How to Dispute a NYC Parking Ticket

NYC parking tickets are decided by administrative law judges at the NYC Department of Finance (DOF). A parking ticket is not an OATH case and not a criminal court case. This guide covers how to dispute one, what evidence DOF says helps, what happens if you wait too long, and how to appeal a guilty decision.

Four ways to dispute

• Online:through DOF's "Dispute a ticket online" page. The judge's decision is emailed to the address you give.
• Pay or Dispute mobile app: DOF's app for paying or disputing tickets.
• By mail:return the ticket with your reason checked on the back, a letter explaining why you are not guilty, and copies of your evidence, to NYC Department of Finance, Hearings By Mail Unit, P.O. Box 29021, Cadman Plaza Station, Brooklyn, NY 11202-9021. Don't send payment to this address, and keep copies of everything.
• In person:if you can't use the other options, schedule an in-person hearing or visit a DOF business center between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. You get the decision right away.

DOF says an in-person hearing does not increase your chances of getting a ticket dismissed, and it encourages online, app or mail hearings. If you disputed online, by app or by mail and have no decision within three weeks, contact DOF to check.

Check the ticket itself

DOF says a ticket is defective if certain required elements are missing, illegible or wrongly described, and defective tickets may be dismissed. Required elements include:

• Plate number, plate type and state of registration
• Make or model, and body type
• The section of law and a plain-English description of the violation
• The date and time (a.m. or p.m.) the ticket was issued
• The place (for example "front of" or "opposite"), except for status and equipment violations
• The issuer's signature
• The days or hours the posted sign is in effect, unless it is in effect 24 hours
• For a fire hydrant ticket, how far, in feet, the vehicle was from the hydrant

The judge decides whether a ticket is illegible. Pay particular attention to handwritten tickets.

Evidence DOF recommends

• Photos of the whole side of the street you were parked on, end to end
• Photos of the front and back of every parking sign on that side of the street
• Photos that show the street signs and the property address where you were parked
• Date- and time-stamped photos that clearly show what you are arguing
• Maps or satellite imagery to back up your photos
• Receipts, invoices and other documents related to the ticket
• Labels on your photos and documents so you can refer to them in your statement

The ticket issuer's statement is sworn and given great weight, so DOF says a sworn statement from you also carries more weight. Send copies, never originals: you may need them again for an appeal. Write a detailed statement that anticipates the judge's questions about distances, times and circumstances.

Arguments DOF says will not work

• You didn't know the rule, or you have parked there for years without a ticket
• Other cars were parked the same way and weren't ticketed
• You didn't see or misunderstood the sign (unless the sign was illegible)
• Only a small part of the car was in the restricted zone
• You were double-parked only briefly, or the street-cleaning truck never came

What the fines look like

DOF publishes the fine for every parking violation code, and each amount includes a $15 New York State Criminal Justice surcharge. Some examples from DOF's schedule:

• Code 40, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant: $115
• Code 21, street cleaning: $65
• Code 37, parking meter time expired: $65 in Manhattan at or below 96th Street, $35 elsewhere
• Code 46, double parking: $115

If you don't pay or dispute: judgment

• If DOF gets neither payment nor a hearing request, a parking ticket goes into judgment about 100 days after it was issued. The City enters a default judgment for the full amount plus penalties and interest, and can send the debt to a collection agency or seize assets.
• If your tickets in judgment total more than $350, your vehicle can be booted or towed.
• You can ask for a hearing on a ticket in judgment only if less than one year has passed since it went into judgment, using DOF's "Request for Hearing After Judgment" form (or online). You must show a valid defense and a good reason you didn't respond earlier.
• DOF offers payment plans for tickets in judgment. The down payment and plan length depend on how much you owe and which plan you qualify for, so check DOF's parking and camera violation payment plans page for the current terms. Interest keeps accruing until the balance is paid.

If you lose: appealing

• File a Parking / Camera Violations Appeal Application by mail within 30 days of the judge's decision. Attach a copy of the decision, the original ticket, and copies of all evidence from the first hearing.
• You can't appeal if you pleaded guilty or simply paid the ticket without a hearing.
• Penalties and interest can be added while the appeal is pending. DOF suggests paying first: if you win, the money is refunded.
• You can appear in person or have the appeal decided on the papers. The Appeals Board may allow evidence that wasn't available at the first hearing; your job is to show the judge made a mistake. DOF says it sends a decision within 60 days.
• If an emergency stops you attending a scheduled appeal and you can't notify DOF in writing, call the Appeals Board at (212) 361-5990. DOF says that if you don't notify it, you lose the appeal appointment and will not be able to reschedule.
• If you lose the appeal, you can file an Article 78 proceeding in New York State Supreme Court within four months of the appeal decision.

Free help

• DOF's Office of the Parking Summons Advocate helps people who represent themselves with parking and camera violation problems that normal DOF channels can't resolve.
• Questions: call 311, or (212) 639-9675 from outside New York City.

Official sources

• DOF: Dispute a ticket
• DOF: Request a hearing-by-mail
• DOF: Evidence recommendations
• DOF: Required elements in a ticket
• DOF: Tickets in judgment
• DOF: Appeal a hearing decision
• DOF: Parking and camera violation payment plans
• DOF: Violation codes and fines

Checked against these pages on November 2, 2026. Rules and amounts can change, so confirm with the Department of Finance before you act.

See also: NYC summons guide · How to respond to a summons · Summons lookup