What Are Parking Ticket Fines in California?
If you received a parking ticket in California, the finable amount all depends on where you received it. The important things to take note of are both the city and county you were in and where your car was physically parked when you were administered the ticket. Fees and fines vary on the county but are also determined by the way in which you were parked.
For example, in San Marcos, California, the vast majority of parking tickets cost $65. This majority includes tickets for not displaying a permit, violating a time zone and parking in an undesignated area. However, if you park in front of a wheelchair curb, you will be fined $421; in a disabled zone for the second time, $625. Therefore, as the severity of the obstruction you created increases, so does your fine.
How Do You Pay Your Parking Ticket in California?
In order to pay your fine, your easiest method is online. The ticket you received will more than likely have all of the information to pay displayed on it. If it doesn't, search for "parking ticket" and the city which administered it and you should have no trouble finding it.
If you feel the ticket was unfairly administered, make sure to provide as much documentation of that as possible if fighting the ticket is your game plan. Taking pictures with time stamps of your car, the ticket, and your surroundings is your best best.
However, if the fine was just and you're feeling a little anxious about the repercussions, rest assured! Parking fines DO NOT affect your driving record or insurance premiums . Therefore, the fine you pay to the city is the only fine you can expect from the ticket.
What Happens if You Don't Pay Your Parking Ticket?
Just be sure that you do in fact pay the fine. When payments are missed or forgotten, that's when you can get yourself into trouble. Unpaid parking violations within the allotted time will increase the amount of the fine. After that increase, you will have one final deadline by which to take care of the fine. Miss this and your license will be suspended.
Having your license suspended does go onto your permanent driver's record and affect your insurance premiums . So, the simple and easy solution? Pay your fine! Pay it as soon as you receive it. The initial rate will be the lowest one offered to you. Some cities even offer a slightly cheaper early bird price for parking fines.
"Parking Charge Notices"
One last thing to take note of is who administered the ticket. This article refers to fines administered by the city which you are in. However, private entities do sometimes give out "Parking Charge Notices." These charges are not backed up by the law. You are not required to pay such fines unless the company takes you to court and wins, which it most likely will not as the hassle is not worth the amount.