# How do the parking cops know how long you've been parked in the same spot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563 "2003-01-09T18:34:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/41 "2003-01-10T17:30:25Z")
Here’s what the Pasadena (California) [Municipal Code](http://ordlink.com/codes/pasadena/maintoc.htm) has to say about the marks: > [@](#): > > 10.40.254 Removal of chalkmarks. > > A. Law enforcement officers are authorized to place chalk or other nonpermanent markers on parked cars in performance of their duties. > > B. No person shall remove or hide any marks so placed upon a vehicle pursuant to this section unless such vehicle has been removed at least one block from the parked location where the marking occurred. (Ord. 6147 § 6 (part), 1986) I know from extensive personal experience that, at least in the 2-hour zones just south of Caltech, the fine for overtime parking is $25. I also happened to note that in Pasadena one is _required_ to set the parking brake when parking a vehicle. (I always do, but I know several who don’t): > [@](#): > > 10.40.075 Parking brake to be set. > > No person shall park a vehicle on any highway, street, city property or private property without first setting the parking brake. (Ord. 6147 § 6 (part), 1986) I’ve never heard of anyone actually getting cited for this. I’d imagine that it would only come into play if your car rolled into something, and it came out that your parking brake hadn’t been set. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/42 "2003-01-10T18:37:34Z")
I remember a scandal in the Raleigh, NC area a few years back. A journalist had discovered that a group of state employees had a habit of coming to work, parking in the “1 hour temporary parking” spots near their working buildings, and then coming out once an hour ever hour for their entire work day to erase the markings. They got in hot water over it, more for the fact that they were wasting 15 minutes round trip 8 times a day than that they were avoiding tickets. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/43 "2003-01-10T23:07:01Z")
“Parking Cops?” in my city you don’t have to be a cop to be a Traffic Enforcement Agent… We use chalk here only for hourly parking spaces. To check for 72 hour parkers, they just use their own visual judgement. Or very important, if a neighbor or someone complains that someone is parked too long, then they pay attention to your car. Otherwise they don’t seem to. One time I parked on the street almost 24 hours a day for 5 years. Then I started getting tickets even if it wasn’t parked more than 72 hours. A couple of years later the woman who ticketed me was arrested for over-ticketing certain cars that the tow company wanted. They gave her cars in return too. tsk. But I asked her supervisor what to do & he said they would make an exception on my car so I could park it as long as I want to. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/44 "2003-01-10T23:41:51Z")
Rhythmdvl’s award for the most ballsy bumper sticker ever: (Seen while visiting a friend at the University of Connecticut) > [@](#): > > Metermaids eat their young . ---
**Author:** ![Blueapple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Blueapple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blueapple)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/45 "2003-01-11T03:03:54Z")
Have any of you ever gone down the street where a traffic cop is and fill the meters up with quarters? Its quite fun. Then when they move to the next block, you move too. ---
**Author:** ![jujuju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@jujuju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jujuju)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/46 "2003-01-11T04:00:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blueapple \* > \*\*Have any of you ever gone down the street where a traffic cop is and fill the meters up with quarters? > > Its quite fun. Then when they move to the next block, you move too. \*\* very similar, at my college, there are spaces that allow you to park free for 15min (i beleive) and then you can add time with coins. this was so you could run in and turn in an assignment or whatever. of course, anyone wanting to increase their karma rating would press the 15 min button as they walked down the sidewalk if the meter was expired (or not i suppose). it’s the little things in life 🙂 and our parking passes were more expensive than the fines too. but you’d better not ever register your car with the school, or they would hold your records and not let you graduate for parking tickets. but they never checked city records to match up registraions (i am local). so you could just throw the tickets away. or have your parents say “i was dropping of groceries for my kid, what the hell is this $98 ticket for?” ---
**Author:** ![NoeSchittMann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c0e974/32.png) [@NoeSchittMann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoeSchittMann)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/47 "2003-01-11T05:15:07Z")
There’s one way you can get out of getting your tires marked…take your tires off and take them with you. ---
**Author:** ![joe\_iguana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2acd7d/32.png) [@joe\_iguana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joe_iguana)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/48 "2003-01-11T07:16:45Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Wyld Stallyn \* \*\*Parking police are evil, and as such have powers from the Dark Lord Satan. Known collectively as “The Parking MAN” (a subsidiary of the MAN, himself) the parking officers are always the most efficient workers on a campus and parking tickets can never ever be completely avoided. sounds about right…'cept at my previous university(i’m one of those weird transfer students now…ewww) we referred to them as the “Parking Nazis”…they all dressed in these uniforms and I swear many of them had german shepherds trained to kill walking with them…and I think I may have seen a panzer take out a double parked SUV…but it could have just been all the beer we drink in college…hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/49 "2003-01-11T15:03:03Z")
OOC, has any ballsy soul tried to completely cover their tires with chalk before parking? ---
**Author:** ![Halfpint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f0a364/32.png) [@Halfpint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Halfpint)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/50 "2003-01-11T16:19:31Z")
Recently in the UK, local councils were able to take over the the responsibility for parking enforcement from the police, and more importantly, keep the revenue from parking tickets. The local authority where I live - Brighton - decided to do this back in the summer of 2001. Brighton is quite heavily populated, and as a tourist town becomes even more crowded in summer, and so there were plenty of illegal or stupidly parked cars to clamp down on. I wish I could find the reference to how many tickets were issued, but I do recall that the council had income of several million pounds in the first year. There are some advantages to having a more rigorously enforced scheme, but I do feel sorry for residents who can’t park in their area, and get a parking ticket issued at 7 o’clock on a Sunday morning, as my former neighbours did. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563/51 "2003-01-11T16:23:08Z")
“Have any of you ever gone down the street where a traffic cop is and fill the meters up with quarters?” I guess you missed the story about the guy in SC, California who did just that & got arrested… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-parking-cops-know-how-long-youve-been-parked-in-the-same-spot/147563.md?page=2)