Home / Advice / 21 Del. C. §4170 / §4179 — Citation Service Defect
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21 Del. C. §4170 / §4179 — Citation Service Defect

Title 21 Del. C. §4170 et seq. governs parking citations. A citation must be either served on the operator or affixed conspicuously to the vehicle. Mailed-only first notices (commonly used by Wilmington Parking Violations Bureau via LPR-fed scofflaw lists) have been challenged successfully where no actual physical citation was placed on the vehicle. Defendant should plead not guilty and demand the City produce the issuing officer's contemporaneous record and proof of affixation.

Legal basis

21 Del. C. §4170 (parking restrictions); 21 Del. C. §4179 (penalty/procedure); Wilmington City Code §37-201 et seq.

Sample appeal wording

TO: Wilmington Parking Violations Bureau 800 N. French St., Wilmington, DE 19801 RE: Notice of Violation No. [#], Date [DATE], Location [LOCATION] I deny service of the above citation. Title 21 Del. C. §4170 / §4179 require personal delivery or conspicuous affixation. No citation was on my vehicle on [DATE]. I demand: (1) photograph of citation affixed; (2) issuing officer's contemporaneous log; (3) any handheld/LPR record. Absent proof, the citation must be dismissed for failure of service. Sworn statement attached. [NAME] [ADDRESS] [DATE]

Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.

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Sources

  • 21 Del. C. §4170, §4179
  • Wilmington City Code §37-201 et seq.

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