Fight a broken-meter parking ticket in Miami
You were cited for failing to pay at a City of Miami on-street meter, pay-station/kiosk (PARCS), or the parking payment app, but the meter, kiosk, or app was broken, malfunctioning, or would not accept your payment through no fault of your own.
the statement
Copy, customize, submit.
To: Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller — Parking Operations Department Re: Citation No. [CITATION NUMBER] Plate: [PLATE] ([STATE]) Date/Time: [DATE], [TIME] Location cited: [LOCATION] I am requesting a County Court hearing to contest this citation and respectfully ask that it be dismissed. On [DATE] at approximately [TIME], I attempted to pay for parking at [LOCATION] using the [METER / PARCS KIOSK / PARKING APP] serving that spot, but it was broken, malfunctioning, or would not accept payment: [DESCRIBE — e.g., blank or error screen, jammed card slot, app repeatedly failed to process payment]. I made a good-faith effort to pay for parking through no fault of my own. Under City of Miami Code § 35-165(a)–(b), and consistent with the City's own published process for disputing a metered/PARCS invoice issued in error — of which a malfunctioning meter, kiosk, or app is the paradigm case — I ask that this citation be dismissed because the underlying payment failure was not my fault. Attached: [time- and date-stamped photo(s) of the broken meter or kiosk, any screenshot showing a failed payment attempt through the parking app, any "Report an Issue" complaint filed with MPA about the malfunction, and notes on whether a nearby meter or kiosk was tried and what happened there]. Respectfully, [YOUR NAME] [ADDRESS] [PHONE] [EMAIL]
This template is for informational use only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Square-bracketed placeholders must be replaced with your specific facts. Rules and deadlines can change; if your situation is urgent, complicated, or high-stakes, email info@imfrustrated.org for a free conversation with a volunteer attorney before you send it.
how to submit it
A few things before you send.
- 1Read the citation and decide what you're disputing: (a) a purely administrative error — you actually paid, or had a valid e-permit, but the citation says otherwise — or (b) the underlying violation itself.
- 2For (a) overlooked-payment or e-permit citations only: submit MPA's online "Citation Review" Waiver Request Form at workflow.miamiparking.com/citation-review/submit, attaching a copy of the citation and paid-status proof (receipt, credit-card statement, app confirmation, etc.). MPA emails you the result. Any other citation inquiry is directed to the county's Parking Violations Bureau.
- 3For a citation coded as violation 15 (disabled parking space) or 19 (stroller space) where a valid disabled permit was in use: skip the hearing process and submit the Clerk's "Affidavit — Disabled Parking Space" (or "Affidavit for Disabled Parking at Meter") with a copy of the permit registration, a photocopy of the permit owner's driver's license/ID, and the $7.50 statutory dismissal fee; the Clerk "shall dismiss the citation" on receipt of valid proof.
- 4For any other contest: request a County Court hearing within 30 days of the citation's issue date using the Clerk's "Request for Court Hearing" form (CLK/CT. 332). Submit it by email to parkingCT@miamidadeclerk.gov, by mail to the Parking Operations Department, or in person at any Clerk's Office location. Requesting a hearing waives your right to simply pay the civil penalty (Fla. Stat. § 316.1967(4)).
- 5The Clerk mails a Notice to Appear with your hearing date and Zoom/phone details (or check your hearing date anytime through the Clerk's Parking Service Assistant / online parking-citation search). Join by Zoom or phone at the scheduled time and present any evidence by sharing your screen.
- 6If you are found guilty, the court may impose an additional penalty (not exceeding $100) plus court costs, payable at the time of the hearing (Fla. Stat. § 316.1967(4)). If you fail to appear, the hearing may proceed without you and you may be found guilty as if you had attended — and, without a bond posted, the vehicle or license plate may be subject to impoundment.
bring receipts
Attach this evidence.
- ✓Time- and date-stamped photos of the broken meter or kiosk (blank/error screen, jammed slot, non-functioning card reader)
- ✓A screenshot or notification showing a failed payment attempt through the parking app
- ✓Any "Report an Issue" complaint filed with MPA about the malfunction, if you filed one
- ✓Notes on whether you tried a nearby meter or kiosk and what happened there
what Miami rules say
The rule this rests on.
City of Miami Code § 35-165(a)–(b) — Invoice and citations by mail (dispute/appeal of an invoice issued in error)
Miami's code does not name a standalone "broken meter" defense the way some cities do. Instead, City Code § 35-165(a)–(b) requires that any invoice issued for failure to pay metered/PARCS parking include "a method to dispute and appeal the invoice by a party who believes they have received the invoice in error" — a malfunctioning meter, kiosk, or app is the paradigm case of an invoice issued in error. The dispute must be filed within 15 days after the invoice is placed on the vehicle or mailed; a decision is due within 5 business days, with a further appeal to a "neutral third-party adjudicator" within 10 days of that decision. Only if the invoice remains unpaid after this process does the matter become a Miami-Dade County parking citation under § 35-165(c).
if this doesn’t work
Your next move.
If the court finds you guilty at the hearing, it may impose an additional penalty of up to $100 plus court costs, due at the time of the hearing (Fla. Stat. § 316.1967(4)). Failing to appear for your scheduled hearing can result in a guilty finding as if you had attended, and — without a bond posted — your vehicle or license plate may be subject to impoundment. The record does not describe a further appeal step beyond the County Court hearing itself.
questions people ask
FAQ.
Is a broken meter automatically a defense in Miami?
Not automatically — City Code § 35-165(a)–(b) treats it as an invoice issued in error, which you must dispute within 15 days of the invoice being placed on the vehicle or mailed. MPA is required to decide within 5 business days, with a further appeal to a neutral third-party adjudicator within 10 days of that decision.
What if my citation has already become a formal Miami-Dade County citation?
The record's process only becomes a county citation under § 35-165(c) if the invoice goes unpaid after the dispute process. Once it's a county citation, request a County Court hearing within 30 days of the citation's issue date and present the same broken-meter evidence.
What evidence matters most for a broken-meter claim?
Time- and date-stamped photos of the malfunctioning meter or kiosk, a failed-payment screenshot from the parking app, and any "Report an Issue" complaint you filed with MPA about the malfunction.
Nervous about sending it yourself?
we’ll read it over with you.
Email the situation and a volunteer attorney will respond. No commitment, no invoice, no judgment — just an honest second pair of eyes from someone who actually understands the law.
info@imfrustrated.org