Parking Citations

No. Parking citations are not criminal offenses in the State of California, so you will not be arrested for not paying your parking citation. However, there IS an additional fine of $53.00 for citations that are not paid on time and a hold may be placed on your vehicle registration at DMV. If a hold IS placed on your vehicle's registration, you will be unable to register your vehicle until ALL of your outstanding parking citations have been paid in full. In addition, your delinquent unpaid parking citations may be referred to an outside collection agency for collection proceedings against you, which may also effect your credit rating.

Yes. Pursuant to California Vehicle Code Section 22651(i)(1) your vehicle may be towed if there are five (5) or more unpaid parking citations issued to that specific license plate.

No. Parking citations cannot be cancelled due to financial hardship or inability to pay. Additional penalties will be imposed if your citation is not paid within the prescribed time and a DMV hold may be placed on your vehicle's registration. In addition, your delinquent citation may be referred to an outside collection agency for proceedings against you, which may effect your credit rating.

It takes approximately 30 days from the date you pay your citation before the Department of Motor Vehicles records will show that payment was made. If you need to obtain your vehicle registration right away, you can call Parking Citation Service Center at (866) 450-2508 and request an abstract of the payment. When you present your abstract at the DMV along with your vehicle registration fee, you may deduct the dollar amount of the citation for the registration fees. Abstracts will only be given when the Parking Administration Office is able to confirm your payment.

No. You cannot appeal the late fee. Per the California Vehicle Code, parking citations must be paid within 21 days of the issue date, or 14 days from issuance of the delinquent parking notice. If you moved and did not receive your delinquent parking notice and you failed to submit a change of address with the Department of Motor Vehicles, (DMV) within 10 days from the date you moved, you will still be held responsible for any additional late charges.

If you have proof that you have corrected your violation from a California Law Enforcement Officer or Agency, your fine may be reduced to $10.00. To qualify for the fine reduction, the certificate of correction section (located on the back of your citation) must be completed by a law enforcement agency or officer and returned by mail with your payment. NOTE. If you were also cited for a parking violation on the same citation as the 4000(A), 5200(A), or 5204(A) sections, you MUST respond to BOTH violations before your citation can be cleared.

If you received a notice of delinquent parking and your vehicle was not in the City of San Dimas on the date the citation was issued, you need to call the Parking Citation Service Center at 1 (866) 450-2508 and request an Administrative Review Form. Complete the Administrative Review Form and submit it along with your vehicle registration and a copy of the delinquent notice. An investigating officer will review the appeal and render a decision as to whether or not you are responsible for paying the parking citation. You will receive written communication from the Parking Administration Office that will provide you with the status of the parking citation.

No. You cannot appeal your parking citation if you do not do so within 21 days from the date your parking citation was issued, or 14 days from the date of your delinquent parking notice. The time allowed is specified in the California Vehicle Code. There are no exceptions unless one of the following conditions exists…your vehicle was stolen at the time the parking citation was issued or…the owner of the vehicle is deceased.

No. Payment extensions are not granted. The Department of Motor Vehicles, (DMV) requires that you pay your citation in full within 21 days from the date that your parking citation was issued, or 14 days from the date of your delinquent parking notice. There are no exceptions.

No. Parking citations are not criminal offenses and as such, community service cannot be performed in lieu of paying for your parking citation

If you were the registered owner of the vehicle at the time you received the parking citation or notice of delinquent parking, you are responsible for paying the citation. If you did not own the vehicle at the time the parking citation was issued, then it is your responsibility to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles that you sold the vehicle. You are required to submit a Release of Responsibility Form that includes the date you sold the vehicle, as well as the name and address of the person who bought your vehicle. If you are still receiving parking citations from the City of San Dimas, it probably means that the Department of Motor Vehicles records are still showing you as the registered owner of the vehicle that received the parking citation

The city's Parking Enforcement Division obtains vehicle registration information, (i.e. name and address of the vehicle's registered owner) from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. In accordance with the California Vehicle Code, you are required by law to provide them with a current mailing address within ten, (10) days of a change of address. If you moved and did not provide the Department of Motor Vehicles with your new mailing address within the prescribed time, you will be responsible for any late fees charged to your citation, even if the delinquency notice or Initial Review Outcome letter is mailed to your old address.

You will need to come into City Hall to the Cashier and provide the license plate number of the vehicle that was cited. You will then be provided with all citations attached to that license plate.

California Vehicle Section §40215 provides citizens with an opportunity to contest a parking citation, Per this code, there are three levels of contestment:

Initial Review:

The citation bail amount does not have to be paid to contest your citation at this level.

If you disagree with the parking citation that you received and would like to contest it, you have 21 days from the date the citation was issued, or within 14 days from the mailing of the ‘Notice of Delinquent Parking Violation,’ to request an Initial Review.

You may request an Initial Review by calling the ‘866’ number on the bottom of the citation. Requests for Initial Reviews WILL NOT be accepted beyond the date prescribed by the California Motor Vehicle Code. Please complete the entire form and attach all relevant information INCLUDING a copy of the citation and mail it to the address listed at the bottom of the citation. You may download a Contest Form online, print it out, and mail it. Click HERE to download printable Contest Form.

Or you may complete the entire process online. Click HERE to contest a parking citation online.
Once received, an investigating officer will review the form along with any supporting documentation you have provided. After careful investigation, a written response will be mailed to the contestant, and a copy will be filed at Parking Citation Service Center. Please note, documents submitted by you cannot be returned.

Your Initial Review will be examined and investigated thoroughly, and a determination will be made, rendering one of the following decisions:

1. The citation was determined to be invalid and will be dismissed. If this is the decision, then no further action will be required on your part. You will receive written correspondence confirming the dismissal of the citation.
2. The citation was determined to be valid, and payment must be made in full. You will receive written correspondence notifying you of the decision and advising you that the citation must still be paid.

Administrative Hearing:

If you are dissatisfied with the results of the Initial Review, you may further contest the citation by requesting an Administrative Hearing. However, unlike the Initial Review, California State Law requires that you pay in advance, all fines that are owed on the citation before you can request an Administrative Hearing. Administrative Hearings must be requested within 21 days from the date the decision was reached on your Initial Review. If you fail to request an Administrative Hearing within the prescribed time, you will lose the opportunity to contest the citation further.

To request an Administrative Hearing, please contact Parking Citation Service Center at (866) 450-2508 and request an Administrative Hearing request form. Complete and submit the form, along with a check or money order for the full amount of the parking violation penalty (ties), payable to the City of San Dimas.

IF YOU FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF LEVELS 1 and 2 IN THE ABOVE MANNER AND WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME LIMITS, YOU WILL LOSE THE STATUTORY ABILITY TO CONTEST A NOTICE OF PARKING VIOLATION.

The Hearing Examiner must consider the results of the Initial Review, (Level 1) when rendering a final decision. Since the results of the Initial Review must be forwarded to the Hearing Examiner as part of the contestant’s file, a hearing cannot be scheduled until the Initial Review is completed.

Once the request for an Administrative Hearing is completed and the parking penalty deposited, (within the prescribed time limit) the contestant will be notified of the hearing date, time and location. You may elect to attend the hearing in person; to do so, you must complete a Hearing Declaration Form. If you cannot attend the hearing in person, you may elect to have the Hearing Examiner render his decision based on the statement you submitted on your Initial Review Form, or you may submit a Written Declaration. You may also use the Written Declaration Form to add any additional information not included on your original Initial Review Form.

The final decision of the Administration Hearing may be delivered personally to the contestant by the Hearing Examiner or mailed to the contestant via First Class Mail. If the contestant prevails, the City of San Dimas will reimburse the contestant for any fines paid before the scheduling of the Administrative Hearing.

Note: If you are unable to attend the Administrative Hearing on the scheduled date, you may reschedule your hearing ONE TIME. To reschedule your hearing, please call Parking Citation Service Center Office at (866) 450-2508. If you are not in attendance on the date of your rescheduled hearing, you will lose the opportunity to contest your parking citation, AND you will forfeit all bail amounts related to the citation you wish to contest.

Court Appeal:

If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Hearing Examiner, you may further contest the parking citation by filing an appeal at Pomona Municipal Court. You cannot appeal a parking citation if you have not first obtained the results from your Initial Review AND your Administrative Hearing. Furthermore, appeals MUST be made requested within 30 days from the date of the Hearing Examiner’s decision. Requests for appeal must be done in person at Pomona Municipal Court, and the contestant will be required to pay a fee of $25.00 for the filing of the notice of appeal with the court.

If the contestant prevails in court, the City of San Dimas will reimburse the contestant for the $25.00 filing fee and will also refund any parking penalty (ties) paid by the Court’s decision.

CONTESTANT STATEMENT OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A hearing for parking citations is now, (by California law) a Civil Action. This means that you have the obligation to show by a preponderance of the evidence that the citation in question was not validly issued. The preponderance of the evidence means evidence, (as a whole) shows the fact which you seek is more probable than not. Such evidence may include, (but is not limited to) documents or the testimony of witnesses.

1. During the hearing, you will be asked to enter a plea. The plea may be…’admit Liability with explanation’…or…’deny liability’…The fine or any late penalties may be sustained or dismissed, depending on the evidence.
2. The original or any true copy of the citation containing all material information is…’prima facie’…evidence that the violation occurred. Prima facie means legally sufficient to establish a fact or a case unless disproved. The issuing officer is not required to be present at this hearing.
3. You have the right to present oral testimony and to call witnesses during the hearing. You also have the right to submit documentary evidence in support of your case.
4. If you desire to appeal the decision to the Court, you must file an appeal with the Court within 30 calendar days of the date of mailing of the decision and deposit a $25.00 fee with the Court. Your failure to timely appeal and pay the $25.00 appellate fee will result in the waiver of your right to appeal.

IF A NOTICE OF APPEAL OF THE DECISION OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING, (LEVEL 2) IS NOT FILED WITHIN THE 30 DAY TIME LIMIT, THE DECISION OF THE HEARING EXAMINER WILL BE DEEMED