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Meter Ticket w/ Disabled Placard

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edenranch

Junior Member
So I was in Los Angeles, CA today, Westwood to be exact. My mom and I parked at a meter to go grab some dinner and didn't pay for the meter, since she has the handicapped placard. I have also never paid for any meter previously when I'm with her. When we came back from dinner, there was a $50 citation on my windshield for expired meter. Am I mistaken, or isn't it okay legal to park with a placard sans meter payment? I'm thinking of contesting this, but if I am in the wrong or it would take weeks, I'd rather just forgo the trouble. Help, please!
 


CourtClerk

Senior Member
Parking privileges for DP placard, DP plates, or DV plates
•In parking spaces with the International Symbol of Access (wheelchair symbol).
•Next to a blue curb authorized for handicap parking.
•Next to a green curb (green curbs indicate limited time parking) for as long as you wish. There is no time limit with a DP placard, DP license plates, or DV license plates.
•In an on-street metered parking space at no charge.
•Streets where preferential parking privileges are given to residents and merchants (private off street merchant parking facilities may be restricted to customers and employees).
In addition to parking privileges, service stations must refuel a disabled person’s vehicle at self-service rates unless the service facility has only one employee on duty.
Disabled Person Parking Placard or Plates (FFVR 7)
 

I_Got_Banned

Senior Member
So I was in Los Angeles, CA today, Westwood to be exact. My mom and I parked at a meter to go grab some dinner and didn't pay for the meter, since she has the handicapped placard. I have also never paid for any meter previously when I'm with her. When we came back from dinner, there was a $50 citation on my windshield for expired meter. Am I mistaken, or isn't it okay legal to park with a placard sans meter payment? I'm thinking of contesting this, but if I am in the wrong or it would take weeks, I'd rather just forgo the trouble. Help, please!
Read California Vehicle Code section 22115.5 http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22511_5.htm which permits unpaid meter parking for a vehicle displaying a handicapped plate or placard. You obviously would have to somehow show that the placard was properly displayed AND that your Mom was with you at the time.
 

patstew

Member
The usual reasons my officers give this kind of ticket:

The HC placard isn't displayed. Can't tell you how many calls I've gotten, "Oh, it must've fallen down." Bullpuckey, you just didn't put it up.

The placard is expired or illegible. Then they put an entry in the comment field that appears on the printed ticket saying what the problem was.


Call the issuing entity and see if they'll void the ticket with proof (don't count on it, though, if the ticket is for failure to display).
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
The usual reasons my officers give this kind of ticket:

The HC placard isn't displayed. Can't tell you how many calls I've gotten, "Oh, it must've fallen down." Bullpuckey, you just didn't put it up.

The placard is expired or illegible. Then they put an entry in the comment field that appears on the printed ticket saying what the problem was.


Call the issuing entity and see if they'll void the ticket with proof (don't count on it, though, if the ticket is for failure to display).
The ticket was NOT for failure to display...
It was an expired meter ticket.
I think the OP has a better than 50/50 shot of prevailing.
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
The ticket was NOT for failure to display...
It was an expired meter ticket.
I think the OP has a better than 50/50 shot of prevailing.
But a properly displayed and valid placard exempts one from having to pay for metered parking on the street.
 

HomeGuru

Senior Member
So I was in Los Angeles, CA today, Westwood to be exact. My mom and I parked at a meter to go grab some dinner and didn't pay for the meter, since she has the handicapped placard. I have also never paid for any meter previously when I'm with her. When we came back from dinner, there was a $50 citation on my windshield for expired meter. Am I mistaken, or isn't it okay legal to park with a placard sans meter payment? I'm thinking of contesting this, but if I am in the wrong or it would take weeks, I'd rather just forgo the trouble. Help, please!
**A: was the placard displayed?
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
But a properly displayed and valid placard exempts one from having to pay for metered parking on the street.
Yes...what I was pointing out was that this ticket was not for failure to display (as when someone parks in the HC spot without the hang tag)
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
Yes...what I was pointing out was that this ticket was not for failure to display (as when someone parks in the HC spot without the hang tag)
Yes, but proper display would have exempted him from having to pay for the meter.

I have found a great many people that throw these things on their dashboards and assume that is proper ... it is not. While some officers might cut them some slack on that, others will not or will not bother to look for the placard at all.

If the placard was properly displayed, the officer appears to have "oopsed" and I suspect that a challenge will result in the dismissal of the citation ... or, it SHOULD.
 

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