Rules for parking at broken meters vary by location. Check with your local department of parking and transportation. Report broken meters and note that in some areas, parking at a broken meter is not allowed and can result in a ticket or towing. Some cities allow parking at broken meters for the posted time limit. Tampering with meters can result in heavy penalties.
The rules about parking at a broken meter vary by municipality. As a result, it is not possible to provide a definitive answer as to whether or not you can park there without getting a parking ticket. Your local department of parking and transportation will be able to tell you if it’s okay to park at a broken meter or not, and if you don’t like their policy, feel free to push to change it.
In all cases, the parking and transportation departments rely on motorists to report broken meters. If you see a meter that is obviously damaged, you should report it, and you should also report meters that don’t seem to be timing correctly, or meters that are stuck. You can also leave a note on the meter to warn other people, especially if the meter ate your coins. You can report broken meters directly to the transportation department and passing police officers.
In areas where parking at a broken meter is not allowed, broken meters are usually bagged with shiny plastic to attract the attention of meter repairmen, and the plastic may have a notice including a warning that it is not legal to park there . In these areas, motorists who choose to park anyway risk getting a ticket and, in some cases, being towed. If you are a visitor and park at a broken meter that does not have such a notice, you can avoid paying the ticket by arguing that you were not aware of city policy, but don’t count on it.
Other cities have more relaxed rules, asking motorists to report broken meters and allowing motorists to park at broken meters. This is common in congested urban areas, where open parking spaces would likely be filled anyway, and a parking restriction could cause congestion. In these cities, motorists are generally allowed to park at a broken meter for the posted time allowed; For example, if the meter is in a two-hour zone, the motorist may park for two hours, but no more.
In the event that you pull over and don’t realize the meter is broken, as might happen in the case of a meter that doesn’t measure time correctly, you’ll likely be forgiven, especially if you report the problem. You may also want to be aware that tampering with the meters can lead to heavy penalties, which can include jail time.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
