Broken / Bagged / Out-of-Service Meter
Under New Orleans Code §154-1683, when a parking meter is inoperable, bagged, jammed, or displays no readable time/rate, the parking space defaults to free for the maximum posted time limit. NOLA enforcement officers routinely cite vehicles at broken meters because the system only flags 'expired' status when the coin/card slot returns an error code. Defending requires evidence the meter was inoperable when the vehicle was parked.
Legal basis
New Orleans Code §154-1683; La. R.S. §32:1 et seq.; La. C.C. art. 1769 (impossibility of performance discharges obligation)
Sample appeal wording
Central Adjudication Bureau Re: Citation [CITATION_NUMBER] – Meter [METER#] CONTEST – METER INOPERABLE The meter governing my parking space (Meter #[METER#] at [LOCATION]) was inoperable at the time I parked on [DATE] at [TIME]. Photographs taken at [TIME+/-10 min] are enclosed and show: • Photo 1: Display reading '[ERROR / BLANK / OUT OF SERVICE]' • Photo 2: Coin slot blocked / bagged • Photo 3: ParkMobile zone code returns 'Zone Not Found' [if applicable] Under New Orleans Code §154-1683, where a meter is inoperable, the space is treated as a free parking space for the maximum posted duration. Under La. C.C. art. 1769, an obligation cannot be enforced where performance has been rendered impossible by the obligee (here, the City failing to maintain the meter). Dismissal is required. [NAME] | [ADDRESS] | [DATE]
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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- New Orleans Code §154-1683
- La. C.C. art. 1769