What happens if I don’t pay my Greenville parking tickets? Here’s how the law works

Let’s say you’re running late for a meeting in downtown Greenville. No time to roam through the various city parking lots and then magically there’s an open space near where you need to go.

You maneuver in, rush into your meeting and completely forget you’re in a two-hour space.

A parking ticket is waiting for you when you come out.

No problem if you take care of it, but if you do this again and again, you can quickly rack up fees.

Here’s what Greenville’s parking law says.

“If a driver accumulates more than $50 in unpaid parking fines over the course of a year their information will be turned over to the state and the funds will be deducted from their tax return,” said Beth Brotherton, Greenville city spokesperson.

The city turns 4,000 a year to the state, she said.

Or, five or more unpaid tickets and you’re going to come out to a boot on your wheel. If you pay, they’ll unboot your car, but if you don’t, the car could be towed.

Brotherton said parking services writes approximately 30,000 tickets annually. The division employs 30 people full-time and 30 part-time.

It’s not just staying over the limit that can cause you problems.

Common violations include:

• Backing into spaces in parking garages
• Moving a vehicle to avoid a citation
• Parking facing traffic
• Parking in a loading zone - all loading zones have a 30-minute limit and are for loading purposes only, unless otherwise posted, loading zones are enforceable 24 hours a day
• Parking in a prohibited zone or no-parking zone, including parking in horse carriage and valet spaces
• Parking more than 18 inches from the curb
• Parking on a sidewalk
• Parking out of the lines
• Parking over the two-hour limit

The city allows parking tickets, other than parking in handicapped spaces, to be paid online.

The city has 18 garages and lots and offers free parking for the first hour except during special events and when weekend nighttime rates are in effect. The cost is $2 for a second hour, and then $1 per hour thereafter, with a daily maximum of $7.

On street parking where allowed is free for the first two hours.