Free tool

Check your ticket for defects

Grab your paper ticket and compare each required field below. Under NYC's published rules, a summons that omits or misdescribes a required element is defective — and you can ask the hearing officer to dismiss it in your dispute.

Your answers stay on this device — nothing is stored or sent to the city.

What kind of ticket do you have?

License plate number

Compare the plate number on the ticket with your actual plate, character by character.

Plate type

e.g. passenger vs. commercial — check it matches your registration.

Registration expiration

Check the expiration on the ticket against your registration sticker or document.

Vehicle make

The manufacturer (e.g. Toyota, Honda) must match your vehicle.

Body type

e.g. sedan, SUV, van — check it matches your vehicle.

Date and time of the offense

Look for a missing, impossible, or contradictory date or time.

Place of occurrence

The ticket must identify where it happened, including the street name.

Violation code and description

Check the code and description identify a real, correctly stated violation.

Officer's signature

Officer-issued tickets must be signed by the issuing officer.

Overall legibility

If you can't read a required field, an illegible element counts like a missing one.

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Want the full background? Read our guide to defective NYC parking tickets

This checker is general information based on NYC's published rules. It is not legal advice, and past outcomes do not predict any individual case.