Fight a broken-meter parking ticket in San Diego
You were cited at a space regulated by a parking meter or pay station, but that meter or payment center was inoperable — it could not physically accept payment in ANY form, or could not register that a payment had been made. A meter that still accepts some payment methods (e.g., cards) while another (e.g., coins) is down is not "inoperable" for this purpose.
the statement
Copy, customize, submit.
To: City of San Diego, Office of the City Treasurer — Parking Administration Re: Citation No. [CITATION NUMBER] Plate: [PLATE] ([STATE]) Date/Time: [DATE], [TIME] Location cited: [LOCATION] I am requesting an Administrative (Initial) Review of Citation No. [CITATION NUMBER] under California Vehicle Code §40215 and ask that it be canceled. On [DATE] at approximately [TIME], I attempted to pay for parking at [LOCATION] using the meter or pay station serving that space, meter number [METER NUMBER, e.g. "4-1615", IF VISIBLE]. The meter could not accept payment in any form: [DESCRIBE — e.g., blank or error display, rejected coins, rejected credit/debit card, no functioning screen]. I tried [LIST EVERY PAYMENT METHOD ATTEMPTED], and each one failed. [IF REPORTED: I reported this meter to San Diego's Parking Meter Operations line at 619-744-1705 on [DATE REPORTED].] Under CVC §22508.5, a local authority may not issue a nonpayment citation at a meter or payment center that "cannot accept payment in any form or cannot register that a payment in any form has been made." Because the meter at this location was inoperable within the meaning of that statute, I ask that this citation be canceled. Attached: [time-stamped photo(s) of the meter's error message or inoperable display, a description of every payment method attempted and how each one failed, the meter number, and confirmation of any report made to Parking Meter Operations]. 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.
- 1Note your citation number and the license/plate number, and confirm the violation code, date, time, and location printed on the citation. Any appeal must be requested (postmarked, if by mail) within 21 calendar days from the date the citation was issued, or 14 calendar days from the mailing of a notice of delinquent parking violation.
- 2Do not send payment with your appeal request, and do not simply pay the citation if you intend to contest it — under California Vehicle Code §40204(a), once the parking penalty is received and there is no contest, the proceedings terminate, closing off your right to appeal.
- 3Request the free Administrative (Initial) Review one of several ways: online through the City's Administrative Review portal (linked from sandiego.gov/parking/citations and sandiego.gov/parking/citations/appeal), by mail to Parking Administration – Citation Appeals, P.O. Box 129038, San Diego, CA 92112-9038, by fax to (619) 533-3205, by phone at (866) 470-1308, or in person. You have the burden of proof — submit the citation (or a photocopy) and all supporting evidence (statements, charts, diagrams, photographs, drawings, maps, or receipts) at the time you appeal; evidence will not be returned and copies will not be provided later. You do not attend a hearing at this stage.
- 4If your dispute is that you sold or transferred the vehicle before the citation date, complete the affidavit of non-liability printed on the back of the Notice of Parking Violation and mail it with proof of the sale to Parking Administration/Sold Vehicle at the same P.O. Box. If your dispute is that the vehicle was stolen before the citation was issued, mail a copy of the stolen-vehicle police report, a copy of the vehicle-recovery report (if recovered), or — if never recovered — a letter from your insurance company documenting the loss.
- 5Wait for Parking Administration to mail its Administrative Review decision. A notice of the decision is mailed to you regardless of the outcome. If the citation is canceled, you're done.
- 6If the citation is upheld, the decision letter includes instructions for the next step: you must request a formal Administrative Hearing no later than 21 calendar days from the mailing of the Administrative Review results. Under California Vehicle Code §40215(b), you must deposit the full amount of the parking penalty to request the hearing, unless you qualify for and are granted an indigency waiver under the issuing agency's written procedure.
- 7Choose your hearing format — in person before a hearing officer, or by submitting a written declaration — consistent with CVC §40215(c). An independent hearing examiner, who by law must be separate from the citation, collection, or processing function, decides the case and mails a written decision. If you are found not liable, your deposited penalty is refunded.
- 8If the hearing officer's decision is not in your favor, you may seek review by the San Diego Superior Court within 30 calendar days after the decision is mailed, under California Vehicle Code §40230. The case is heard de novo, and a civil court filing fee (set under Government Code §70615) applies; the fee is reimbursed to you by the processing agency if you prevail. The court's decision is final — there is no further appeal.
bring receipts
Attach this evidence.
- ✓Time- and date-stamped photos of the meter's error message, blank display, or otherwise inoperable state
- ✓A note of every payment method you attempted at that meter and how each one failed
- ✓The meter number (printed on the street side of the meter housing or at the bottom of the display screen, in a format like "4-1615")
- ✓Confirmation that you reported the meter to San Diego's Parking Meter Operations line at 619-744-1705, if you did
what San Diego rules say
The rule this rests on.
CVC §22508.5 — Inoperable parking meters and payment centers
San Diego's own Parking Meter Operations page tells drivers who find a broken meter to move to another meter and to report the meter number to 619-744-1705. Neither San Diego's Municipal Code nor its published citation-appeal materials set out a separate, San-Diego-specific "broken meter" dispute rule; the operative dismissal ground is the statewide inoperable-meter rule in CVC §22508.5, which defines an "inoperable parking meter" as one that "cannot accept payment in any form or cannot register that a payment in any form has been made," and bars a local authority from issuing a nonpayment citation at such a meter.
if this doesn’t work
Your next move.
If your Administrative (Initial) Review is denied, the decision letter includes instructions for the next step: you must request a formal Administrative Hearing no later than 21 calendar days from the mailing of the Administrative Review results. Under California Vehicle Code §40215(b), you must deposit the full amount of the parking penalty to request the hearing, unless you qualify for and are granted an indigency waiver under the issuing agency's written procedure. Choose your hearing format — in person before a hearing officer, or by submitting a written declaration — consistent with CVC §40215(c). An independent hearing examiner, who by law must be separate from the citation, collection, or processing function, decides the case and mails a written decision; if you are found not liable, your deposited penalty is refunded. If the hearing officer's decision is not in your favor, you may seek review by the San Diego Superior Court within 30 calendar days after the decision is mailed, under California Vehicle Code §40230. The case is heard de novo, and a civil court filing fee (set under Government Code §70615) applies; the fee is reimbursed to you by the processing agency if you prevail. The court's decision is final — there is no further appeal.
questions people ask
FAQ.
Is it enough that the meter didn't take my card?
Only if the meter was truly inoperable — CVC §22508.5 defines that as a meter that cannot accept payment in any form, or cannot register that payment was made. A meter that still takes coins but rejected your card is not "inoperable" under the statute. Try, and document, every payment method the meter accepts.
Who do I report a broken meter to in San Diego?
San Diego's Parking Meter Operations page tells drivers who find a broken meter to move to another meter and report the meter number to 619-744-1705.
Where do I find the meter number?
It's printed on the street side of the meter housing, or at the bottom of the display screen, in a format like "4-1615."
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