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documentationUnited States · Massachusetts (Statewide)Difficulty: Easy

Insufficient Citation Detail (MGL c.90C §2)

MGL c.90C §2 requires that a citation contain specific elements: the violation, location with sufficient particularity, date, time, plate, vehicle description, and the issuing officer's signature/badge. A citation missing the location to a particular block, time of issuance, or officer ID is voidable. Boston-specific: hand-written citations missing the badge number or with illegible handwriting are routinely dismissed.

Legal basis

MGL c.90C §2 (citation form requirements); Commonwealth v. Cameron, 416 Mass. 314 (1993) (no-fix rule and citation form)

Sample appeal wording

Re: Citation #[TICKET NUMBER] The citation fails to comply with MGL c.90C §2 in the following respect(s): [ ] No location particularity (states only "[STREET]" without block or hundreds-of address) [ ] No time of issuance [ ] No officer signature or badge number [ ] Illegible plate / VIN [ ] No specific violation code cited Under Commonwealth v. Cameron the citation form rules are strictly construed against the issuer. I request dismissal. [NAME]

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

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Sources

  • MGL c.90C §2
  • Commonwealth v. Cameron, 416 Mass. 314 (1993)

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