# Two flags on parking meters **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 10, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801 "2008-03-10T03:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801/1 "2008-03-10T03:16:49Z")
I’ve wondered this since I was a tot, so I guess it’s time to ask. I’ve passed by jillions of mechanical parking meters that have expired (with or without a car parked at it) and there’s a red _Expired_ flag showing, like [this](http://chicagoist.com/2007/05/27/thats_a_lot_of.php) one.\* If you give the winding lever a bit of a turn, that flag rotates down and a yellow _Violation_ flag takes its place. Release the lever and they revert back to the red _Expired_ flag showing. I have never, ever seen the yellow _Violation_ flag up by itself, so what is it for? When I was a kid, I figured a cop writing a ticket would do something to make it show, but then you’d think the ticket under the windshield would be ample evidence of a misdeed caught. So how about it, Dopers? Can any meter maids or folks in the parking department or in the parking meter industry tell me when and where that yellow _Violation_ flag is evoked? \*There’s an amazing dearth of expired parking meter pictures out there. Sorry for the sorry example. ETA Frackin’ typos ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801/2 "2008-03-10T03:32:37Z")
The “Violation” flag would come up if you put too much money in the meter as I recall. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801/3 "2008-03-10T03:36:49Z")
I’m pretty sure the second flag is there to warn parkers when the meter is essentially turned off and it is not accepting cash. If I’m right, that brings up an interesting question. When the second flag is showing, does it mean you can park for free, or does it mean that there’s no parking allowed in the spot, period. My guess is it’s the second option. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801/4 "2008-03-10T03:59:02Z")
[QUOTE=stuyguy] I’m pretty sure the second flag is there to warn parkers when the meter is essentially turned off and it is not accepting cash. [/QUOTE] Hmmm. I’ve never seen that. I have seen instead meters with a canvas sack locked over them meaning “don’t park here” – either because it’s broken or there’s a parade or some such preventing street parking at that time. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801/5 "2008-03-10T05:07:18Z")
[QUOTE=DesertDog] Hmmm. I’ve never seen that. I have seen instead meters with a canvas sack locked over them meaning “don’t park here” – either because it’s broken or there’s a parade or some such preventing street parking at that time. [/QUOTE] See, I would consider that to mean “Free Parking”… ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801/6 "2008-03-10T06:10:29Z")
When the knob is turned, the red flag goes down. If nothing else occurred, smart asses would turn and jam the knob in the turned position. A match book cover, a piece of paper, anything that would hold it in the turned position. So to prevent that, the meter makers have the yellow flag that only comes up while the knob is turned. So if the meter maid sees a yellow flag they know it means the knob is jammed in the turned position, ie the meter has been tampered with. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801/7 "2008-03-10T12:11:30Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] See, I would consider that to mean “Free Parking”… [/QUOTE] The sacks that I have seen say “No Parking” on them, so there is little confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801/8 "2008-03-10T13:22:17Z")
Rick has the purpose correct. They were jammed meters. You then had to decide if you needed to risk the meter maid was in a good or bad mood. You used to see prime spots being half pulled into and the car reversing out, because of this. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801/9 "2008-03-11T14:43:41Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] Rick has the purpose correct. They were jammed meters. You then had to decide if you needed to risk the meter maid was in a good or bad mood. You used to see prime spots being half pulled into and the car reversing out, because of this. [/QUOTE] Ignorance fought, and it’s good to know, then. Until now I would have pulled into a yellow-flagged meter spot, then discovered the winder was jammed after I got out of the car. I remember a long, long time ago seeing squarish meters with no winder lever on them. When you pushed in the coin it whirred for a moment as the time was added. They were wound up when the money was collected. I wonder if they also had some kind of jam-detection as well. ---
**Author:** ![tigerwoops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@tigerwoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tigerwoops)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flags-on-parking-meters/440801/10 "2024-07-09T00:39:14Z")
I’ve been trying to solve this question for over 20 years; asking all the old-timers I know and I almost struck pay dirt when a friend said her dad used to repair parking meters in San Francisco. I made her ask him the question but he is 95 years old and didn’t remember! So close! The response from Rick makes a bit of sense except for my experience. I pulled up to a meter once in a prime area. It had about 10 min left on it. So I parked and began to feed the meter. As soon as I turned the handle, the violation flag popped up. I didn’t want to chance a ticket so I gave up the spot. Ever since, I’ve wondered what the purpose of the yellow flag was for. Maybe my meter was broken. I thought the reason why it might have popped up as a violation was because I wasn’t supposed to feed the meter but that doesn’t make much sense. Glad I finally found an answer that somewhat answers my question. The only mystery is what happened in my scenario. Thanks for your responses even though I’m 16 years late to this question. And as I said, I’ve been searching for this for over 20 years.