Parking tickets do not go on your record, but not paying them might impact your car insurance rates. The DMV keeps an administrative record of your driving history—which includes any and all tickets. Parking tickets show up as non-moving violations on your record, meaning that they are less serious than other infractions.
Make sure to pay all your parking tickets promptly, otherwise, it will show up on your credit score and cause an increase in your car insurance
rates. Being a car owner is expensive enough already! Don’t let any fines pile up. Still stressed about your parking ticket? The car insurance comparison shopping and broker app Jerry
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Does a parking ticket go on your record or give you points?
No, parking tickets don’t go on your permanent record, nor do they contribute to points.
The DMV does keep a record of your driving history, which includes parking tickets. But this is only an administrative record. When a car insurance company looks you up, it does not look at the DMV’s administrative record, but rather the points you’ve incurred for serious offenses.
Serious moving violations—like speeding or causing an accident—can result in points, which get added to your permanent record. Get too many points and you could be hit with a fine, license suspension, or even jail time. However, a regular parking ticket is not associated with any points.
If you pay the fee associated with your citation
, it shouldn’t impact your driving privileges. Dealing with a parking ticket
A driver who made a legitimate mistake should pay a parking ticket fee as soon as possible.
Why is paying immediately so important? If you procrastinate on making the payment, your fee could go up or it could be sent to collections. This would be reported to the DMV and could result in a license suspension or even jail time.
If you do not believe that you deserve the ticket, you can appeal your case in court.
Prepare by collecting evidence, such as photos, and writing a statement about the event. The presiding judge will hear from both you and the officer who wrote the ticket. You’ll have to abide by the judge’s decision. Sometimes, officers are too busy to show up, which could work to your advantage!
What about private parking tickets?
If you park somewhere illegally in a private lot, such as a shopping mall or university campus, you may be issued a ticket by a third party.
You might be surprised to know that private parking tickets are very difficult to enforce legally. To make you pay, the company would have to take you to court and prove damages. This is usually more costly than the ticket itself, so it doesn’t happen often.
The good news is that a private parking ticket won’t dirty up your clean driving record
. However, it could mean that you are forbidden from parking there in the future. You could even be towed. Key Takeaway While a parking ticket doesn’t go on your record, make sure you pay the fee right away to avoid other consequences.
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Do parking tickets increase insurance?
Yes, a parking ticket could indirectly impact your car insurance rates—if you don’t pay the fine.
Parking tickets are non-moving violations, and they’re not considered as serious as moving violations (such as speeding or a DUI
). Generally, you’re not putting anyone else in real danger by parking incorrectly (unless you’re illegally parked in an emergency zone!). That’s why a normal parking ticket won’t directly affect your insurance rates. What happens if you don’t pay the fine?
Not paying your ticket will affect your credit, which could impact your car insurance rates (depending on your state).
If you don’t live in California
, Hawaii
, or Massachusetts
(where factoring credit scores into insurance premiums is banned), insurance companies can check your credit score
and driving record before offering you a policy. Unpaid fines for parking tickets lower your credit and could make you a high-risk driver. Risky drivers get charged a higher premium because they are more likely to cost the company more by filing frequent claims.
Another possible consequence is license suspension. Not only is it a hassle to reinstate your license, but having your license suspended could result in a gap in your insurance coverage. This makes you even riskier to insurers.
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Nope! Parking tickets will only affect your credit score if you don’t pay the ticket by the due date. Then it could go to collections, which could ding your credit.
Final word
Yes, parking signs can be hard to interpret sometimes, but there’s no need to worry if you get a parking ticket. They do not get added to your permanent driving record. So long as you pay your fees promptly, parking tickets don’t have to be a big deal.
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