What happens if I ignore a parking ticket from my university?

July 29, 2011 1:09 PM

What happens if I ignore a parking ticket from my university?

I received a $35 ticket today for parking without a permit in a lot at my school (University of Washington). I was parked there for less than five minutes (just had to run in and drop something off), thinking that the campus parking enforcement couldn't possibly come around in such a short amount of time. Unfortunately, I was wrong. When I came out, the guy was writing the ticket, and I couldn't reason with him. I know that I wrongfully violated their regulation, but if I can avoid it, I'd really prefer to not give this place any more money than I'm already giving them in tuition, which is a hell of a lot.

The ticket threatens that if I don't pay, the car "may be impounded or assigned to a collection agency". If this were a ticket from the city, I would take it seriously... but how likely is "UW Commuter Services" to make my life miserable if I just ignore it? It's not like they can restrict me from renewing my tabs, and I figure that it's such a small fee that they're not likely to pursue it for collection.... Is that a bad assumption?

posted by aldebaran to Travel & Transportation (32 answers total)

Best answer: It has been awhile since I was in school, but my university held my grades or transcripts or something until I paid my parking tickets and library fines.
posted by katinka-katinka at 1:10 PM on July 29, 2011 [10 favorites]

Yeah. I had to pay an old parking ticket before they would send a transcript to the school I wanted to apply for my Masters.
posted by chevyvan at 1:12 PM on July 29, 2011

Also since UW is a state school, they can most definitely restrict you from renewing your tabs. They have the same authority as the WA State Patrol.
posted by chevyvan at 1:14 PM on July 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

They may also restrict you from registering for classes until the thing is paid.
posted by corey flood at 1:14 PM on July 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Well, these guys are real cops, just on a campus. They operate like their own little town with their own jurisdiction, but will bump anything up to the city government that needs to be. I would take this pretty seriously.

If I were in your situation, which I was with a parking ticket at WSU (on the other side of the state) last month, I would look on the back of the ticket to see if there is any way to dispute the ticket. Usually there is a website or phone number. Call them, or go onto the website and tell your side of the story. Usually, for first offenses, they will let it slide.

Don't expect to have it let go next time and don't underestimate the cops on a campus as they are real cops.
posted by TheBones at 1:14 PM on July 29, 2011

Agree with looking into disputing the ticket. I got a ticket last year at school and disputed it and it was fine. In my case, however, I had an expired decal on my car and had already gotten the new decal and just forgot to stick it on -- so it was more of a gray area than your situation, but they may be lenient with you since it's your first ticket, as TheBones said.
posted by pupstocks at 1:17 PM on July 29, 2011

Yeah, I got a parking ticket from a state school (UC San Diego) - if I left it unpaid, I wouldn't be able to renew my license.

If there's some internal appeals process, do it (maybe this?). You might get the fine at least reduced, and if nothing else it should increase the amount of time you have to pay up.
posted by Condroidulations! at 1:18 PM on July 29, 2011

Hi, I ignored a ticket for a couple of years! The car wasn't registered to my name (it was my dad's), so I didn't think they could track me down either way. Anyway, somehow they made the connection, and I had to pay the bill – including late fees – before I was allowed to graduate.
posted by halogen at 1:27 PM on July 29, 2011

Best answer: Unless you already have your diploma and a job from said diploma, UW still has leverage over you, including all the other stuff they said they might do. Either pay or dispute, but ignore at your peril.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:29 PM on July 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

It might be worth your time to dispute the ticket, but if the representative of Parking Control (what they were called at KU when I was a parking scofflaw) saw you and refused to budge, your case might not be airtight. When I ignored a parking citation, the cost of the ticket plus an additional charge (like US $25) was added to my registration fees the next semester I enrolled.
posted by S'Tella Fabula at 1:31 PM on July 29, 2011

I once got a parking ticket I didn't know about - it must have been stolen off my windshield or something - and by the time I figured it out, the fine had quadrupled.

Just pay it. It's $35.
posted by something something at 1:32 PM on July 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'd really prefer to not give this place any more money than I'm already giving them in tuition, which is a hell of a lot.

Keep in mind that the money you pay for a ticket probably doesn't go into the same bucket as the money you pay for tuition. The campus cops might need all the money they can get (e.g. from your ticket) to pay for enough campus cops to keep the place safe. Maybe that will help you feel better about paying it?
posted by TinWhistle at 1:33 PM on July 29, 2011 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I would probably appeal the ticket, but a university has a TON of power over you while you are enrolled: They could prevent you from registering for classes for the Fall, prevent you from graduating, refuse to issue transcripts for you while the ticket is outstanding...heck, in some cases even revoke your library privileges.

Appeal, but then pay up...that's my advice.
posted by griffey at 1:41 PM on July 29, 2011

Considering that the OP admits "I know that I wrongfully violated their regulation..." I'm wonder on what basis she could appeal. You gambled, you lost, pay the fine.
posted by reverend cuttle at 2:13 PM on July 29, 2011 [2 favorites]

If are you a student at the university which issued the ticket to you then pay it.
posted by dgeiser13 at 2:24 PM on July 29, 2011

One of my college bros had to clear up about $250 in parking fines to get his diploma. They have the upper hand, in these things.
posted by thelonius at 2:26 PM on July 29, 2011

Best answer: Pay the $35 now and deduct it from the donations you'll be asked to give to the university later.

"I already gave at the parking office" is a nice response to the telemarketers who will be calling you for the next 50 years or so . . . meanwhile, if you've got a few hours to waste trying to save part of $35 through appeals, filling out paperwork, and whatnot, you've got more spare time on your hands--and it's less valuable to you--than most of us.
posted by flug at 2:58 PM on July 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Pay it now, it was your bad and just pony up. People give this argument all the time when they park in handicapped spots "just for a minute" and it irks me. I'm sure you didn't do something like that but presumably the reason you don't have a parking permit is that you didn't pay and everyone else did. If it were for a lot of money I would say try to negotiate: my uni gives expensive tickets but also has a very confusing permit system (5 different types, confusing sign placement) so if you go to them early they will go easy on you. But yes, as with others above, if you're a registered student you will have to pay it eventually and if you wait you will just pay more.
posted by boobjob at 3:07 PM on July 29, 2011 [2 favorites]

I didn't pay a ticket I got at the university I went to, as I was no longer going there. They sent a letter stating my transcripts would be held. Years later, out of curiosity, I requested my transcripts and they sent 'em right out. YMMV.

Having said that: I am not suggesting you follow in my foolish footsteps here, you should pay the fine and put it behind you.
posted by davejay at 3:11 PM on July 29, 2011

At your rival school, a first offender can go in to Parking Services asap and ask for a fee reduction. Don't know if UW will do this but it's worth a try. Also at your rival school, 3 unpaid offenses and they'll boot your car so you can't drive it.
posted by Knowyournuts at 3:16 PM on July 29, 2011

Having been part of the campus courts system, there's a guaranteed stream of people on graduation day running in cap and gown to the admin building to pay a much-enlarged ticket before they can get their diploma. Of course, by then, they've missed their ceremony, and their family is pissed off.

They have all the cards. You either pay now, or pay a lot more later.
posted by Capt. Renault at 3:31 PM on July 29, 2011

Yeah, universities are crazy. I returned a library book late after graduating, and the alumni association refused to send me the alumni magazine until I paid the $3 fine!

Pay the fine, already.
posted by faster than a speeding bulette at 3:49 PM on July 29, 2011

To echo others, it's pretty typical that transcripts, registration, pretty much anything of major significance to you on the campus, can be held up by outstanding fines. One way that our library does this, for example, is at the end of every semester, fines are transferred directly to the student's bill. Not paying your bill has immediate consequences for registration, while incurring interest fees if not paid, as well as graduation consequences, if not eventually resolved.
posted by SpacemanStix at 3:51 PM on July 29, 2011

Best answer: Many years ago, I had a friend who went to a local community college. Their parking enforcement and security were not actual law enforcement, just employees of the school. They had no connections with the DMV. Vehicle registration was required, but was unenforceable.

They only knew who you were if you had registered your vehicle. Since they had no DMV connections, they couldn't figure out the ownership if you hadn't.

If you registered and got tickets, they would block transcripts and class registrations until you paid your tickets. But if you didn't register your car and got tickets, there wasn't much they could do, since they didn't know who you were.

Needless to say, he did not register his vehicle, and parked almost every day in faculty parking spots. He had a glovebox full of tickets they would write almost every day, but never paid them.

I'd imagine things are no longer like this. Schools now have real cops working, who can run your plates and find out who you are. I'd probably take the ticket seriously.
posted by BryanPayne at 4:09 PM on July 29, 2011

Best answer: At my school, Campus Security noted cars with unpaid tickets and put a "boot" on the car, impounding it in the space, if you showed up again.

Pay the $35. You may think $35 is a lot. But I bet you have done this before and at many other places over the past year or so. Let's say parking is $3 an hour. You've been getting "on demand" spots, so that's got to be worth double, right? So, if you have done this 4 times, you are at breakeven.

(I always pay for parking, but the paper here in Vancouver interviewed the guy with the most parking tickets - a condo realty exec, as I recall - and he explained his breakeven analysis for being able to park anywhere he wanted.)
posted by acoutu at 4:25 PM on July 29, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks, guys! I paid it. I would have appealed, but I don't have the justification to do so (nor do I have the time or energy).

FWIW, the guy who wrote the ticket did NOT look like a cop. He looked very young (I'd guess 20 years old), and was dressed in normal streetwear (including baggy jeans), albeit he had a name badge of some sort (and in fact, I had already gotten into my car before I realized what he was doing!) So I'm not sure if the UW Police and the commuter services/parking enforcement people are the same people.

Regardless, I still have one quarter left until graduation, and although I've already registered, I hadn't considered that they could decide to withhold my degree or transcripts. While there's nothing on their website warning that they may do this, I'd rather not get a nasty surprise later on, once the fee has increased.

And good point, acoutu-- that does help put it in perspective.
posted by aldebaran at 5:23 PM on July 29, 2011

hmmm.....guys who do NOT seem like cops, wearing blue jeans or whatever, make good "undercover" officers....near a campus town, an undercover cop looks like a grad student or a young married person, you would never think that they were actually a detective........but, what kind of idiot would send undercover police out to do parking tickets?
posted by thelonius at 6:44 PM on July 29, 2011

maybe it was just an townie employee, who has been authorized to tag scofflaw cars?
posted by thelonius at 6:49 PM on July 29, 2011

My university definitely uses parking services minions student employees to do parking sweeps. They're quite scary, actually, they go around in little carts with PDAs and cameras and can document exactly what rule you were breaking in about five seconds flat. I've seen people ticketed, booted, and towed and no one has gotten off on "not actually a cop!!"
posted by anaelith at 8:16 PM on July 29, 2011

Oops. Bad math. I changed the hourly parking rate and forgot to change the number of hours accordingly. But at least you got what I meant.
posted by acoutu at 12:42 AM on July 30, 2011

I'd say it really depends on the school. At my private university, you could get quite a few unpaid parking tickets before they did anything. However when I got a parking ticket on a public campus in California, they mailed it to my house when I didn't pay!
posted by radioamy at 7:32 AM on July 30, 2011

UW might be too big to have a community service program, but a friend of mine attended a liberal arts college in South Carolina that would waive on-campus parking tickets in exchange for a feral cat. Students would round up feral cats in order to get their tickets expunged.
posted by Andy's Gross Wart at 4:40 PM on July 30, 2011