Does a parking ticket affect your insurance rates?
Do parking tickets go on your record or affect insurance? Speeding tickets and other moving violations will typically impact car insurance prices. Parking tickets, however, are non-moving violations.
Free Car Insurance Comparison
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Scott W. Johnson
Licensed Insurance Agent
Scott W Johnson is an independent insurance agent in California. Principal Broker and founder of Marindependent Insurance Services, Scott brings over 25 years of experience to his clients. His Five President’s Council awards prove he uses all he learned at Avocet, Sprint Nextel, and Farmers Insurance to the benefit of his clients. Scott quickly grasped the unique insurance requirements of his...
Licensed Insurance Agent
UPDATED: Oct 27, 2023
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident auto insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one auto insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider.
Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.
UPDATED: Oct 27, 2023
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident auto insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one auto insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider.
Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
On This Page
Getting a parking ticket can be annoying. But do parking tickets go on your record or affect your auto insurance premiums? Will you pay more for car insurance because you have an unpaid parking ticket? Today, we’re answering all your questions about how parking tickets affect car insurance.
Do parking tickets go on your record?
A parking ticket does not affect car insurance premiums. In fact, parking tickets aren’t even added to your record as a traffic violation.
Your car insurance company cannot see your parking citation. Even if they wanted to increase your premiums because of parking tickets, the insurance company would not be able to see the charges or increase your insurance rate.
The DMV and other authorities also cannot see your parking citation. Parking tickets aren’t published on your driving record background. Learn how to remove points off your license in each state.
Compare over 200 auto insurance companies at once!
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Do parking violations affect insurance premiums?
First, let’s make one thing clear. Parking tickets do not have any impact on your car insurance premiums.
Speeding tickets and other driving violations will typically impact car insurance prices. A parking violation, however, does notincrease your auto insurance rates. You were not operating your motor vehicle when you received the infraction: it’s a non-moving violation, and it won’t impact your car insurance prices.
In the eyes of the insurance company, your history of getting parking tickets has no connection to your likelihood of making a claim. Frequently getting into accidents typically means you’re a bad driver, which means you’ll pay more for car insurance. Frequently receiving parking tickets does not mean you’re a bad driver.
Whether you have zero parking tickets, two parking tickets, or 200 parking tickets, you’ll pay the same car insurance prices as any other driver, all other things being equal. However, keep in mind that this is only for those that have a clean driving record. If you have been pulled over by a police officer for reckless driving, your rates may go up.
Which traffic tickets affect car insurance prices?
Many tickets can have a significant impact on car insurance prices. Generally, tickets given by police officers are more likely to affect car insurance prices than tickets given by municipal authorities like parking officers.
The types of tickets that are more likely to affect car insurance prices include:
- Speeding tickets
- Distracted driving tickets
- Careless or reckless driving
- Driving under the influence
- Other moving violations
These types of tickets will remain on your record for 3 to 5 years. They may raise your car insurance premiums significantly – especially if you have two or more of the above violations within a multi-year period. A single speeding ticket might not substantially affect car insurance prices, but two or more speeding tickets can cause rates to rise.
Can not paying a parking ticket cause insurance rates to rise?
Getting a parking ticket will not affect car insurance premiums. Ignoring a parking ticket, however, and refusing to pay that ticket, may affect car insurance premiums in the long run.
If you’re the registered owner of the vehicle that received the parking ticket, then you’re legally obligated to pay the fine attached to the parking ticket.
If you decide to not pay the parking ticket, then it may cause problems when you renew your vehicle registration.
Every state in America has passed laws requiring vehicle owners to pay parking tickets before registering a vehicle. You may not be able to renew or register a vehicle until you pay your past-due parking tickets.
If you choose to drive without registration and get caught, then you could face substantial penalties. This could lead to higher insurance prices in the long run.
In other words, your parking ticket could indirectly cause insurance prices to rise if you fail to pay them and fail to register your vehicle. In most cases, however, parking tickets have no impact on car insurance.
Compare over 200 auto insurance companies at once!
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Conclusion: Do parking tickets go on your record?
Parking tickets never impact car insurance prices – as long as you pay the parking ticket. If you refuse to pay your parking ticket, then you could have trouble renewing your vehicle registration, which could lead to future insurance problems.
In the vast majority of cases, however, simply receiving a parking ticket and paying for that ticket will have no impact on car insurance premiums. Whether you have one parking ticket or 100 parking tickets, your parking tickets will not show up on your driver’s abstract, and your car insurance company has no way of tracking your parking violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do parking tickets impact your insurance rates?
Generally, parking tickets do not directly affect your insurance rates. Auto insurance premiums are primarily determined by factors such as your driving history, claims history, age, location, vehicle type, and credit score. Parking violations, which are considered non-moving violations, are not typically factored into insurance premium calculations.
Will my insurance company be informed if I receive a parking ticket?
In most cases, parking tickets are not reported to insurance companies. Insurance providers are primarily concerned with moving violations, accidents, and other factors that indicate a higher risk of claims. As parking tickets do not involve any significant risk of accidents, they are typically not reported or recorded on your insurance record.
Can a parking ticket impact my driving record?
Parking tickets generally do not have an impact on your driving record. Unlike moving violations, such as speeding or running a red light, parking infractions are considered non-moving violations. Non-moving violations are typically not recorded on your driving record, as they do not involve any unsafe driving behaviors.
Could my insurance rates increase if I have a history of parking tickets?
Having a history of parking tickets is unlikely to directly result in an increase in your insurance rates. However, it’s important to remember that insurance companies assess risk based on various factors, and if your driving record shows a pattern of other moving violations or accidents, your rates could be affected.
Should I ignore a parking ticket assuming it won’t affect my insurance rates?
Ignoring a parking ticket is not recommended, as it can lead to additional penalties and consequences, such as late fees, collection actions, or even having your vehicle towed. It’s important to address parking tickets promptly by paying the fine or following the appropriate procedures outlined by the issuing authority.
Compare over 200 auto insurance companies at once!
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Scott W. Johnson
Licensed Insurance Agent
Scott W Johnson is an independent insurance agent in California. Principal Broker and founder of Marindependent Insurance Services, Scott brings over 25 years of experience to his clients. His Five President’s Council awards prove he uses all he learned at Avocet, Sprint Nextel, and Farmers Insurance to the benefit of his clients. Scott quickly grasped the unique insurance requirements of his...
Licensed Insurance Agent
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.