MSU parking enforcement checking a Ford outside of Erickson Hall on Jan. 18, 2023. "The silver car has eight unpaid parking tickets, so we are going to have to tow it," said the MSU parking enforcement.
Walking out of class to find a parking ticket on your windshield is not a good feeling, especially for people who believe their ticket was unjust. However, drivers can pursue an option to skirt the sometimes costly fines.
Appeals can be submitted online or mailed to MSU Parking Services and are considered before a violation fee is paid.
MSUDPS issued 97,585 parking citations in 2023, bringing in $1.38 million to the university. Since the MSU Board of Trustees raised the price of parking violation fines in 2023, parking tickets are not as trivial a cost, meaning if a student finds a ticket to be unfair, they will likely file an appeal rather than eat the expensive fine.
But drivers have varying levels of success when it comes to getting their tickets thrown out. That decision often seems to depend on who is at fault for a violation or potential error.
According to public records from the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety, there were a total of 8,239 parking violation appeals made in 2023. Of that number, 4,469 were successful and 3,770 were denied, meaning more than half of the appeals made that year were successful.
MSU Department of Police and Public Safety Parking Coordinator Emily Ryal said an appeal's success often depends on whether it's been filed for a valid reason.
One valid reason, she said, is if a violation contains wrong information, such as an incorrect location, vehicle make or license plate number. Another valid argument can occur when a ticket has been issued incorrectly, including there being a payment or permit for the vehicle, or if it was parked in a spot that was not restricted at the time of ticketing.
Ryal said the most common invalid reasons given involve not seeing signage, not knowing the parking requirements for that lot, parking in a disability space without a valid plate or placard, and short term uses of space to load or drop off items.
Parking appeals can be submitted via email or mail, and the process typically takes around 12 business days. During peak ticket times of the school year, such as the end of each semester, Ryal said waiting periods may be longer.
Ryal said that an appeal can be successful if it is succinct and provides relevant details along with supporting documentation. Examples include screenshots or proof of payment on the MSU SpotOn app or a photo of a receipt from paying at a metered spot. She also said they also take into consideration factors such as ticket history and the location and time of the violation.
Ryal said the "primary focus is to educate and curb incidences from recurring."
“People typically find success when filing appeals when they have a demonstrable reason to submit an appeal," Ryal said. "Our staff reviews every single appeal, and we understand that there are situations and circumstances which support withdrawing a violation, but not all appeals meet those criteria."
When students' appeals are denied
While students often receive violations after choosing not to pay for parking time, some students say they have received tickets even when they have paid for the given amount of time.
Psychology sophomore Madison Riske filed an appeal after receiving a ticket in Lot 62, even though she said she had paid for the ticket via the SpotOn app.
Riske said that she went on the app to pay for her spot before heading into IM West. When she got out, she was shocked to find a ticket on her car. She then went back on the app to find that her payment failed to go through even though the app had previously told her her payment was successful.
She then filed an appeal, including screenshots of the initial payment she had made for that spot. A few days later, she received an email stating that her appeal had been denied.
“It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that payment was successful,” the email said.
Riske ended up paying the $20 fine but said she was frustrated that she had to pay for something that was out of her control.
Political science senior Lali Tobin had a similar experience. She parked at Ramp #1 on Shaw Lane one day before class and used pay-by-plate parking for her spot. When she got out of class, she had a $60 parking ticket on her car stating that she had parked in a reserved spot.
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Tobin said there was no signage anywhere indicating that the spot was reserved, and that there was also no signage indicating that any of the spots around her were reserved. She took pictures of the spot as well as screenshots of the pay-by-plate payment she made and used them in the appeal she submitted.
She said that her appeal got denied and she had to pay the $60 fee along with the cost she had already paid for the pay-by-plate.
Human biology sophomore Aubrey Hessbrook filed a more high-stakes appeal when she received a $115 violation last winter.
Hessbrook, who lived in Akers Hall at the time, attempted to park in one of the metered spots in front of the dorm so that she could drop things off inside.
She said that at the time, there was lots of snow on the ground and it was hard to see the lines on the different parking spaces. She said that she saw a handicap sign at the front of the different spots and intentionally parked a couple spaces behind to avoid accidentally parking in one of those spots.
Hessbrook’s estimate was wrong, and when she returned to her car, she was shocked to see she received such an expensive ticket.
She then appealed the ticket, explaining the situation with the snow and her consideration to try and not park in a handicap spot. Her appeal was denied.
She said that in the email, they said there wasn’t a sufficient amount of snow that day to block off the blue lines in that spot.
“It’s just so disappointing seeing the university do this to many students, even for something like parking for 15 minutes to pack up to go home,” she said.
