I too am one of the many people affected by this unpaid ticket controversy. I lived in baltimore city, at the time, and our car was given tickets because we didn't have a residential sticker, the tickets amounted to around $300.00, but because of the "additional fee's" it has amassed to over $3,000 owed. I cannot get a renewal to the car I now own because MVA has a flag on my current tags until this debt is paid in baltimore.

I just read that baltimroe recently "found" money in an account that they didn't know they had, well I bet some of that money is that $3000.00 that they say I owe!

How about a parking amensty? That would allow me to pay for the original ticket fee without the added penalties.

Winers, Winers, Winers. Just pay the stupid ticket when you get it, then you won't be stupid. If you can't do the time then don't do the crime.

They only give people like two weeks to pay a fine, then the late fees start adding up. I'd propose extending that to at least 30 days, give people some time to send it in. And for those who can't afford the fines and penalties, maybe some sort of relief or payment plan.

But, on the other hand, don't break the parking laws and you wouldn't be in this situation!

Thanks for writing your story, "Fine Collection Angers Drivers" in today's issue of the Sun. There's a potential angle that's not fully explored in today's article: that the City of Baltimore does not allow its mail to be forwarded, and that if you no longer reside at your "last known address," the city's letters are returned to the office that mailed it. In my case, there were no other efforts made to communicate with me between the issuance of tickets in 2002 and the the letter I received from Linebarger, their collections agent, in 2009.

I lived in Baltimore for one-year, doing a medical residency, from 2002 - 2003. During that time, I was, apparently, issued 5 parking meter citations at ~$21 each. I had just moved to Baltimore from Durham, NC, where I'd been in graduate school. The tickets were issued while I still had NC pates. I changed over to MD plates shortly thereafter, and, I'm certain, received more parking tickets. I paid those, but never received ANY written communication about the ones written on my NC plates. Had I known that I had fines, and that they carried uncapped penalties, I would've paid those too.

After not hearing anything for 6.5 years, I received a collection letter from Linebarger a little more than a month ago. I called the City's Parking Fines Office, and was told by the customer service representative to whom I spoke that I was sent three letters--two in 2002 and one in 2003. After asking several questions, she told me they were sent to my old (graduate school) address in Durham, NC, and that they had NOT been forwarded to my address in Baltimore (or DC, where I moved at the end of my one-year residency in Baltimore), because the City does not forward its mail. It strikes me as odd that the city would issue a fine and then not make a good-faith effort to collect it. There are many firms that would've provided an accurate mailing address -- Linebarger had no problem finding me; the City could have done so just as easily.

I'm a member of the Facebook group that was mentioned in the article, but have never written about my experiences until this email. I've received the forms from the City to request a trial date, but am not encouraged at the prospects for being granted a hearing.

If you know you aren't to park somewhere then DON'T and if you get the ticket just pay it! I agree that there should be a 30 day grace period, but other than that just pay up! you wouldn't skip out on a BG&E bill if you knew it was late why would you let a little $23 fine go for years and years til you owe $3,000!!!! thats just irresponsible.

I have been trying to write to you all for so long about this issue. Not only was I fined for parking tickets that were late, way too many times, I was also given tickets for un-warrented citations. I recieved at least two tickets in the mail for tickets that I never got. They had no location for where the citation took place and had no time for when the citation took place. ( location:unknown, time:unknown) The city sent me late notices even though I did not get a ticket. I had to pay late fees because the tickets was put in the system.

One of the reasons I moved out of the city was because of the rediculous parking issues and the systems errors.

I live in the city and have gotten tickets - at one point I was getting more than 12 a year.
I would wait until the city sent the first notice and then immediately paid by check. As long as you pay within 30 days of that notice, there is no fine.
Once, they never received my check and I ended up paying $150 for the ticket.
Since then, I've done my best to pay in person.

The solution is simple - pay your tickets. If you can't scrounge up $50 in the two months that they give you, then you can't afford to own a car.

I got 3 tickets totalling $77 and was told I owe over $2500!!!! WTH What makes me more angry is that I have sold the car and returned the tags in 2005. I have been able to purchase another car, get new tags, and renew them. Someone explain to me how all of that was able to happen if I owed the City of Baltimore close to $3000 is tickets?

Can anyone tell me what the penalty is for just ignoring the collection agency?

Also, why does the city insist that the "violator" apply for a trial date? Shouldn't the city take the violator to court?

I think this is a major scam created by the city to raise revenue by scaring law abiding people into paying exorbitant fines.

Just say NO!

This post is not specific to the outrageous late-fees being imposed by the city, but rather the issue of lack of permit parking in Canton! Other neighborhoods, including Federal Hill, Mt Vernon, etc. have est. permit parking rules but not Canton. Clearly there is a need for permit parking as many of us who own homes, and pay extremely high property taxes, have to fight day in and day out to find a parking spot. The city states that it would like to retain it's citizens yet it imposes unncecessary fines and fails to implement sensible parking alternatives! Enough is enough!

I went to court for a former colleague who racked up $800 in parking fines for two tickets she didn't recall receiving in 2006. (By the time she had received notice of them in late 2008, they were completely out of hand. She would have paid them had she known about them.) She is now out of state and couldn't make the court date, thus why I went in her place. Judge waived all the fines; only had to pay the court costs (about $22 per ticket). In fact, judge that morning waived EVERY SINGLE PERSON'S parking tickets. He was great! It's worth setting a court date for these! Paying $44 was a lot better than paying $800+.

No sympathy here. Pay your parking tickets on time people. If you don't want to pay fines, how about actually parking your car correctly in the first place.

And no, there is no such thing as "free parking". That space has intrinsic property value. Even metered public spaces are massively under-priced compared to market parking rates. Under-priced and free parking have serious negative consequences for the economy of any city. Take a look at any picture of Baltimore in 19th century - every street was an outdoor market, not a parking lot for cars to get to a mall somewhere out in the suburbs. Everything has a price.

Jason , I also feel that it is your responsibility to pay the ticket, just registering your vehicle in the current state doesn't get you off of the ticket for being there with expired tags ... You do owe the fine and I think that what they charge for interest is too much as I previously stated ... but even you weren't sure if you paid it ... I don't know anyone that doesn't remember paying there tickets, unless they prefer to not want to remember , due to the fact that it may make their scenaro appear better, I don't care whether you remember or not you are guilty of the parking , Pay up ... just not as much as they are penalizing , but it doesn't get you off of the hook of being guilty .

THIS is a prime example of the government that is supposed to be FOR the people is actually AGAINST the people. The legal system had best get back to serving the people before the people resort to violence to get their points across. Soon, car bombs will be the only way to get the government to pay attention to their non-stop raping of the people.

Some of your comments are funny and others are crazy, and a few of you are borderline scary. When you see that paper under the windshield wiper on your car that means that you have a parking citation. It must be paid. Have a few less expensive coffees, dine our one less time and save a few bucks so you can pay within 30 days. If you owe a credit card bill or utilities or cell phone bill or your car payment or housing bill you must pay on time or there will be penalties. Protest scream and holler all you want but the bill remains and the late penalties continue to acrue. The parking citation is a bill that you created so pay it.

I do think that there should be a cap of $500 on the late fines, and they should be added to your driver's license fee or your auto registration fee. That delinquency should also transferred between states if you decide to move.

Put down your guns and ammo and pipe-bombs and protest placards and write a check for the amount owed. Don't delay, do it TODAY.

This is not an example of a government being against the people. As a resident of Baltimore City, I WANT strict parking penalties so people actually obey the laws. People who park illegally take spots from residents and interrupt public transportation. I wish they were more strict with ticketing.

Its very simple; if you get a ticket, pay it. You have to be responsible.

Mr. Howard, you should have just paid the ticket . Most of us get a parking ticket, find out what the violation was, pay the fine, and just go on with our lives and avoid future violations. Mr. Howard, you have chosen instead of just paying a 23- dollar ticket allow it to get to $600+. You deserve this for stupidity. In an age where people are losing their homes to foreclosures, losing chunks of their retirement savings, houses are burning down because of extreme rate hikes by power company, you whine about a $23 parking ticket. The city should have charged you $10,000 for being so stupid.

I live in Upper Fells Point. If I come home after 9 pm there are no legal places to park. What am I expected to do? Eat my car or ram it in to my living room. I wish Baltimore put more energy in locking up violent criminals and be more understanding toward its law biding taxpayers.

Ok, so I lived in Baltimore City in 2002...and got ticketed a couple of times around September for having my car parked during "street cleaning" times. My bad. In December, I was joining the Army and my recruiter told me that I needed to pay my outstanding tickets or I wouldn't get my security clearance granted which I needed for my chosen job. Ok...so I marched my butt down to the government building to pay my fines - IN PERSON. Shortly thereafter, (we're talking like a week or two), I left for Basic Training, and haven't been back since. I absolutely know that my payment didn't get lost in the mail; so why was my payment never processed? Any why am I only NOW receiving notices of these "outstanding" tickets? What was originally three $32 parking tickets have amassed to $3,920...and counting! I refuse to pay. Why should I have to when I already paid the original fines? Of course I have no proof now, since this occurred 6 years ago and I have lived in 5 different places (including Korea) since then. Being in the military, I am not a hard person to find. They did not make much of an attempt to collect their money to begin with, and to come back 6 years later with their hands out - knowing that their late penalties are perpetual - is ludicrous. Sorry Baltimore City...you won't be getting any money from me.

If you receive a parking ticket, pay it. If you feel you received it in error, fight it in court. Stop complaining and whining.

I received several parking tickets in Baltimore City. Three to four months later I paid all of the tickets and late fees. The problem is I received a letter in the mail from MVA advising me that I also owed them an addtional fee of $60 per ticket. I was shocked. What are these fees for? Isn't the late fees I already paid more than enough? Fees associated with a boot or at the time of renewal is somewhat acceptable but neither applied in my case.

The working class is being financially drained by a society that just does not care.

I moved the Europe a few years ago, and before I left, I went to pay outstanding tickets in person (some were gotten when I was in the process of moving, car tailgate up, filled with stuff, parked in front of my house, illegally). Thank god all were taken care of.

However, I just got a letter saying that during the time I lived abroad, I had let my car insurance lapse and was being charged $5/day for the entire time I was gone. I used my car up until the minute I left, then took the tags off, and mailed them to DMV, and sold the car and cancelled the insurance. I have no proof I sent the tags back and can prove that I was abroad, but they want the whole penalty, with NO payment plan and there's no court process. Insane!

Hello,
I am a victim of the same thing. In my case they are saying I owe them $2600.00 from 2004 for two $42.00 unpaid parking tickets. They are for no stop/park for street cleaning. I never received a ticket and have moved since 2004 and in the location were they claimed I parked there still is no sign posted.

All I have to say is STOP whining. I lived in the city until I was 26. I only received 1 ticket and it was paid on time. Just pay when you get and there won't be any fines. Also parking in the proper places it best. Don't park in the bus stop, you'll get a ticket. Don't park in residential areas where you need a valid sticker to park, signs are posted. People now days want the easy way out. everybody needs exercise so park a block or two away, it does the body good.
Also for ALL you whiners, if you run thru the E Z PASS lanes and don't pay the bill when it arrives to the registered owner, you'll be fined. If it isn't paid in a timely fashion, the registration and possibly your drivers license could be suspended. You could also be "labeled" a toll evador and have your vehicle impounded.
In a nut shell, pay the fine and STOP whining.

i was going to pay my ticket until I read that police state, south of the border, BS and then I flipped the ticket into the garbage pale, it,s still there. don't pay fee's, if you're a man...every business in this country wants free money called a fee....oops...theres even a fee for reading this stupid s,,t...so kick out the 34 bucks...fee's are for spineless wimps, thats it

I am in the same situation. I received a collection letter that I owed $110 dollars from a ticket last year in front of University Hospital where I work. HOW? I have garage access and always park in the garage, plus i work only nights and live out of state. The ticket was suppossedly given in the early afternoon. I called stayed on hold 3 times each for no less than 30 minutes to try and explain and ask how this could be possible and the girl basically said "request a court date!" In these tough economic they should be ashamed of themselves. This was the FIRST notice of this kind about this ticket at all.

In addition,
My mom lives in Baltimore and when they had the bad snow and ice, i stayed at her house to sleep after work. She lives on a dead end street and streets were still covered in ice and show. I woke up around twelve to find a parking ticket because I parked on the side for street cleaning!! WHAT!! There was no way the street cleaner was coming down that dead end street to clean the ice and snow covered street that the da after had STILL NOT been plowed by the city!! A person can drive down and give parking tickets but the snow plow couldnt drive down to clear the street for the predominately elderly neighorhood!! there is a definate lack of priorities here. I moved away abot two years ago from Baltimore and I would die first before I'd move back!!!

My husband received a letter in the mail for 3 tickets from 2002. The total... $3,600!!!

We have been residence of this city and have paid all our tickets (that we have known about). Between the two of us we have probably recieved over 15 parking tickets...this is not uncommon for city dwellers! Many of them have been questionable and you know the meter maid was stretching to hit quota...but we still paid them. We are both professionals and do not have time to waste a day of work to protest them in court.

When laws are continuously being broken, it should alert the enforcers that there is a problem...the availability of parking!

I am horrified that this has happened to us and can happen to anyone. We are responsible people, we pay our tickets and bills on time! How the heck are we to know that they are even real after all the bogus tickets that were given out last year? And why did it take 7 years to find us?!!!

An amnesty day needs to be pushed for this year!!!

Needless to say...we moved out of the city in July because we have had it with the lack of parking, ridiculous tickets and outrageous property taxes for no services! This is another example how the city is loosing great residents by the day.

I live on a small courtyard that traditionally has not been used as a parking lot for residents; if we have something big to move, we pull in, unload and leave. However, friends of one family on the block continually park while they visit . . . are there any parking regulations about this?

Or can someone tell me how I can find out?

Thanks.

Carol

First of all, is there a single average American out there that has actually read the bill of rights? The 8th amendment clearly provides protection against excessive fines imposed by Gov't. I got a parking ticket 12 minutes past due for $70, almost $6 per minute! I do not know of one garage that charges that much of a fine. seems excessive to me. Failure to pay in 21 days puts it up to $120. Now these politicians who are always saying how they are looking out for us, and they demonize the credit card companies for, after 30 days, charging 25-30% interest rates based on new risk levels in a 10% unemployment economy, but then turn around and hit me with over 1200% apr for not having the money in 21 days! it is a recession huge unemployment and the fact is these tickets are revenue not appropriate fines, and we are just supposed to pay it. it is ridiculous the sheep-ish society we have become. I have a court date scheduled and I expect due process, I hope you all do the same.

This 23.00 fine was paid (late). I called the BaltimoreCity Office to explain that I found the parking ticket in my truck (someone else received the ticket while driving my truck). Baltimore CIty told me to send in the 23.00, I did, and did not hear a word until two years after the ticket was issued! Now they want 480.00. How do you fight this???