What if someone else borrows my car and gets a parking ticket? Who is charged?
You would get the parking ticket because they are sent to the registered owner through a license plate lookup. You could go to court and tell the judge that you were not driving the car and did not park it illegally but someone else did (name them… who you loaned your car to… you wouldn’t have to bring them–not your responsiblity… and nothing more would come of it). It would be an interesting twist if you could actually show you were somewhere else (through some documentation–judges appreciate that) at the time of the parking violation. I actually think the judge would dismiss the charge (and fine).
Great question. In New York City, the owner and operator of a vehicle are both responsible for payment of a parking ticket when the driver operates the vehicle with the owner’s permission. In case you’re thinking of claiming permission was not granted to the operator, you’ll need to support your claim with a stolen vehicle report; or a very persuasive set of facts explaining why your son was not permitted to use the car.
Generally, NYC’s first choice is to go after the owner of the vehicle for parking ticket fines and penalties. If a parking ticket lapses into judgment after 100 days, NY will deny the owner of a vehicle the privilege to renew the vehicle registration or the owner’s license unless payment is made.
I hope this information is helpful.
