Parking meters are a necessary evil that can be found throughout the City in high-traffic areas. It’s important to know how to use them, display your receipts, and what rights you have when using them.
Parking meters accept quarters, dollar coins, and cards as methods of payment. You can also use the ParkNYC mobile app on your iphone or android.
If you run into a broken or malfunctioning meter, don’t take the risk of catching a “free” parking spot, because you’re just as likely to catch a free ticket. You can report a broken meter to 311 and then find a parking space with a working meter.
When you do find a spot and pay the meter you’ll receive one of two kinds of receipts: Pay-N-Display or Pay-N-Retain. Pay-N-Display receipts must be displayed on your vehicle’s dashboard. Make sure that it’s in a spot that makes it easy to read and don’t forget to double check that it didn’t move when you closed your car door on the way out. If you are a motorcycle rider, there is no specific display method, but it’s up to you to make sure that it can be easily found and read by an officer.
Pay-N-Retain receipts must be kept with you as proof of your payment. Be careful! If you lose it, you can’t get another one.
Once your receipt expires, you have 5 minutes to either pay again or move your car. What does this mean for your wallet? You cannot be issued a ticket within this 5-minutes grace period. If you are issued one during this time and you still have your receipt, you have strong evidence in your favor for a dispute. The 5 minutes grace period applies to Alternate Side Parking signs as well.