Unpaid Parking Ticket

**xyz1** · 03-20-2011, 01:20 PM

My question involves a traffic citation from the state of: California

Almost 4 years ago I was living in Los Angeles for a few months and I got a parking ticket that I managed to leave unpaid. Now I'm home in Europe and I have a quick visit to NY in a few days and I'm worried about this parking ticket. I'm intending to pay it but if the time is too short and I end up flying before its payed, can I expect problems when I land in NY?

Also, since this ticket is almost 4 years old, how much could I expect a ~$50 ticket to cost me today?

**Mr. Knowitall** · 03-21-2011, 03:39 PM

For a parking ticket? I would be very surprised if there's an issue.

I'm not going to speculate what the ticket will now cost you. It should take you what, two or three minutes at most to find out for sure.

**xyz1** · 03-22-2011, 12:53 PM

Thank you for your answer.

Could they have issued a warrant against me? I hear that could be a possibility.

**That Guy** · 03-22-2011, 01:15 PM

Quoting xyz1

Thank you for your answer.

Could they have issued a warrant against me? I hear that could be a possibility.

Warrants are rarely issued for "moving violations"... So it is not likely that one is issued for a parking "non-moving" violation.

Typically, what will happen is that the issuing authority will notify the CA DMV of the unpaid citation, and a hold is placed on the vehicle registration (i.e. it cannot be renewed until the fine + late fees are paid). You have not indicated who's vehicle you were driving at the time so I'm not sure whether that is/was a viable option for them to use.

Lastly, and while I am not aware of any provisions that can lead to the suspension/hold being placed on driver's license of the registered owner of the vehicle (or the renter in case it was a rental), but I won't dismiss the possibility that your California driving privilege may be suspended/on hold as a result. You can check with the issuing authority and/or the CA DMV for a definitive answer on either the registration or the driving privilege.

**cdwjava** · 03-22-2011, 02:03 PM

Quoting xyz1

Thank you for your answer.

Could they have issued a warrant against me? I hear that could be a possibility.

Since a parking citation is a civil matter and they are issued against the vehicle and not an individual, no warrant can result.

**xyz1** · 03-30-2011, 10:32 AM

Quoting cdwjava

Since a parking citation is a civil matter and they are issued against the vehicle and not an individual, no warrant can result.

Oh, really? I thought that a parking citation wasn't a civil matter and I've read about plenty people that had been issued with a warrant for unpaid ticket. Is it different from state to state?

**cdwjava** · 03-30-2011, 01:10 PM

Quoting xyz1

Oh, really? I thought that a parking citation wasn't a civil matter and I've read about plenty people that had been issued with a warrant for unpaid ticket. Is it different from state to state?

It must depend on the state.

Since driver's license are not tied to vehicles in CA, a parking citation is tied to the vehicle registration and not an individual. If not paid it can result in a lien being placed upon the car or the matter might go to collections against the registered owner.