Fire hydrants are a fact of life living in a big city. They are powerful objects that have the ability to both save lives and kill wallets. Watch out for these common mistakes, so you don’t find yourself experiencing the latter.

Distance Disputes

If you get a ticket for a fire hydrant and you notice that the distance the officer claims your car was from the fire hydrant is off by a few feet, is that an easy out? While you can win some disputes based on an issuer’s mistake, this isn’t one of those cases. If you were any distance less than 15 feet from the hydrant, that ticket will be found guilty.

Commercial Drivers

While it is true that you can dodge a fire hydrant ticket if you’re at the wheel of your car, it only applies to passenger vehicles. Taxi, limousine, and commercial vehicles are not allowed to park next to a hydrant at any time.
In addition, if you leave your vehicle for any stretch of time, even a few seconds, you’re liable to get a ticket. If there’s no driver in the vehicle, there can be a ticket on the windshield.

The Street Signs Made It OK To Park Closer

In most cases, a fire hydrant will trump a street sign rule. For example, if a street cleaning sign permits parking during certain days and hours, that doesn’t mean that the fire hydrant is fair game. Unless the sign clearly mentions the fire hydrant, don’t risk it. When in doubt, find another spot.

Broken Hydrant

Unless you have access to official City documentation declaring a fire hydrant to be dead, you’re risking a pretty hefty fine parking next to it. It doesn’t matter how dry and empty the hydrant looks. Better to be safe than sorry.