Contesting a Street Sweeping Parking Ticket in California

Street sweeping tickets are the most common parking citation in California — and they're also among the most contestable. San Diego issued 76,955 street sweeping violations in the first nine months of 2024 alone. San Jose counts street sweeping as 30% of all parking citations. Los Angeles hands out tens of thousands every month at roughly $73 per ticket.

The cities collect millions. And most drivers just pay.

But California Vehicle Code § 22507.6 — the law that authorizes street sweeping enforcement — contains specific requirements the city must meet. When those requirements aren't met, the ticket can't hold up. Here's how to identify whether yours falls into that category.

What CVC § 22507.6 Actually Requires

Local authorities can prohibit parking for street sweeping, but only if signs are posted giving "adequate notice." This is where most defenses start.

The law doesn't require a sign on every single block — courts have held that signs at the entrance to a street or neighborhood tract can constitute adequate notice. But the word "adequate" is doing real legal work here. If the entrance sign:

• Was missing entirely when you parked
• Was blocked by overgrown city tree branches so the restriction wasn't visible from the street
• Had been damaged, knocked over, or covered in graffiti
• Was present but showed different hours than the ticket alleges

...then the city has a potential signage compliance problem.

Your job is to document it before the city fixes it.

The Evidence That Wins Street Sweeping Appeals

Step 1: Photograph the block immediately — or as soon as possible after the ticket.

You need three types of shots:

• A wide shot of the entire block showing the absence of signs (or the position of any sign relative to where you parked)
• A close-up of every sign on the block that restricts parking, capturing the hours, days, and any damage or obstruction
• A context shot showing the approach to the block from both directions — specifically, the first sign you'd encounter when entering the street

If tree branches obscure the sign in the photo, that's your evidence. If there's no sign visible anywhere on the block, photograph the full length of the street showing that fact.

Step 2: Screenshot the official street sweeping schedule.

Every major California city publishes its street sweeping schedule online. Pull the schedule for your specific street:

• Los Angeles: ladotparking.org or the LA 311 app
• San Francisco: sfmta.com/getting-around/drive-park/parking/street-sweeping
• San Diego: sandiego.gov/public-works/sweeping
• San Jose: sanjoseca.gov/services/streets-and-transportation/street-sweeping-schedule
• Sacramento: cityofsacramento.gov/public-works/maintenance-services/street-sweeping

If your ticket was issued at 10:05 AM and the schedule shows sweeping ends at 10:00 AM on your block, that discrepancy is a strong basis for dismissal. Screenshot the page with the timestamp visible.

Step 3 (San Francisco only): Was the sweeper already done?

SFMTA has an official policy: if the street sweeper has already passed your vehicle, you're allowed to remain parked in the sweeping zone even if the posted time window hasn't expired. This is one of the few city-specific rules that give drivers a legitimate post-hoc defense.

If you have a dashcam with a timestamp, check whether the sweeper passed before the officer issued the citation. Neighbors who saw the sweeper go through before the ticket was written can provide a written statement. This defense doesn't apply in San Diego, which strictly enforces the full time window regardless of whether the sweeper has passed.

Writing the Appeal Letter

A street sweeping appeal letter should follow this structure:

1. Citation number, vehicle license plate, date and time of citation
2. The specific legal ground: "I am contesting this citation on the basis that the city failed to post adequate notice as required by CVC § 22507.6"
3. Factual support: describe what you found when you examined the signs on the block
4. Evidence reference: "Attached please find [Exhibit A: photograph of the block taken at X time on X date] showing [description of what's in the photo]"
5. Closing request: "I request that this citation be dismissed"

Keep the tone factual and neutral. Do not write about the unfairness of the system, your financial circumstances, or how quickly you were going to move the car. None of that is relevant. The reviewing officer is looking for a specific legal defect in how the ticket was issued — give them one.

What Doesn't Work for Street Sweeping Appeals

• "I forgot about street sweeping day" — not a legal defense
• "I was only going to be a few minutes" — not relevant
• "The sweeper comes at 7 AM and my ticket was at 10 AM" — unless you have the schedule printed, this is unverifiable
• "I moved my car as soon as I saw the ticket" — irrelevant to whether the violation occurred

The agency isn't asking whether you intended to block the sweeper. They're asking whether the signs were adequate and whether your vehicle was in the zone during the prohibited hours. Stick to those facts.

City-Specific Fine Amounts

These amounts don't include the late fees that apply if you miss the initial payment deadline. In most California cities, unpaid tickets are assessed a late penalty (often 50–100% of the original fine) and can eventually result in a DMV registration hold under CVC § 4760.

Filing Deadlines

You have 21 days from the citation date to file an Initial Administrative Review — regardless of which California city issued the ticket. This is mandated by CVC § 40215.

If you miss the 21-day window, the ticket becomes delinquent and you lose the right to contest. Some cities allow an extension in exceptional circumstances (like out-of-town travel or a medical emergency with documentation), but don't count on it.

If your Initial Review is denied, you have another 21 days from the mailing date of that denial to request an Administrative Hearing. At the hearing, a neutral examiner reviews your evidence with fresh eyes — this is where a well-documented signage defense has its best chance.

For the full three-stage process, violation-specific templates, and a deadline tracker, the California Parking Ticket Dispute Guide walks through each step in detail.