Fight a defective parking ticket in Portland (missing or wrong details)
The citation/complaint itself is defective — it is missing a required element (a clear statement of the violation, or the date, time, and place of the alleged offense) or lacks the enforcement officer's signed certification.
the statement
Copy, customize, submit.
To: Multnomah County Circuit Court, Parking Citation Office Re: Citation No. [CITATION NUMBER] Plate: [PLATE] ([STATE]) Date/Time: [DATE], [TIME] Location cited: [LOCATION] Before entering any plea, I move under ORS 153.048 to have this citation/complaint set aside as defective. The citation issued against me is missing or defective in the following required element: [DESCRIBE THE DEFECT — e.g., no clear statement of the violation, no date/time/place of the alleged offense, or no signed certification by the enforcing officer]. Comparing the citation against the copy of the record I received, the field in question reads: [QUOTE OR DESCRIBE WHAT THE CITATION ACTUALLY SHOWS]. Under ORS 153.048, a violation complaint must state the court, the parties, a clear description of the violation with date, time, and place, and the enforcing officer's signed certificate; where a complaint fails to meet these requirements, the court shall set the complaint aside upon motion of the defendant made before the entry of a plea. Because this citation is missing the element described above, I ask that it be set aside on that basis. Attached: [a copy of the actual citation showing the missing or incorrect required field]. 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.
- 1Locate your citation number, date, and the violation code printed on the yellow citation envelope/ticket.
- 2Optionally view the enforcement photos of your vehicle online at PBOT's Citation Photos lookup (citation number and citation date required) before deciding how to respond.
- 3Within 30 days of the citation date, choose one of three responses to avoid the citation going delinquent: (1) pay in full by phone, mail, or the Oregon Judicial Department's Courts E-Pay portal; (2) send a written explanation contesting the citation (a waiver of your right to a court hearing — the judge decides on the papers and either refunds or forfeits your payment); or (3) request a court hearing to plead not guilty.
- 4To plead not guilty and request a hearing, submit the Multnomah County Circuit Court's online Parking Hearing Request Form (linked from the court's 'How Do I Plead Not Guilty and Request a Hearing?' page), or mail/deliver a signed written trial request in the citation envelope. The court's own hearing-request, fine-reduction, registration, ownership-transfer, stolen-vehicle, permit, and disabled-parking-space pages each separately state a 60-day-from-citation-date submission window for their respective forms and documentation — but PBOT's own citation guidance treats 30 days as the operative deadline before delinquency consequences (added fees, a possible immobilization/impoundment warrant) attach, so respond within 30 days whenever possible.
- 5If pursuing a specific documented ground (paid at the time, valid permit/registration not displayed, vehicle sold/transferred/repossessed, vehicle stolen, or a valid disabled parking placard), use the matching Multnomah County Circuit Court form/page and attach the required proof; the court can grant a fine reduction or, on a not-guilty plea, set a trial.
- 6If your hearing is scheduled, appear by the court's video/WebEx hearing process or submit a Trial by Declaration (a sworn written statement) at least 3 business days before the hearing date.
- 7If you miss all deadlines, the court may enter a default judgment for the full fine under ORS 153.820; you generally have up to one year from case closure to file a Motion for Relief from Default Judgment showing good cause, though relief is discretionary.
bring receipts
Attach this evidence.
- ✓A copy of the actual citation showing the missing or incorrect required field
- ✓A motion to set aside the defective complaint, filed with the court before entering a plea, citing ORS 153.048
what Portland rules say
The rule this rests on.
ORS 153.048 — Complaint contents; defective complaint set aside on defendant's motion
Oregon's statewide citation-contents statute, ORS 153.048, requires every violation complaint to state the court, the parties, a clear description of the violation with date/time/place, and the enforcing officer's signed certificate; if a complaint fails to meet these requirements, 'the court shall set the complaint aside upon motion of the defendant made before the entry of a plea.' This is a general Oregon citation-defect rule (applies to violation complaints generally, not a Portland-specific parking dispute ground), so raise it as a motion before entering a plea, ahead of or alongside your not-guilty plea/hearing request.
if this doesn’t work
Your next move.
If the court rules against you, or you miss the response window entirely, the court may enter a default judgment for the full fine under ORS 153.820, issue a warrant for immobilization and/or impoundment of the vehicle, and assign the balance to collections with added fees. You generally have up to one year from case closure to file a Motion for Relief from Default Judgment with the Multnomah County Circuit Court showing good cause, though relief after that period is granted only at the court's discretion.
questions people ask
FAQ.
Is any error on a Portland parking citation enough to get it thrown out?
No — ORS 153.048 requires the complaint to state the court, the parties, a clear description of the violation with date/time/place, and the officer's signed certificate. The missing or wrong field has to be one of those required elements, not a minor cosmetic typo.
Do I file this instead of, or along with, a not-guilty plea?
ORS 153.048 requires this motion to be made 'before the entry of a plea,' so raise it first — before or alongside your written not-guilty plea and hearing request to the Multnomah County Circuit Court.
What if the citation is missing the officer's signed certification?
That's one of the four required elements under ORS 153.048 (court, parties, violation description with date/time/place, and the officer's signed certificate). A citation missing the officer's certification is exactly the kind of defect this statute addresses.
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