out of country ticket... what can they do?

[timeswang]

What is the name of your state? Quebec, Canada.

Well, I got a ticket in NYC in December when visiting, and I came back to Canada without paying, naively thinking no one would bother.

Someone bothered.

I was one mouse-click away from paying the ticket when i thought... what the hell can they do? If i never go back to NY in this car, (though I want to), then what can the NY gov. possibly do? I pay all my Montreal parking tickets because, well, if I don't, they can either bring it up when I renew my registration or stuff like that... I don't even know but I'm sure they can do many things to make life difficult for me.

My question is, if I go to the US in this car, will Customs bring up this ticket? I'm guessing no, but I think one of you knows.

My other question is, since no US gov has jurisdiction here obviously, besides at the embassy, can they make the City of Montreal do something about this ticket?

THanks in advance for your response.

 

[racer72]

New York and Quebec have a compact with each other concerning tickets by residents of each state/province. Guess you may find out one day in the future if New York can do anything.

 

[wirry1422]

If this was a parking ticket and not a moving violation, as i assume it was since you posted the question on the non-moving violation message board, then the compact that racer72 speaks of has no bearing on your ticket whatsoever (i wouldn't put much stock in any of racer's posts anyway; based on my research of the board's archives, he has a penchant for only responding to questions in which he thinks the original poster is undoubtably liable, without cites to back up his assertions). The Driver's License and Non-Resident Violator's Compacts only apply to misdemeanor traffic violations (such as DUI, hit and run, wreckless driving, speeding more than 40 mph over, etc.) and/or petty moving violations (such as obstructing traffic, speeding, failure to obey traffic signals, improper lane useage, etc.) As a civil violation (parking), the City of New York has absolutly no way to compel a Canadian citizen to pay the fine, especially one who rarely visits, as you are in no danger of getting a boot or getting towed by the city. This ticket will have no effect on your registration, license or credit report, so consider the issue moot. And no, Customs will not bother you for this simple civil matter. The only way they would bother you was if you had a warrant issued for your arrest for not taking care of a misdemeanor traffic violation (or any other warrants.) However, i'm definitly not advocating that Canadian citizens visiting the United States disobey our parking laws, they are here for a reason (and your car could be towed, regardless of where it is registered, which would force you to pay the fine and towing charges on the spot). Just as i wouldn't knowingly violate a Canadian cities' parking regulations, just because i am a non-citizen.

 

[You Are Guilty]

As a civil violation (parking), the City of New York has absolutly no way to compel a Canadian citizen to pay the fine, especially one who rarely visits, as you are in no danger of getting a boot or getting towed by the city.

You were doing so well up to this part. Who do you think gets booted then, the people who pay their tickets?

 

[wirry1422]

As a civil violation (parking), the City of New York has absolutly no way to compel a Canadian citizen to pay the fine, especially one who rarely visits, as you are in no danger of getting a boot or getting towed by the city.

I awkwardly worded that passage of my post, erroneously giving the impression that Canadian citizens are somehow exempt from being booted or towed if their vehicle has unpaid NYC parking tickets, and is parked within NYC. What i meant was that because the previous poster rarely visits the city, there is little chance of the city catching up with her vehicle. However, if she does park in NYC at some time in the future in the same vehicle, while still having that unpaid ticket, there is still a possibility her car could be booted or towed, if the city happens to locate it at the time of her visit. Anyone from any state or territory in the world can have their car booted or towed by NYC, if that vehicle has previously unsatisfied NYC parking tickets on its record and is parked on a NYC street. Here is a corrected version (below) of that portion of my post to eliminate any ambiguity.

As a civil violation (parking), the City of New York has absolutly no way to compel a Canadian citizen to pay the fine, as long as that citizen's vehicle does not park on NYC streets or lots with unpaid tickets from the city. As a non-resident who rarely visits NYC, you are in little danger of getting a boot or getting towed by the city.

 

[ylen13]

wirry1422 as long as car don't have deplomatic plates

 

[seniorjudge]

Canada could've chosen French food, American technology, and British culture.

Instead, they chose French technology, American culture, and British food.

It's time to invade the place and take it over.

 

[timeswang]

thanks wirry

thanks for your help with this. it was definitely a parking ticket and a civil offense, so i'm going to ignore it for now. in the future, if and when i drive to the state in which i was born, i will park in parking lots to ensure i won't be towed or booted...

btw, i invite all of you to come to montreal and get parking tickets and not pay them. (just kidding; there's not enough parking as it is)

 

[You Are Guilty]

thanks for your help with this. it was definitely a parking ticket and a civil offense, so i'm going to ignore it for now. in the future, if and when i drive to the state in which i was born, i will park in parking lots to ensure i won't be towed or booted...

btw, i invite all of you to come to montreal and get parking tickets and not pay them. (just kidding; there's not enough parking as it is)

Add "do not get pulled over" to that list also. Care to guess what shows up when the police run your plates?

 

[wirry1422]

Don't worry about getting pulled over, the unpaid parking ticket will not show up on your vehicle registration info if a NY cop runs your plate during a traffic stop. During a traffic stop, only your name, address, vehicle "hot" staus (clear=not stolen, flagged=stolen plates or car) and registration status (current, expired, or suspended) show up on the mobile computer or by dispatch. In some cases, the officer requests the "10-28", which is the criminal and license status of the registered owner (this info would include dob, license status, driving record for the previous 24 months, and arrest record.) If the officer ran your plates, they would come back clear and valid (assuming your stickers are current and your car is not stolen). If the officer ran your license record, it would come back clear and valid, as only moving traffic violations are reported on a license record. The only way you would ever have a problem with parking tickets on your registration record, would be if you accumulated a large amount of unpaid NYC parking tickets (10 or more, last time i heard) in which case the city would send your registration info to the state dmv for certification of suspension, where a file would be created for your out-of-state plates, and they would then be entered as suspended, which means it would become illegal to operate your vehicle within the state of New York, and that info might possibly be passed on to your provinces' dmv for recipricol suspension. However, all of that is a concern for you only if you accumulated that large amount of delinquent parking tickets. Otherwise, no a traffic stop would be harmless to you, and the parking ticket would not appear on any records accessed by the officer. If i were you, i would simply ignore the ticket, and during the rare times you visit NYC, use the private parking lots, or rent a car, or simply fly or take a bus or train, and use NYC's world class public transportation system or taxi's to get around town. It would save the headache of driving around such a congested city.