How do I get a residential parking permit?

If you are eligible for a residential parking permit, you may pay an additional fee and be issued a residential parking permit. This permit is good for the same period as your vehicle registration. Please note that parking permits are issued by DMV on behalf of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) which regulates parking.


Are reciprocity and the residential parking permit the same thing?

Reciprocity is what allows a temporary resident the right to retain his/her out-of-state vehicle registration when he/she is temporarily living in the District. Since District law requires that anyone domiciled in the District for more than 30 days must obtain a DC driver's license and register their vehicle, reciprocity exempts a temporary resident from this law.

Reciprocity is not related to the ability to park. Residential Parking, which is regulated by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), allows a DC registered vehicle, or a vehicle with reciprocity, to be parked without restriction in the permit area of the residential address. In order to be eligible for a Residential Parking Permit (RPP), your street must be zoned for RPP as indicated by a two-hour residential restriction sign on your block.


How do I get a disability parking placard?

Parking placards and disability tags are issued at any DMV service center location. To obtain or renew a temporary or long-term placard or tags, your application* must be certified by your doctor. You may receive a one-week placard without a doctor's certification. Please note that disability parking placards are issued by DMV on behalf of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) which regulates parking.


I noticed that you are requesting my e-mail address on most of the DMV applications. Will I be able to receive DMV notices by e-mail instead of by regular mail?

Yes. If you have provided us with your e-mail address (either during the driver’s license/identification card transactions or online), DMV will e-mail you your driver's license, identification card, vehicle registration and inspection renewal notices by e-mail instead of by regular mail. If you do not renew your credential 25 days prior to its expiration, we will send you a hard copy renewal notice at your address of record.

How can I pay a ticket?

DMV must receive your payment within 30 calendar days of the date on the ticket, or a penalty equal to the fine is added. For your convenience, DMV provides four payment options: online, by mail, in person, or by phone at (202) 289-2230. You may be eligible to pay your ticket(s) in installments.

Online

You can now pay your tickets online. Have your ticket information and credit card available. The information you submit online is protected on a secure third-party site and will not be distributed for any reason. DC Government accepts Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. DC Government does not accept American Express.

By Mail

• Make your check or money order payable to the DC Treasurer (do not send cash) and write the ticket number on your payment. Include the ticket, or if you do not have your ticket, write the vehicle's state and tag number on your check or money order (e.g. DC license tag #123456).
• Send your parking, photo enforcement or moving violation ticket and check or money order to: DMV Adjudication Services, PO Box 2014, Washington, DC 20013.

In Person

• Payments are accepted at Adjudication Services.
• If you bring your ticket with you, you will be directed to the cashier window to pay your ticket.
• If you do not bring your ticket with you, present your ID to obtain a printout of your ticket, then proceed to the cashier window to pay the ticket.
• You may pay by cash, check, money order, or credit card. DC Government accepts Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. DC Government does not accept American Express.
• If you are paying with anything other than cash, you must present a valid driver's license, DMV-issued non-drivers ID, passport, or military ID.
• Checks are not accepted for the release of booted or towed vehicles.
• A boot is generally released within two hours after payment.

If you are a District of Columbia resident and are seeking driver or vehicle services, you may enter a payment plan to settle outstanding tickets or insurance fines. You will have six-months to pay off your tickets or insurance fines. During this time a six month temporary license or vehicle registration will be issued. Payment in full is due by the end of the six-month period. Payment plan requirements are listed below:

• Your fines must total at least $250.
• You must deposit at least 25% of the total amount due to start the plan.
• You must have a DC driver's license or a non-driver's identification card and your vehicle must be registered in the District of Columbia.
• If you would like to contest your ticket, you must request a hearing before entering the payment plan.
• Once you are on the payment plan, you waive your right to a hearing for any ticket included on the plan.
• Tickets issued after you start the plan (including parking, traffic and photo enforcement tickets) do not become part of the payment plan.
• Current regulations limit payment plans to DC residents.
• You must pay all boot,tow and storage fees.
• You must answer any and all tickets issued to you after you start the plan; otherwise, your temporary license and/or registration may be revoked and your vehicle will subject to enforcement action.

You may apply for more than one payment plan. However, you must meet the following conditions

• You can not be on more than one payment plan at the same time.
• You must successfully complete all previous payment plans.

• Parking Ticket
  
• Minor Moving Violation Ticket
  
• Photo Enforcement Ticket

How do I appeal a decision?
If you wish to appeal a hearing examiner's decision, you must file an appeal with the Traffic Adjudication Appeals Board. Detailed instructions on how to file an appeal are outlined on the Notice of Appeals Application*

What can be appealed?
Any final decision by a hearing examiner can be appealed. This includes parking tickets, moving violation tickets, the suspension or revocation of your driver's license, the denial of a your Motion to Vacate Judgment, Motion to Schedule or Reschedule a Hearing.

When do I file an appeal?
If your hearing was in person, DMV must receive your appeal within 15 calendar days of the hearing date. If your case was adjudicated by mail, DMV must receive your appeal within 18 calendar days of the postmark date of the decision letter.

How do I file my appeal?
To file an appeal you must first complete the Notice of Appeals Application*. You must pay the ticket fine and any penalties and a $10 appeal fee for each ticket appealed. If you are appealing a traffic ticket you must also pay a $50 transcript deposit fee.

What happens if I win my case on appeal?
The Appeals Board considers the ticket, testimony, evidence presented at the original hearing and the hearing transcript. There are no personal appearances before the Appeals Board. You also cannot submit additional documentation or evidence which was not presented at the original hearing. If the Board reverses the Hearing Examiner's decision, all fines, penalties, and fees are refunded to you.

If you don't pay or contest the moving violation ticket within 30 calendar days, a penalty equal to the fine amount is added. The ticket is now considered delinquent, and your license (DC residents) or privilege to drive (non-residents) will be suspended until you contest or pay the ticket.

If you fail to respond to the ticket within 60 calendar days, the ticket goes into default (i.e., it becomes delinquent), you are no longer eligible for a hearing and you must pay all fines and penalties (a $5 default fee is added to the ticket after the 60 day period). Also, moving violation tickets that are in default will result in the suspension of your DC license (for residents) or your DC driving privileges (for non-residents) until tickets are paid and your license reinstated. If you have parking tickets that are in default, you will be unable to receive services from the DMV until tickets are paid.

Vehicles can be booted for two or more delinquent tickets.

Most parking tickets are written by DPW's Parking Enforcement officers. Those tickets are usually posted to the database within three days. However, for other tickets, the length of time depends on when the officer submits their ticket book. Tickets are sometimes issued by agencies external to MPD and DPW's Parking Enforcement, the most prominent being US Park Police, US Capitol Police and university police. If your ticket is more than 20 days old, and it is not available on the online system for payment, it will be administratively dismissed. However, you should still mail the ticket to DMV using the address on the back of the ticket, so it can be entered into the database for dismissal.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

If you have received a Notice of Unsatisfied Parking Tickets, but did not or cannot recall receiving the original ticket, you may reply to the address on the notice and request a copy of the ticket. If it is less than 60 days since the ticket was issued, then you can submit a mail adjudication in which you may reply to the merits of both the underlying ticket and the assignment of penalties. If the ticket is more than 60 days old, then you can file a Motion to Vacate Judgement*.

A hearing examiner will review your written explanation and make a decision as to your liability for the original ticket fine and late penalty. You will receive a written decision by mail.

If your ticket has been referred to a collections agency, the administrative remedies identified on the ticket were not followed and the time period to contest the ticket has expired. D.C. DMV currently contracts with Professional Account Management, L.L.C. for debt collection services. You will receive written notification from the collections agency that identifies the available payment options. For questions on tickets in collections, you may contact Professional Account Management, L.L.C. at (866) 353-7145.

Normal practice in the credit reporting industry is to retain a reported debt in history for a period of seven years, even if a debt is paid during this period. However, in the interest of our customers, we have requested the collection agency (Professional Account Management L.L.C.) to automatically send a delete record to the credit bureaus whenever a collections account has been paid in full. Therefore a record of your delinquent ticket debt should disappear from credit bureau records once the payment is received. As a record of payment is sent from the collection agency to the credit bureaus on a weekly basis, and because a record of your payment may need to be communicated to other credit reporting agencies which did not receive the primary listing, you should allow a reasonable period of time for all records to be cleared. All communication concerning the status of your tickets with credit bureaus should be directed to Professional Account Management, L.L.C. (866-353-7145).

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