How Long Do Parking Tickets Stay On Your Record?

While getting a ticket may be a slight annoyance to you, something that you would recover from in a short amount of time, he problem arises when you’re asked “how’s your driving record?” and this is when all the parking tickets that you’ve left unpaid come back to haunt you.

While most people do not even consider an unpaid parking ticket as a blemish on their record, it is an important part, whether you are aware of the fact or not.

Now answering the question, how long does an unpaid parking ticket stay on your driving record,

It’s forever.

FOREVER.

Remember all the parking tickets on your record? Probably not.

But your record remembers.

As the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles clarifies, the record is maintained so that the state can keep a track on the times you went to driving school. For speeding tickets, it’s 75 years, which, unless you’re planning to be still hale and healthy after a hundred years or have a time machine, is still forever in our dictionary.

If you don’t want the ticket to go on your record in the first place, then you can contest it by hiring a traffic attorney. If you win, the ticket will never be on your record.

And another aspect to keep in mind:

If you have more than 10 unpaid tickets on your record, your license will be liable to suspension.

So if you have a bunch of parking tickets left unpaid, then it is best to have them paid as soon as possible.

Another popular question that we often receive:

Does defensive driving dismiss parking tickets?

Well, sadly, no. Defensive driving focuses solely on moving violations and parking tickets are categorized under non-moving violations. So the best way to get the parking ticket dismissed is to pay it as soon as possible.

Many people might delay the payment, and, as a result, forget all about it. The result is that their tickets pile up, cross the ten-ticket limit and they get surprised when they find that their license is suspended.

Don’t be that person.

It is important to pay the parking tickets timely (or contest them), so that you don’t end up with your license suspended and you being all shell-shocked with what just happened. Not to mention that you will probably have to pay a license reinstating fee and appear in court so as to get you license back.

That’s too much hassle than just paying the parking ticket on time, isn’t it?

Be responsible.

Drive safe.