The city of St. Paul issued 125,000 parking tickets last year. Here’s what to do if you get a parking ticket, what to do if you think your ticket is unfair, what to do if you park on a broken St. Paul meter, and how to avoid parking tickets in St. Paul.
What to do if you get a parking ticket in St. Paul
If you get a parking ticket, there are a couple of options available to you.
If you are parked illegally, you must pay the ticket within 21 days allowed to avoid late fees. The parking ticket will have instructions on how to pay, with mail-in payment options, and you can pay for them online as well.
What if you can’t pay the parking ticket? If you cannot pay the fine , you can see a hearing officer to arrange a payment plan. You must do this before the ticket expires in Downtown St. Paul Courthouse or Maplewood Suburban Courthouse.
What do you do if you think the parking ticket is unfair? What if the parking meter was broken? Was the parking officer wrong? They are human, after all. What would happen if you were to park illegally to attend to some kind of emergency situation?
How to dispute a parking ticket in St. Paul
First, make sure the summons has been filed with the city. this may take 10 days, so call the number on the ticket to verify or verify online by entering the citation number on the Ramsey County online ticket payment website.
Once the subpoena has been filed, you must make an appointment to meet with a hearing officer. Hearing officers are available at the Downtown St. Paul Courthouse and the Maplewood Suburban Courthouse. To make an appointment anywhere, call 651 266-9202.
Take the parking ticket, a photo ID, and any documentation you may have to support your case. The hearing officer has the power to reduce the fine or cancel the citation if he agrees with you.
Broken parking meters in St. Paul
Do not park at a meter that you think is broken. You will have a ticket. The City of St. Paul asks you to call to report the broken parking meters. The number to call is on the meter.
If you park at a parking meter that you think is working and you still receive a ticket, for example the meter is running out faster than it should, you can call the Office of Parking Violations at 651 266-9202 and find out if the meter It was broken. If so, you can dispute the ticket by following the same procedure described above.
How to avoid parking tickets in St. Paul
Or in other words: where do the traffic guards patrol? The main areas patrolled by parking enforcement officers are downtown St. Paul, around the State Capitol, on the University of Minnesota campus, the Grand Avenue business district, and the Cathedral Hill neighborhood.
Snow Emergencies tickets represent a large number of parking citations issued in the winter. Being aware of when a snow emergency is called will keep you out of tickets.
The west side of the St. Paul, Como Park, and South Highland Park areas receive the least attention from parking enforcement officers. Wherever you park, and especially if you plan to park in one of the areas that parking control officers are targeting, keep in mind to park legally and watch the clock to make sure you get back to your car on time. At the meter parking lot in downtown St. Paul, tickets are issued regularly as soon as the time on the meter expires.
Fines for parking violations are a significant source of revenue for the City of St. Paul. Parking security officers in St. Paul are encouraged to write 55 citations a day, according to a report from Pioneer Press. São Paulo may have a reputation for being the most sleepy of the Twin Cities, but São Paulo parking lot security officers certainly don’t fall asleep on the job.
