How Much Is a Handicap Parking Ticket and Should You Appeal?

Reserved specifically for people who cannot safely or comfortably walk long distances to business entrances, handicap parking spaces are typically marked with blue curbing and distinctive blue signage. Some handicap spaces also have a wheelchair painted in them as an additional identifier.

Parking in these stalls without the right placard for even just a few quick minutes can prove costly. In states like Washington, a single citation can result in a $250 charge. If you've recently been cited for illegally parking in one of these spaces, you may be asking, "How much is a handicap parking ticket and how can DoNotPay help?"

Although handicap parking tickets are costly, DoNotPay isn't. With the help of the world's first AI-driven robot attorney, you can contest this citation in virtually no time. However, much like all other parking tickets, the price of a handicap parking ticket will rapidly increase if you wait too long. Read on to discover why it's important to take action fast.

How Much Do Handicap Parking Tickets Cost in Big Cities?

Many municipalities take illegal parking in handicap stalls very seriously. While a typical parking ticket might cost just $25 to $50 dollars in some areas, handicapped parking tickets can cost several hundred dollars. When initial ticket prices are this high, waiting to pay or dispute them until civil fees have been added is a bad idea.

The cost of handicap parking tickets in big cities is as follows:

Throughout the nation, the average cost of a handicap parking ticket is approximately $125.

Should I Get a Lawyer to Contest a Handicap Parking Ticket?

Parking tickets in general aren't very costly, especially when people make the effort to deal with them right away. In most places, it's best to either pay for or dispute parking tickets within 15 days of their receipt.

If you do not, you will likely be subject to other penalties including steep civil fees. Moreover, in an effort to deter drivers from parking in spaces that have been specially reserved for those with limited mobility or other physical challenges, handicap parking tickets tend to cost quite a bit more.

Notwithstanding these things, hiring an attorney will often result in charges that greatly exceed the cost of the ticket itself. It's far more cost-effective to use DoNotPay instead. With DoNotPay, you'll get the expertise of a seasoned attorney, and at a mere fraction of the cost. Best of all, having a DoNotPay subscription will allow you to resolve many other financial issues.

As a trusted, AI-driven robot attorney, DoNotPay consistently delivers successful outcomes. To date, DoNotPay has helped its clients beat more than 200,000 parking tickets and yours could be next.

Reasons You Might Contest a Handicap Parking Ticket

Handicap spaces aren't always clearly marked. If you parked in a handicap stall but weren't aware of it due to poor signage or faded curb markings, you can contest your ticket based upon these things. You can also dispute handicap tickets if:

• You believe that the handicap space you were ticketed for was redundant
• The posted instructions on where to park were unclear

You can also take steps to prove that you weren't in a prohibited parking space if you believe that you were never parked in a handicap stall at all. This might be the case if you were no longer the owner of the car when the citation was made or if someone else was driving your vehicle.

Contesting a Handicap Parking Ticket Due to Problems With the Ticket Itself

Even if you were illegally parked in a handicap space when the ticket was written, you may still have grounds to contest the violation. You can contest a handicap parking ticket if:

• It's missing information
• It has correct information
• It isn't legible

Finally, you can definitely contest a handicap parking ticket if you have a registered disability and a handicap placard that wasn't on display. You simply need to complete an Affidavit of Compliance and then submit it to the county's parking enforcement officers.

How to Dispute a Handicap Parking Ticket

All parking tickets should have information on how to pay or dispute them on their reverse. Simply flip the ticket over and then follow the instructions on the back. If there are no instructions, look for the phone number, physical address, or web address of the company. When disputing a ticket, be prepared to offer a clear and convincing reason why.

Will a Handicap Parking Ticket Cause Your Car Insurance to Go Up?

Parking tickets don't have a direct impact on drivers' ability to bind auto coverage, nor do they directly impact insurance rates. However, it's important to note that unpaid parking tickets might have an indirect impact on your premiums over the long term.

That's because unpaid tickets are often passed on to collection agencies. When they are, consumers' credit scores can go down. With some insurance companies, unpaid debt is factored in as a risk factor, and low credit scores are rewarded with higher premiums.

Can You Get a Handicap Parking Ticket While You're in the Car?

Whether or not you're physically in a vehicle has no bearing on whether you're parked legally or illegally. Thus, officers can indeed write tickets when people are in their vehicles. Fortunately, many do not. If you're parked in a handicapped vehicle and an officer asks you to move and gives you a verbal warning, it's best to heed this warning and repark your vehicle.

What Happens if You Choose Not to Pay Your Handicap Parking Ticket?

As civil fees are added, the cost of unpaid parking tickets can increase fast. A single ticket that initially cost less than $100 could wind up costing several hundred dollars. This is all the more true with handicap parking tickets which often already cost significantly more.

There are also other penalties that you might face when you refuse to pay parking tickets and fail to take other actions, especially if you have multiple tickets to take care of. Among some of the more serious penalties that drivers can deal with are:

1. Having boots or wheel locks installed on their vehicles
2. Having their vehicles towed
3. Having their vehicles auctioned

With multiple unpaid parking tickets, dramatic decreases in your credit score can also prove problematic over time. If you've been asking, "How much are handicap parking tickets?", these are all good reasons to sign up for DoNotPay. DoNotPay can assist with both information and valid reasons why your ticket shouldn't be paid.

Contest Handicap Parking Tickets in Less Than 120 Seconds

DoNotPay had already successfully fought over 160,000 tickets by 2016. Now, it can help you fight yours too.

Here's how to get started:

1. Log in to DoNotPay and find the Parking Tickets product.

2. Upload a photo of your parking ticket.

3. Provide us with some details on why you believe the parking ticket is a mistake.

4. Select whether or not you want the letter mailed to the traffic ticket issuer on your behalf!
5. That’s it! You’ll receive an appeal letter that contains state vehicle codes to boost your case.

It's really that simple. Look out for your traffic ticket issuer's response to discover whether you won.

DoNotPay Helps Drivers Fight Parking Tickets In Every City

It doesn't matter where you get your parking ticket or why. DoNotPay can help. DoNotPay can successfully fight parking tickets from major California cities and from all other cities and counties throughout the nation. DoNotPay can even help you fight tickets issued on campuses like Rutgers or from municipal authorities like SFMTA.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

You can use DoNotPay to quickly and successfully solve a vast range of problems. With DoNotPay, you can easily:

• Get compensation for delayed or canceled flights
• File formal complaints
• Negotiate car lease agreements
• File an insurance claim
• Renew your car registration

Sign up today to see just how much this powerful, AI-driven AI Consumer Champion can do for you!