Citations

Citations and Penalties

Citations for parking violations are sent to your charlotte.edu email account. You can pay a citation online, by mail or in person at the PaTS Office.

Neither Parking and Transportation Services (PaTS) nor UNC Charlotte gain financial benefit from citation fines.*

ViolationFee
Improper display/use of parking permit or parking credential not clearly visible or not displayed as instructed$20
Line straddling or other improper parking method (includes backing into parking space without an approved front license plate, prohibiting the vehicle’s license plate number to be read from the drive lane per Ordinance Section 2-10(10))$30
Shared permit/credential violation$80
Failure to pay fee in visitor parking$50
Mobile payment time violation$30
Illegal parking or storage of a mobility device$40
Parking in improper area for permit$40
Traffic offense$50
Improper use of parking area (includes violation of Ordinance Section 3-8)$80
Registration violation$60
Parking on grass$80
Parking without valid permit$80
Blocking traffic, crosswalk, pedestrian access or bus pull-off$80
Removing, breaking or forcing open gate or tampering with LPR cameras$80+
Removing or tampering with immobilization device (boot)$80+
Parking in a reserved space, tow-away zone or fire lane$150
Parking in or blocking access to a space or accessibility ramp for the disabled$250
Forged, altered or stolen credential or permit$480

*According to North Carolina law, the University is only allowed to retain 20% of the money collected from parking citations. The remaining 80 percent must be remitted to the state to support local public schools (elementary, middle and high schools).

The 20 percent that UNC Charlotte is allowed to keep is earmarked to cover operating costs for citation collections. Unfortunately, the cost of the enforcement and collections program significantly exceeds this amount.

Alleged moving violations may result in a citation to District Court, Mecklenburg County, as prescribed by North Carolina State Law.

Payment

If paying a citation at the PaTS office, please have the vehicle’s license plate number or the citation number. Failure to provide this information may delay the processing of the payment.

Payment methods include:

  • 49er Account
  • Check
  • Credit (Visa/Mastercard/American Express/Discover only)
  • Cash (if paying in the office)

Failure to pay parking citations may result in:

  • Students: Charges to the student’s University account. Failure to pay all University debt will result in denial of registration and/or issuance of transcripts.
  • Faculty/Staff: Deduction from University payroll check.
  • Non-affiliated Visitors: Charges may be submitted for collection through an independent agency.

Vehicles with four (4) or more outstanding citations are subject to being immobilized or towed and may have parking privileges revoked for the remainder of the academic year. Once a vehicle is placed on the Tow List, all outstanding citations must be paid in full for the vehicle to be removed from the list.

Appeals

Appeals must be filed within 10 business days of the citation issuance and may be submitted online or in person. Please allow 24 hours from time of issuance to file appeal. All appeals are read and considered; decisions are emailed.

Valid reasons to appeal
  • The vehicle was not in violation of University parking regulations at the time of the citation.
  • An extenuating circumstance beyond the operator’s control placed the vehicle in violation.
Appeals not granted
  • Lack of knowledge of parking regulations
  • Overtime parking at meters, including parking at a malfunctioning meter
  • Hazard lights are on
  • Failure to notify Parking Services when a vehicle is inoperable
  • Your vehicle was loaned/driven by someone else
  • Forgetting to display a valid parking permit
  • Inability to find a legally-marked parking space
  • Parking in a reserved space without the proper permit
  • Failure to obtain a temporary permit or loading permit
  • Dropping off homework assignment or seeing the instructor
  • Did not purchase the permit in time
  • Held up late from an appointment or class

Immobilization Device

Any vehicle on the University Tow List or vehicle that cannot be identified by license plate or VIN is subject to immobilization (boot). The immobilization device will be removed for a fee of $85 plus any unpaid citations and after registering the vehicle at the Parking and Transportation Services (PaTS) Office.