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About Jack Toomey
Expertise
Please do not ask me about potential jail sentences that you, your friends, or family might receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. Only a judge could answer a question like that. I am also NOT a probation officer or parole officer so I cannot answer questions that relate to parole or probation. Also please keep in mind that every state has different laws. If you are planning to ask a question about a specific law or criminal charge that pertains to your state only it could be difficult to answer. I also cannot give you legal advice on what to do or what not to do in court. Retired police officer with 26 years experience. Worked in the patrol division as well as over 14 years in the detective bureau. Investigated a wide range of crime such as murder, rape, robbery, theft, fraud, missing persons, and other very sensitive crimes. I am available to answer your questions about criminal law and especially as it applies to police work. I taught at the police academy for several years and am especially knowledgeable about search and seizure. Any question about criminal law is welcome! Please don't ask me to do your homework or ask me questions that obviously come from your teachers or professors. I also do not do online interviews or surveys. Young people need to gain face to face interviewing skills. Local police officers usually are very agreeable to assist in these assignments.

Experience
I am a retired police officer with 26 years experience. I investigated almost every type of crime including murder, rape, theft, mising persons, fraud, and domestic abuse. I am very knowledgeable about search and seizure and taught at the police academy for several years on a variety of subjects. I can answer questions that a lot of attorneys cannot since they do not have "street experience".

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Science degree in Criminolgy from the University of Maryland.

You are here: Experts > News/Issues > Crime/Punishment > Criminal Law > Parking ticket on my own property

Criminal Law - Parking ticket on my own property

Expert: Jack Toomey - 11/4/2009

Question
I just noticed a parking ticket on a car parked on our private property. It is an old collector car that we don't drive, and the plates are long expired. The ticket is for having expired plates. (though it is not a moving violation; it is titled "Parking Citation")

Can police do that? Enter private property, uninvited, to issue parking tickets? There is absolutely no way that anyone could have seen the car's plates from the public road (you can barely see the car).

Can a car that isn't being driven and is stored on the car-owner's own private property even be ticketed, legally? This particular car was parked on asphalt outdoors -- but can they enter my garage and ticket my cars indoors, too?

And lastly... if a collector car is stored and not being driven, must it still be registered? (in Virginia) I'm upset about the invasion of privacy; but I'm also upset because I think the ticket itself is bogus. I would think that only cars that are being used on public roads would need to be registered.

Thank you for your help and guidance.

Sincerely,
Chuck

Answer
Chuck,

The problem with answering your question is that we are dealing with a situation where your town/county/state or wherever most likely has different laws than my state/county/town. Sometimes state law, county law, township law, city law, etc, all in conflict and officers are guided by whatever jurisdiction that they are employed by.

So whether it is a lawful ticket I have no idea since I do not know the law in your state/town, etc. I do know this. In MY county it is against the law to park a car on the front lawn of a residence. A police officer would have to walk onto the front lawn to issue a parking ticket in that case. So in MY state a police officer certainly has the authority to issue a ticket to a car parked on private property.

Also in MY state a car that is not parked on the public roadway does not have to be registered but that could very well be in conflict with the law in Virginia.

What about simply calling the officer who issued the ticket and asking him about the law in Virginia?

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