Handicap Placard Tickets—people often receive handicap placard tickets either in parking lots or at sporting events. The consequence of being cited for the illegal use of a handicap placard is a misdemeanor citation in some occasion and just an expensive parking ticket in others. If you are cited for a misdemeanor, that will involve court hearings and the possibility of large fines and even the possibility of jail time. However, by hiring a handicap placard attorney familiar with the way the handicap placard tickets work in court, you may be able to obtain a reduction from a misdemeanor to an infraction.

 

Our office only handles placard violations that are cited as a misdemeanor. If you were cited for a parking ticket, you would need to contest the ticket through the Parking Administration. The instructions on how to appeal a parking ticket are usual found on the envelope or back side of the ticket itself. You must file an appeal in writing within a certain limited time period or you waive the right to appeal the ticket. If you lose that written appeal, you can request an in person hearing, and if you lose that, you can then have your matter sent to the traffic court. 

 

If you have a misdemeanor ticket, call us today at (619) 333-0505 to learn more about how we can appear for you at the court hearings without you needing to attend, work out a deal for your case, and work to keep the misdemeanor citation off your record.

 

Handicap placard violations are governed by California Vehicle Code section 4461 which states:

 

4461.  A person shall not lend a certificate of ownership, registration card, license plate, special plate, validation tab, or permit issued to him or her if the person desiring to borrow it would not be entitled to its use, and a person shall not knowingly permit its use by 
one not entitled to it.

(b) A person to whom a disabled person placard has been issued shall not lend the placard to another person, and a disabled person shall not knowingly permit the use for parking purposes of the placard or identification license plate issued pursuant to Section 5007 by one not entitled to it. A person to whom a disabled person placard has been issued may permit another person to use the placard only while in the presence or reasonable proximity of the disabled person for the purpose of transporting the disabled person. A violation of this subdivision is subject to the issuance of a notice of parking violation imposing a civil penalty of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), for which enforcement shall be governed by the procedures set forth in Article 3 (commencing with Section 40200) of Chapter 1 of Division 17 or is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or both that fine and imprisonment.

(c) Except for the purpose of transporting a disabled person as specified in subdivision (b), a person shall not display a disabled person placard that was not issued to him or her or that has been canceled or revoked pursuant to Section 22511.6. A violation of this subdivision is subject to the issuance of a notice of parking violation imposing a civil penalty of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), for which enforcement shall be governed by the procedures set forth in Article 3 (commencing with Section 40200) of Chapter 1 of Division 17 or is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or both that fine and imprisonment.

(d) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a), (b), and (c), a person using a vehicle displaying a special identification license plate issued to another pursuant to Section 5007 shall not park in those parking stalls or spaces designated for disabled persons pursuant to Section 22511.7 or 22511.8, unless transporting a disabled person. A violation of this subdivision is subject to the issuance of a notice of parking violation imposing a civil penalty of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), for which enforcement shall be governed by the procedures set forth in Article 3 (commencing with Section 40200) of Chapter 1 of Division 17 or is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or both that fine and imprisonment.

(e) For the purposes of subdivisions (b) and (c), "disabled person placard" means a placard issued pursuant to Section 22511.55 or 22511.59.