How to Fight a Parking Ticket in San Francisco (SFMTA Step-by-Step)

San Francisco generates nearly $100 per capita annually from parking citations — one of the highest rates in the United States. With street sweeping fines running $76 or more and red zone violations exceeding $100, a single SFMTA ticket is worth fighting. Here is how to do it correctly.

Who Issues San Francisco Parking Tickets

Most San Francisco parking citations are issued by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). A smaller number come from San Francisco Police Department officers or parking control officers stationed near specific facilities.

The SFMTA reviews its own citations at Stage 1. This conflict of interest is a known concern — SFMTA is the agency that issues the ticket and the agency that initially decides whether to dismiss it. This is why Stage 2, the independent administrative hearing, is often more effective.

San Francisco Parking Ticket Fine Amounts (2024–2025)

Street sweeping violations in San Francisco run approximately $76 per ticket. Red zone violations exceed $100. The SFMTA fine schedule is among the highest in the state, which is why many SF residents consider fighting tickets more seriously than drivers in other cities.

Step 1: Request an SFMTA Administrative Review (Protest)

Deadline: 21 days from the citation issue date.

SFMTA Portal: sfmta.com → Getting Around → Drive & Park → Citations → Contest Citation

Phone: 311 (within SF) or (415) 701-2311

Mailing Address: SFMTA Customer Service Center, ATTN: Citation Review, 11 South Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94103

How to File

Go to the SFMTA citation portal and search by citation number. Once you locate your citation, select "Contest" and follow the prompts. You can upload photos and documents directly.

Critical SFMTA rule: Do not pay the citation if you intend to protest. The SFMTA site explicitly states that paying the fine waives your right to contest. The citation is placed on hold during the review period, so late fees do not accrue while your protest is pending.

What to Write

The SFMTA review team reads your statement looking for whether a legal requirement was not met. Write factually.

What works: - "The meter at [location, meter #] was inoperable — it rejected both coin and card payment as shown in the attached video (Exhibit A). Under CVC § 22508.5, parking is permitted at an inoperable meter for up to the posted time limit." - "The street sweeping sign on [street] was obscured by city tree canopy at the time of the alleged violation, as shown in Exhibit A. CVC § 22507.6 requires signs to give adequate notice."

What doesn't work: - "I was only parked for two minutes" - "This ticket seems excessive" - "I've lived here for ten years and never gotten a ticket"

SFMTA-Specific Rules You Need to Know

Sweeping pass rule: In San Francisco, if the street sweeper has already passed your vehicle, you may park even if the sweeping time block has not expired. This is different from San Diego, which strictly enforces the full time block. If you have evidence the sweeper passed before the citation was issued — GPS data from a dashcam or time-stamped photographic evidence — this is a viable defense in SF.

72-hour rule: SFMTA enforces CVC § 22651(k), which allows towing of vehicles parked in one location for 72+ hours. For this violation, "moving" your vehicle means relocating it at least 1/10th of a mile (approximately 500 feet). Rolling it forward does not reset the clock.

Abandoned vehicle removal: San Francisco Traffic Code 7.2.47 makes it a violation to remove a chalk mark or abandoned vehicle tag without also moving the vehicle.

Review timeline: SFMTA warns that handwritten (paper) citations can take up to two weeks to appear in their online system. If your ticket doesn't appear when you search, wait and check again — do not let the 21-day deadline pass without taking action. If the citation won't appear and the deadline is approaching, file by mail.

Review Duration

SFMTA reviews can take up to 90 days. You will receive a written decision by mail. During this time, your citation is on hold.

Step 2: SFMTA Administrative Hearing (If Protest Denied)

If your Stage 1 protest is denied, you have 25 days from the mailing date of the denial letter to request an administrative hearing.

Note: San Francisco uses a 25-day window at this stage — slightly longer than the statewide 21-day standard. Do not confuse the two.

What it costs: You must pay the full fine as a deposit before the hearing. If you win, the deposit is refunded.

Low-income waiver: San Francisco offers hardship waivers for those meeting income criteria. Contact SFMTA at 311 to request the waiver form.

Format: You can appear in person at the SFMTA Customer Service Center at 11 South Van Ness Avenue, or submit a written declaration. The hearing is conducted by an independent hearing officer — not an SFMTA employee.

Transit citation exception: If your citation is for fare evasion on Muni, a similar process applies, but SFMTA may dismiss the citation if you enroll in the Clipper START low-income fare program. This does not apply to street parking citations.

What to Bring to the Hearing

• Your printed citation
• All photographs (printed or on a tablet — do not rely on a phone you might fumble)
• Any receipts or app records
• A written outline of your argument
• Any documentary evidence (street sweeping schedule screenshots, meter malfunction reports)

If you reported a broken meter to the city at the time of the violation, bring the reference number you received. LADOT's equivalent hotline for LA is 877-215-3958; in SF, call 311.

Step 3: Superior Court Appeal (If Hearing Denied)

If you lose at the administrative hearing, CVC § 40230 gives you 30 days to file a civil appeal in San Francisco Superior Court.

Filing fee: $25, recoverable if you win.

Format: A de novo (fresh) hearing. A judge reviews your case without deference to the hearing officer's decision. The SFMTA's citation file is entered as evidence, but the judge is not bound by the prior ruling.

This stage is rarely used for standard parking citations. But if your ticket is large enough — a red zone violation with late fees can exceed $200 — and your evidence is strong, Superior Court is a legitimate path.

Common Reasons SFMTA Tickets Get Dismissed

Based on the types of defenses that succeed in California administrative hearings:

1. Broken meter (CVC § 22508.5): The meter rejected all payment methods. Video evidence is essential — screenshot the error message and record yourself attempting payment.

2. Missing or obscured signage (CVC § 22507.6): The restriction sign was not visible. Photograph the sign (or the absence of a sign) and the full block.

3. Street sweeper already passed: In SF, parking is permitted after the sweeper has completed the pass for your side of the street. Dashcam footage or GPS data showing the sweeper's passage time is strong evidence.

4. Valid placard not displayed (CVC § 40226): If a disabled person with a valid placard was in the vehicle but the placard wasn't displayed, the fine reduces to an administrative fee of up to $25.

5. Daylighting (AB 413, new 2025): If your ticket cites CVC § 22500(n), photograph and measure the distance from your vehicle to the crosswalk. The law requires 20 feet — if you were beyond 20 feet, document it precisely.

If You Don't Dispute: The Consequences in San Francisco

An unpaid San Francisco parking citation results in escalating late fees. A boot or tow becomes possible if you accumulate five or more unpaid citations in the system. The DMV will block your vehicle registration renewal under CVC § 4760 until all fines are cleared.

San Francisco is aggressive about enforcement — the city issues hundreds of thousands of citations per year and has the infrastructure to track unpaid fines. Ignoring the ticket is not a viable strategy.

Fighting an SFMTA parking citation takes 20–30 minutes to do correctly. Our California Parking Ticket Dispute Guide includes San Francisco-specific instructions, appeal letter templates with SFMTA-specific language, and the exact CVC codes that apply to the most common SF violations.