkers in DC are notorious for writing tickets and not giving anyone a break. Plus the meters are often not accurate and short change you on time. DC makes millions off of parking tickets in DC every year. Some streets in downtown DC are know (to locals) as streets used by rush hour traffic. It does not surprise me that you got a ticket as you would not know to park on that street. You can protest it but I doubt you will win.

Answer 5

You said yourself that the sign said from 9:30 am to 4 PM. So if you are parked after 4PM you are in violation of the law.

Common sense would tell you that if you can't park after 4PM it is because of rush hour................OR..................just because the sign says not to. Pay the ticket. You are in violation as you were there after 4!