No Parking Sign Regs on Private Property

[BuffaloChip]

What is the name of your state? CO

I received a ticket for 'parked vehicle where prohibited by sign' in my apartment complex. Obviously, this is private property, and in the past 2 or 3 3 months there have been over 100 tickets written in the same complex for this reason. When I went to my arraigment (in a room full of people with the same ticket), we were informed the complex had placed a sign at the entrance of the complex stating parking on the street in the majority of the complex was now a violation. Needless to say, none of us at the arraignment had noticed the sign.

I'm familiar with the MUTCD, but am uncertain how the regulations apply to signage on private property. If the police can write a public citation on private property, wouldn't all signs for which they can right the ticket be subject to the same requirements?

[BelizeBreeze]

This is not a theory forum. Your ticket was valid and that's the end of it.

Originally Posted by BuffaloChip

What is the name of your state? CO

I received a ticket for 'parked vehicle where prohibited by sign' in my apartment complex. Obviously, this is private property, and in the past 2 or 3 3 months there have been over 100 tickets written in the same complex for this reason. When I went to my arraigment (in a room full of people with the same ticket), we were informed the complex had placed a sign at the entrance of the complex stating parking on the street in the majority of the complex was now a violation. Needless to say, none of us at the arraignment had noticed the sign.

I'm familiar with the MUTCD, but am uncertain how the regulations apply to signage on private property. If the police can write a public citation on private property, wouldn't all signs for which they can right the ticket be subject to the same requirements?

What does "right the ticket" mean? Do you mean "correct the ticket"?

[Curt581]

Originally Posted by BuffaloChip

I received a ticket for 'parked vehicle where prohibited by sign' in my apartment complex. Obviously, this is private property, and in the past 2 or 3 3 months there have been over 100 tickets written in the same complex for this reason. When I went to my arraigment (in a room full of people with the same ticket), we were informed the complex had placed a sign at the entrance of the complex stating parking on the street in the majority of the complex was now a violation. Needless to say, none of us at the arraignment had noticed the sign.

I'm familiar with the MUTCD, but am uncertain how the regulations apply to signage on private property. If the police can write a public citation on private property, wouldn't all signs for which they can right the ticket be subject to the same requirements?

No. Posting signs on private property usually has much more lenient requirements. There needs to be A sign posted. That's about it.

Sounds to me like the parking situation in your complex has gotten out-of-hand, and the owner/manager is cracking down.

The vast majority of the time, police citing parking violators on private property is only done when a specific complaint is received from the property owner.

[BuffaloChip]

Originally Posted by BelizeBreeze

This is not a theory forum. Your ticket was valid and that's the end of it.

If the sign is invalid according to public statutes, how can a citation for a public statute be written? What is to keep a private property owner from posting a sign the size of a postage stamp or in a language residents don't understand or is obscured? Sorry, BelizeBreeze, I assumed this was a forum for people seeking answers to questions unclear according to statutes. I suppose that does make it a form of theory, although one with practical applications.

[BuffaloChip]

Originally Posted by seniorjudge

What does "right the ticket" mean? Do you mean "correct the ticket"?

Whoops. Sorry, it was late when I was posting it. I meant 'write the ticket.'

Originally Posted by BuffaloChip

What is the name of your state? CO

I received a ticket for 'parked vehicle where prohibited by sign' in my apartment complex. Obviously, this is private property, and in the past 2 or 3 3 months there have been over 100 tickets written in the same complex for this reason. When I went to my arraigment (in a room full of people with the same ticket), we were informed the complex had placed a sign at the entrance of the complex stating parking on the street in the majority of the complex was now a violation. Needless to say, none of us at the arraignment had noticed the sign.

I'm familiar with the MUTCD, but am uncertain how the regulations apply to signage on private property. If the police can write a public citation on private property, wouldn't all signs for which they can right the ticket be subject to the same requirements?

Give us the statute number for the offense.

[BuffaloChip]

Section 1204(1)(K) of the Model Traffic Code for Colorado:
1204. Stopping, standing, or parking prohibited in specified places.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (4) of this section, no person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or an official traffic control device, in any of the following places:
(k) At any other place where official signs prohibit stopping.

Originally Posted by BuffaloChip

Section 1204(1)(K) of the Model Traffic Code for Colorado:
1204. Stopping, standing, or parking prohibited in specified places.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (4) of this section, no person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or an official traffic control device, in any of the following places:
(k) At any other place where official signs prohibit stopping.

5.54.3.2 Official signs shall be posted in front of each parking space designated by written resolution to be a reserved parking space. Such official signs shall be conspicuous and shall contain the following language which shall be printed on each side of the sign: (CC79-37)

[url]http://www.co.jefferson.co.us/ext/policy/chap0554.htm[/url]


"Official Sign" means a sign approved as to form and content by the traffic engineer and placed in a location authorized by the traffic engineer.

[url]http://www.northglenn.org/municode/ch7/content_7-2.html[/url]


My very brief Googling indicates that the sign has to be conspicuous and/or approved by some bureaucrat.

[BuffaloChip]

Good stuff, Seniorjudge, but I live in Boulder county. I doubt the item from Jefferson County would apply. In addition, I believe it would be out of context. That item seems to be referring to parking around the courthouse specifically (wouldn't want to make the judges or city attorneys walk, now would we).

I live in a small statutory municipality. As it's been described to me, we're subject primarily to the laws of the state with very few local exceptions. On that level, I think I've found some other good material that will work for me. I'll post more later.

Thanks for your help.

[reamann]

Maybe you should have gotten a hint not to park your vehicle there from the "over 100 tickets written in the same complex for this reason." As if the sign weren't enough. And yes, the police can write tickets for vehicles illegally parked on private property.

[BuffaloChip]

Originally Posted by reamann

Maybe you should have gotten a hint not to park your vehicle there from the "over 100 tickets written in the same complex for this reason." As if the sign weren't enough. And yes, the police can write tickets for vehicles illegally parked on private property.

Y'know, I don't guess your mom taught you the same way mine did. If you don't have something nice to say--or at the least informed and helpful--don't say anything at all. The 400+ (I've just received this from an open records request) tickets were written in huge bunches--normally overnight--over a two month span across the entire complex. Enforcement was neither constant nor consistent. So, yes, it is quite possible people such as myself would not realize they were writing tickets in the complex. As a matter of fact, 400+ people didn't realize they were writing tickets for this reason. Again, with 400+ tickets in two months, would you say the sign is enough? Probably not. Maybe the police should have gotten a hint that the sign is inadequate and possibly illegal. And I'm aware the police can write tickets on private property. The question is to what standards they must adhere when writing them--the same as on public property?