Do you seem to attract parking tickets? Have no fear, a simple typo may be able to get you out of paying your cars next parking ticket. If the parking enforcement officers makes any mistake while writing up your ticket you have a good chance of disputing it. In addition, any faulty street signs or mistakes in the town’s ordinance may enable you to contest the ticket and win.

What to do if you get a parking ticket

When you get a parking ticket, read it carefully. According to Readers’ Digest, you should look the ticket over for any mistakes or typos. Common mistakes include the wrong address, incorrect make/model of the car, or miswritten infraction. If the parking enforcement officer even messed up the “Opposite” or “Next to” designation by the address, you may be able to dispute the ticket.

If you can spot an obvious mistake, you are well on your way to disputing your ticket. But if not, you still have options.

Before you drive away, collect some evidence. Get pictures of where your car is parked. Get pictures of parking signs, worn paint on the street’s curb or the parking space, or the parking meter.

At this point, you are looking for any kind of typo or mistake in signage. Do any old and new parking signs contradict one another? Is the wording of parking signage unclear? Note everything.

How to research your parking ticket

When you get home, research the town’s parking laws. You may learn something about the law your parking enforcement officer ignored when they issued you a ticket.

At the same time, look for mistakes or even typos that make the law vague. On occasion, motorists have been able to fight a ticket because of typos in the law.

Depending on the size of your parking ticket, it may be worth having a lawyer look over the language of the law with you. Obviously, for a low-dollar ticket, it won’t be cost-effective to hire help.

How to appeal a parking ticket

Research how to appeal your ticket. There will likely be directions on the ticket. Some towns have an online form to appeal your ticket. Others will need you to send a letter. Still others require a trial. However you are appealing your ticket, make certain to attach the evidence you gathered.

Whatever you do, do not pay your ticket. Paying your ticket is actually an admission of guilt. So if you pay it, you must get it reversed and you will be fighting an uphill battle.

If you have successfully found a typo that enables you to dispute your ticket, and you have to go to a hearing in person, there’s no reason to be smug about what you’ve found. Remember, your defense is that the ticket is simply invalid or that you misunderstood the law, and the more polite you are the more likely things are to go your way.