Private Property Parking.....

[Bigbiker]

Washington State

So here is what happened...


I ran into Wal-Mart for 15 min and like every other motorcyclist out there I parked on white stripes. Now I parked to where I wasn't in anybody's way (I took a picture showing that no one was effected by my parking). I was in and out in 15 min and came back to a parking ticket on my bike to the tune of $250. Now I know that I shouldn't have parked there but all motorcyclists park in those small spots that no one can use. It gets us closer w/o blocking anyone and it saves a parking spot for someone else (I know I'm quiet the humanitarian!)

Anyways I was wondering, is it lawful to give a parking ticket on Private Property? (Wal-Mart isn't owned by the state now is it?!?) If there was someone illeagaly parking in my apartment complex, I couldn't call an officer over to give them a parking ticket now could I? I could have them towed if I had the proper signage up, but not a parking ticket from the cops.

So I was just wondering if anyone knew anything more on this topic, Please let me know!What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

[justalayman]

who issued the ticket?

here is a bit of info from Washington:

[url=http://www.atg.wa.gov/pressrelease.aspx?&id=12570]McKenna Announces Settlement with Seattle Business that Ticketed Parked Cars[/url]

[JETX]

Originally Posted by Bigbiker

Anyways I was wondering, is it lawful to give a parking ticket on Private Property?

Yep. If the violation they are citing the cars for includes cars parked on private lots as an element in the violation and if it is an 'open location' (not in a fence) , then yes they can.

Go to court and try to convince them that the ticket is not valid.

[racer72]

Washington state law requires handicap parking stalls in all public (yes, the Walmart parking lot is considered a public parking lot by state law), the striped area is part of the handicap parking spot. It's not a moving violation and will not show up on your driving record. Unless you can provide a better excuse, pay the ticket.

[justalayman]

Originally Posted by racer72

Washington state law requires handicap parking stalls in all public (yes, the Walmart parking lot is considered a public parking lot by state law), the striped area is part of the handicap parking spot. It's not a moving violation and will not show up on your driving record. Unless you can provide a better excuse, pay the ticket.

Did I miss something? I saw nothing that inferred this was dealing with a handicapped parking spot. I believe he was referring to the end of the row of an angle layout where there is a wedge of real estate left over. They often stripe that area.
a couple excerpts from the Washington AG office:

All property owners are permitted to tow unauthorized vehicles from their lots. Existing statutes and ordinances allow tickets to be issued to vehicles parked in paid lots, but don’t address tickets on lots where no fee is charged. {UPDATED FOR CLARIFICATION: While private companies don't have statutory authority to issue parking tickets or citations in the way law enforcement officers do, they can request payment for parking on private property. The signage on private lots needs to be clear about what is considered unauthorized parking and what happens to unauthorized parkers.

Ever since our 2007 case with Parking Enforcement Services, our office receives questions from drivers concerning whether they can be “ticketed” when they park on private property. The short answer is that they can be fined, provided the parking lot monitor has taken adequate steps to ensure drivers are aware of what happens to unauthorized parkers. Private lot owners and parking monitors can charge people for parking, but they can’t issue lawful citations or suspend driver's licenses.

[racer72]

Originally Posted by justalayman

Did I miss something?

Yep, regular parking tickets are not $250, handicap parking tickets are.

[justalayman]

Originally Posted by racer72

Yep, regular parking tickets are not $250, handicap parking tickets are.

good catch racer.

with that in mind, yes bigbiker, they can ticket you for illegally parking in a handicap parking spot.

Now, what I have not looked up are the requirements for a handicap parking space. All states I have researched do have requirements for a handicap space and failure to mark as legally required invalidates a ticket, generally. You may look in to the requirements for such a a spot but other than that, you owe for the ticket.