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Each year, a swarm of parking enforcement officers issue tickets on tickets in Pennsylvania. One department alone (the Philadelphia Parking Authority) issues about one million parking tickets every single year, bringing in millions of dollars in fine revenue for the state. Here’s what you need to know to help avoid this upward trend.
How Much Is a Parking Ticket in Pennsylvania?
Parking tickets in Pennsylvania vary depending on the type of parking violation the ticket is for. See the table below for the ordinance number, a brief description, and fee amounts for every parking violation in the state:
| Ordinance # | Description of Violation | Initial Fee | Fee Days31 – 60 | Fee Days61+ |
| 564-105 | 48 hour parking restriction on truck, trailer or mobile home | $115.00 | $172.50 | $230.00 |
| 564-105.A | Trucks Trailers Tractors Over 1 Hour | $125.00 | $187.50 | $250.00 |
| 576-402 | Posted limited time parking | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-402-10m | 10 Minute | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-402-15m | 15 minute | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-402-1h | 1 hour | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-402-20m | 20 minute | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-402-2h | 2 hour | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-402-30m | 30 minute | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (A1) | No Stopping, Standing, Parking in Traffic Lane | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-403 (A2) | Parked on sidewalk | $70.00 | $105.00 | $140.00 |
| 576-403 (A3) | Parked within intersection | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-403 (A4) | Parked in crosswalk | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-403 (A5) | Parked within marked safety zone | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (A6) | Parked alongside excavation / construction site | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (A7) | Parked on bridge or elevated roadway | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (A8) | Parked on railroad tracks | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (A9) | Parked between roadways of a divided highway | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (A10) | Parked any place where official signs prohibit stopping | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (B1) | Obstructing driveway issued on complaint | $70.00 | $105.00 | $140.00 |
| 576-403 (B2) | Within 15 feet of fire hydrant | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-403 (B3) | Parked within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-403 (B4) | Parked within 30 feet of traffic signal | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (B5) | Parked within 20 feet of or 75 ft of a fire station | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (B6) | Parked in bus stop | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (B7) | Parked on limited access highway | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (B8) | No standing | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (B9) | No parking yellow curb | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (C1) | Parked within 50 feet of railroad crossing | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (C2) | Official signs posted no parking | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-403 (C3) | Parked in alley less than 18 feet wide | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-404 | Parked obstructing garage entrance | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-405 | Performing greasing or repair work | $90.00 | $135.00 | $180.00 |
| 576-407 | Vehicle stored on city street / property 72 hours | $70.00 | $105.00 | $140.00 |
| 576-408 (A) | Vehicle registration expired or missing | $70.00 | $105.00 | $140.00 |
| 576-408 (B) | Inspection sticker expired or missing | $70.00 | $105.00 | $140.00 |
| 576-408 (C) | Inoperable vehicle parked on street | $70.00 | $105.00 | $140.00 |
| 576-409 | Private property issued on complaint | $70.00 | $105.00 | $140.00 |
| 576-410 | Vehicle in handicapped space no plate or placard | $205.00 | $307.50 | $410.00 |
| 576-411 | Parked in loading / pickup zone | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-414 | Non-payment of parking fee notice | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-417 | Signs posted resident permit zone over time limit | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-418 (A1) | Hazardous vehicle health hazard | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-418 (A2) | Hazardous vehicle fire hazard | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-418 (A3) | Hazardous vehicle traffic hazard | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-420 | Parked against the flow of traffic | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-504 | Parked overtime in limited metered zone | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-509 | Parked overtime at a metered space | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-602 | DAYTIME PARKING RESTRICTIONS | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-602 (B1) | Daytime Restrictions 8-12 | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-602 (B2) | Daytime restrictions 12-4 | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-603 | Official signs posted no parking (Public Works) | $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 |
| 576-816(1) | Boot Fee | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-816(b) | Barnacle Fee | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 576-908 | Official signs posted snow emergency route | $60.00 | $90.00 | $120.00 |
Common PA Parking Tickets
As you can tell from the table above, there are quite a few ways to get a parking ticket in Pennsylvania. However, out of all of those possibilities, a few are much more common than the others.
Expired Parking Meters
Parking tickets for expired meters consistently rank among the most common parking violations in the state. These tickets are what you get if you allow a parking meter to expire. Even if you’re one minute past due, you can still get a ticket for using an expired parking meter, with few exceptions. For example, Harrisburg’s parking authority allows a five-minute grace period.
Double Parking
If you are parallel parked between another parallel-parked vehicle and the road, you are double parked. That is illegal in Pennsylvania and can result in you being issued a ticket.
Parking Within 15 Feet of Fire Hydrants
Pennsylvania state law requires you to provide at least 15 feet of space between your parked vehicle and the nearest fire hydrant. Failure to comply with this requirement can result in you receiving a ticket, even if you are only a foot too close.
Violating a No Stopping Sign
No Stopping means no stopping for anything other than roadway conditions. For example, you can (and should) stop for crossing pedestrians but you cannot stop to drop off passengers or to unload your vehicle.
Parking at a No Standing Sign
No Standing means that you can temporarily stop to pick up or drop off passengers, but not long enough to load or unload your vehicle. It is also illegal to stop and wait for more than a couple seconds or to park your vehicle here.
Disregarding a No Parking Sign
No Parking means that you can temporarily stop to pick up or drop off passengers or load or unload your vehicle, but you cannot stop to wait for somebody nor can you park your vehicle here.
Parking in School Zones
It is typically illegal to park your vehicle in a school zone, as doing so can impede the safe and reliable transportation of students and other school-goers (e.g. faculty and staff). That being said, these restrictions typically do not apply on weekends.
Disputes of a Parking Ticket
Due to the high cost of parking tickets in Pennsylvania, many people have attempted to dispute them in court. Thanks to their efforts (and the expertise of our legal sleuths), we’ve identified a few dispute strategies that are more successful than others. That being said, no strategy is guaranteed to work, but hiring an expert traffic ticket attorney can significantly increase your chances of winning.
Missing or Unreadable Signs
Many laws and a great deal of legal precedents revolve around what a reasonable person might do in a given situation. If you can prove to the court that the signs that resulted in you getting a parking ticket were either missing or unreadable, the court may find that any reasonable person could have made the same mistake as you and therefore could dismiss your case.
Broken Meter
If a parking meter is broken when you pull up to it, you do not just get a free spot. Rather, the law requires you to find another spot and either park there or purchase a receipt from that other meter and display it properly. However, if you can prove that the meter broke or malfunctioned after you successfully paid, you might be able to convince the judge to dismiss your ticket.
Defective Ticket With Wrong Information
In most cases, a typo is not enough to get your ticket dismissed—the judge could just amend it to correct the issue. However, if there are glaring inaccuracies on the ticket, you might be able to use those to have it thrown out. Examples include the entirely wrong license plate, the wrong vehicle make and model, or any other substantially different and false information.
Disabled Ticket
Tickets for illegally parking in disabled parking spaces can cost an arm and a leg in Pennsylvania, which can be particularly frustrating when you’re legally disabled and allowed to park there. If that happens to you, taking your permit, placard, plates, and other paperwork to your court date could be enough to get your ticket dismissed.
What if I Don’t Pay My Pennsylvania Parking Ticket?
Failure to pay a parking ticket in Pennsylvania can result in a great deal of additional penalties, including an additional, criminal charge.
Penalties, Fines, and Interest
In addition to the ordinary financial penalties of a parking ticket, failing to pay will result in those costs going up and additional penalties being levied. In most cases, taking more than 60 days to pay a parking ticket in Pennsylvania can result in the original fine doubling. Wait any longer and you may also find yourself facing late fees, interest charges, and more.
Vehicle Booting and Towing
Accrue too high an overdue balance and the local parking authority might boot or tow your vehicle, footing you with the bill. That means you could end up paying not just the penalties, fines, and interest mentioned above but also the towing and impoundment fees before the tow company will release your vehicle to you.
Arrest
If a court deems your non-payment of a parking ticket to be fueled by criminal intent, a warrant may be issued for your arrest. If you’re convicted of failing to pay, then you might spend a few days or weeks in jail.
Possible License Suspension
If you’re fortunate enough to avoid jail (or even if you’re not), you might still find out that your license has been suspended due to your failure to pay your outstanding parking ticket balance. This is typically an indefinite suspension that lasts as long as your balance remains even partially unpaid.
How To Avoid Pennsylvania Parking Tickets
The best way to avoid a parking ticket in Pennsylvania after receiving one is to contest it in court and win your case with the help of a lawyer, but there are also plenty of ways to reduce the likelihood of getting a ticket in the first place.
Check Your Meter Time Limit and Don’t Arrive Even a Minute Late to Your Car
The moment you pay your meter, make a note of the time at which it expires. If it expires at 5:01 p.m., set an alarm on your phone for 4:51 p.m. That 10-minute gap should enable you to get back to your vehicle early enough to either move it or pay to extend the meter.
Place Your Meter Receipt Face Up on Your Dashboard
Placing your meter receipt face up on the dashboard makes it easier for meter readers to read when on patrol. If they cannot see that it is valid and accurate, they will assume that it’s not, which can result in you getting a ticket despite doing everything else right.
When Multiple Parking Signs Exist in the Same Area, Heed the Advice of the Most Restrictive One
If you’re on a peculiar street where two parking signs seem to contradict each other, it’s best to just park somewhere else. If that’s not an option, following the rules of the most restrictive sign will help to ensure that you’re in compliance with both of them and therefore save you from getting a ticket for either sign.
Keep Your Registration and Insurance Up to Date
Allowing your registration or insurance coverage to lapse can open the door to serious financial and legal consequences. Be sure to always keep this information up to date and have the current documentation stored safely within the vehicle at all times.
Park at Least 15 Feet Away From Fire Hydrants
Never park closer than 15 feet to a fire hydrant. In fact, try to keep at least 20 feet of distance. That’s about two car lengths. Keeping this figure in mind should help to ensure that you never stray into the ticketable distance when parking near a fire hydrant.
Understand the Difference Between No Stopping, No Standing, and No Parking Signs
These three signs are quite similar and often confused for one another. Here’s a helpful way to look at each of them so you can understand the differences:
- No Stopping: No stopping for any reason other than roadway conditions.
- No Standing: No stopping for longer than it takes to pick up or drop off passengers.
- No Parking: No stopping for longer than it takes to pick up or drop off passengers or load or unload items.
Never Park in Any Part of a Crosswalk or Designated Bike Lane
Parking in any way that causes your vehicle to overlap a crosswalk, bike lane, bus lane, fire lane, etc. can result in you receiving a ticket for obstructing that crosswalk or lane. Avoid parking near these whenever possible and, if you absolutely have to park near them, be sure to get out and take a look at your vehicle to ensure that you’re not in violation of the law.
Pay Your Parking Ticket Through Appwinit.com
If you have any outstanding parking tickets, the penalties are only going to increase with time—even if you didn’t even know you had one. If you’ve already been convicted, you should download the WinIt app or go to Appwinit.com to pay your ticket immediately.
If you haven’t already been convicted, however, consider contesting your ticket. Contesting your ticket is the only way to have a chance at completely avoiding all of the penalties that come with a parking ticket conviction. Why pay hundreds of dollars when you could pay an attorney a fraction of the cost, send them to court on your behalf, and win your case with WinIt?
All published fees are estimates which may vary between cities, towns and even counties throughout the State of PA.
