Parking tickets in the US

[blankall]

Oh great CP well of wisdom:

A friend of mine got a parking ticket in the US. They were driving a Canadian rental car. Do they have to pay the ticket?

[Fire]

I have no idea, but I would assume the rental agency would charge your friend for the ticket.

[jammies]

I got a traffic ticket in Idaho back in the early 90s. I never paid it and eventually they gave up threatening me via letter.

Nowadays evading the databases of the law is a little more difficult, so I suggest your friend buy a cabin out in the backwoods of BC, get some rifles and knives, then fortify the place. Don't let the Man tell you where to park.

[Ice]

The ticket will be sent to the rental agency. The rental agency will check their records and either forward the ticket to the renter of the vehicle or pay the ticket and collect the fine. Its unlikely your friend will get away without paying the fine.

[La Flames Fan]

Not sure about the rental, but I had many in my time in L.A. and never paid one. In fact I even had a parking maid tell me to ignore the ticket she was handing me.

[Temporary_User]

The other way around, I have a car from the states and have gotten a few parking tickets (even a no seat belt ticket--which I was wearing!). I've never paid for any. I don't know if I should have or not. What is the worst thing to happen, force me to pay one night or spend the night in a cell?

[Ice]

My brother had to serve five days in county jail because of an unpaid traffic ticket. It was a moving violation though, not a parking ticket. I'm not sure if parking tickets turn into bench warrants or not.

[malcolmk14]

We rented a car in Maryland and got a parking ticket in Pennsylvania last summer. We didn't pay it. Nothing has come of it.

Despite this success story, I advise you pay it.

[PIMking]

Damn you canadians. Not paying fines that go to our perfect education systems and making the roads better and with you not paying them is just a slap to the face.

/end of me trying to be funny.

[nfotiu]

I got a traffic ticket in Idaho back in the early 90s. I never paid it and eventually they gave up threatening me via letter.

Nowadays evading the databases of the law is a little more difficult, so I suggest your friend buy a cabin out in the backwoods of BC, get some rifles and knives, then fortify the place. Don't let the Man tell you where to park.

I didn't pay a $50 seatbelt ticket I got in Washington State in the 90s. They gave our van $1000 in speeding and seatbelt tickets. I can't remember why we weren't wearing them, I generally always wear mine. Thought they had long since forgot about me....

Then I moved here 6 or 7 years later, and bought a car. Couldn't take it off the lot until I got a NC drivers licence. So I went to apply for one, and they say oh, your Canadian licence is suspended in the US. Turns out that not paying the ticket gets your licence suspended. If I had ever got pulled over, I would have been arrested for driving with a suspended licence.

Took me 3 weeks to pay the now $200 ticket and get all the paper work together before I could get my licence and my car.

And guess what, now that I have a US social security number, the first thing they slap on my shiny new credit report is a delinquent collection. I don't think there is a worse possible credit score than no credit history plus a delinquent account. I had hard time opening bank accounts, getting cell phones or utilities without massive deposits.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Ice

My brother had to serve five days in county jail because of an unpaid traffic ticket. It was a moving violation though, not a parking ticket. I'm not sure if parking tickets turn into bench warrants or not.

This ticket was from a private lot, Washington state equivalent of IMPark.

[Bob]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

I didn't pay a $50 seatbelt ticket I got in Washington State in the 90s. They gave our van $1000 in speeding and seatbelt tickets. I can't remember why we weren't wearing them, I generally always wear mine. Thought they had long since forgot about me....

Then I moved here 6 or 7 years later, and bought a car. Couldn't take it off the lot until I got a NC drivers licence. So I went to apply for one, and they say oh, your Canadian licence is suspended in the US. Turns out that not paying the ticket gets your licence suspended. If I had ever got pulled over, I would have been arrested for driving with a suspended licence.

Took me 3 weeks to pay the now $200 ticket and get all the paper work together before I could get my licence and my car.

And guess what, now that I have a US social security number, the first thing they slap on my shiny new credit report is a delinquent collection. I don't think there is a worse possible credit score than no credit history plus a delinquent account. I had hard time opening bank accounts, getting cell phones or utilities without massive deposits.

Yup, that's pretty much what happens nowadays. Unless you plan on never going back to that state--and who's to say they won't start sharing information?--you can get nailed on a return trip.

[Red_Baron]

Don't bother. Only recourse they have on a private lot is to tow the vehicle if it is parked on their property again.
Worst case scenario is they send it to the rental company and they charge your credit card-which is the same as paying it anyways.
Another question for a legal debate is if the sign says park all day for $2, you don't pay and they give you a fine for $30. Did you defraud them of $30 or $2?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Red_Baron

Don't bother. Only recourse they have on a private lot is to tow the vehicle if it is parked on their property again.
Worst case scenario is they send it to the rental company and they charge your credit card-which is the same as paying it anyways.
Another question for a legal debate is if the sign says park all day for $2, you don't pay and they give you a fine for $30. Did you defraud them of $30 or $2?

I would say you owe them the 30. Normally the sign will say park all day for 2 but a fine of 30 if you don't pay. The rest of the charge could be admin fees etc...