What Parking in a Red Zone Ticket Costs in California and How to Fight It

Every year billions of dollars are brought in by cities all around California from parking citations. Los Angeles alone sees some $150 million each year from parking ticket revenue.

Parking in a red zone ticket in California is not rated as the type of parking ticket most cited. Of the two million parking tickets issued in Los Angeles in one year, the most were issued for parking in a street sweeping zone followed by parking with expired meters, according to the Los Angeles Times. If you received a parking ticket, DoNotPay can help.

What Is the Fine for a Ticket in California for Parking in a Red Zone?

Just how much parking tickets cost illegal parkers in California varies from one city to another. Fines for parking in a red zone in California can run upwards of $100. If you don't pay the fine promptly, the cost can rise.

How to Pay for a Red Zone Parking Ticket in California

Whether you received a parking ticket for parking in a red zone, or for any other reason, the basic payment process is the same. There may be instructions on the ticket, in small print, and probably confusingly.

Pay Your Parking Ticket Online

The simplest way to pay for your parking ticket is to do so online. Many California cities, especially larger ones, dedicate a page on their website to dealing with parking tickets. Once you locate the page, you can follow the instructions to pay online with a credit or debit card.

For example, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has a page dedicated to paying parking tickets. There is a "Pay Online" button on the page that offers same-day payment postings. There are also instructions to pay by mail.

Mail in Your Parking Ticket Payment or Pay in Person

You can use the more traditional methods. If you want to spend the time, you can walk into the city or county's law enforcement offices and find the proper place to deal with parking tickets. The clerk should be willing to explain any issues you have with the ticket and accept your payment. You can also mail a parking ticket payment to the proper city office.

Disputing a Red Zone Parking Ticket in California

Only 3% of all Los Angeles parking tickets are voided or canceled, according to the LA Times. Your inclination may be to just pay the darn thing. But if you were improperly cited, why would you do that?

When we find a parking ticket on our windshield, we generally shove it in the glove compartment and drive off mad. Not a good plan. What you should do is read it and immediately consider whether you think it was valid.

Check out the situation. Take photos of your parked car revealing where the red curb begins and/or ends. Take photos of any no-parking signage or the lack thereof. Make notes. What time of day is it? How long were you parked? When you get home you should properly examine the ticket and your evidence.

Reasons for disputing a red zone parking ticket include:

1. Details of your vehicle may be missing on the ticket itself
2. One or more details may be incorrect
3. The ticketing officer's handwriting may be illegible
4. Your vehicle was stolen
5. The ticketed vehicle no longer belongs to you

Disputing a parking in red zone ticket in California can be confusing. You generally do not have much time. The city of San Jose gives you 21 days to begin the process of contesting a parking ticket or to pay it.

You can contest by:

1. Visiting the city's online parking website
2. Going to the Office of Parking Violations in person
3. Mailing in the documentation to the city

You will need to request an administrative review. You will be given an appointment time to present your evidence disputing the ticket. Here are some addresses of parking administrations in California to mail in your parking ticket payments.

If that fails, you can file an appeal for a judge to further review your case and decide on the ticket's validity.

Dispute Your California Red Zone Parking Ticket in Less Than Two Minutes Through DoNotPay

Money reported that DoNotPay has successfully handled more than 200,000 tickets. Yours could be next!

As with so many issues, DoNotPay makes disputing your parking ticket so much easier. All you have to do is:

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.

How easy is that? Aren't you glad you didn't just pay for the ticket?

Use DoNotPay to Contest A Parking Ticket Anywhere

It is not just for California parking tickets. DoNotPay can help you contest a parking ticket easily, anywhere in the country. Use it to dispute a ticket in:

• Seattle
• New York City
• Chicago
• New Orleans
• Even on a college campus such as Rutgers University in New Jersey

Use DoNotPay to Help With Other Problem Issues

The DoNotPay app does a lot more than help you pay or dispute parking tickets. It can also:

• Renew your vehicle registration
• File an insurance claim
• Notify the city of a pothole on your street
• Negotiate a car lease

One issue that DoNotPay users seem to appreciate is how to find unclaimed money. Wonder why? See all the value in a DoNotPay partnership and sign up today.