Ignoring Cal Poly parking citations does not make them disappear, but rather increase the overall cost of the ticket and can ultimately lead to a big yellow boot on your car.
So what happens when you receive a citation from Cal Poly Parking Services?
Cal Poly does not make its own rules when it comes to parking, they follow the California Vehicle Code. All regulations related to parking violations can be found on the Cal Poly Transportation and Parking Services website, as well as in the California Vehicle Code (17.1.3).
From the day the citation is issued, the driver or registered owner has 21 days to pay or appeal the citation. After this period, if no action is taken, a notice of delinquent parking violation is sent to the registered address of the vehicle. If this letter is ignored and the citation remains unpaid after 14 days, the citation will be sent to the Department of Motor and Vehicles and the initial fee of the citation, as well as a late fee, will be added to the vehicle’s registration fees.
“We really want to make sure that everyone knows that there’s a process,” Director of Transportation and Parking Services Marlene Kramer said. “It’s on the back of the citation, on the envelope, and it’s on the website.”
Students who believe the citation was incorrect can appeal a citation. Appeals must be within 21 days of the issue date of the citation or within 14 days of the notice of delinquent parking violation, according to Transportation and Parking Services.
Appeals can be made through the parking portal or the University Police office. If the citation is still upheld after the first appeal, the driver or registered owner can request an administrative hearing within 21 days of the initial appeal result.
If the administrative hearing result is unsatisfactory, the driver or registered owner can appeal the violation to the San Luis Obispo Superior Court within 30 days of the results of the administrative hearing, but there is a $25 court filing fee.
If the vehicle has five delinquent citations from Cal Poly, that is when the yellow boot comes out. To release your car, all five citations on the vehicle’s record must be paid, as well as citations from other agencies that are not associated with Cal Poly.
“What students don’t realize is that it is not just Cal Poly tickets,” Kramer said.
While it only takes five delinquent Cal Poly tickets to receive a boot on campus, other cities may boot a car if it has five delinquent tickets, no matter who they were issued from. Students who travel outside San Luis Obispo may be in danger of immobilization if there are more than five delinquent tickets on their record, according to Kramer.
“If you think you were cited incorrectly, appeal,” Kramer said. “I always tell customers to appeal.”
