How to Fight Parking Tickets in the City of Somerville
Invalid or Expired Registration Plate
In the City of Somerville, all vehicles parked on public ways must display a valid, unexpired registration plate and sticker. If your registration has lapsed according to the RMV, or if your plate is not properly affixed or readable, you are liable to receive a citation even if the vehicle is otherwise parked legally.
Guide to Fighting City of Somerville Invalid or Expired Registration Plate
Seeing that bright orange envelope tucked under your windshield wiper is never the highlight of anyone's day in Somerville. While most people worry about street cleaning schedules or permit zones, getting hit with a ticket for an "Invalid or Expired Registration Plate" can feel particularly frustrating. It often feels like a paperwork error rather than a parking sin, but the city takes vehicle status seriously.
Basically, this violation means that when a parking enforcement officer checked your vehicle, its registration status with the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) was flagged as expired, suspended, or invalid. Alternatively, the physical plate or sticker on the car might not match what is in the system. Because public streets are reserved for road-legal vehicles, having expired tags makes the car ineligible to be parked on city property, resulting in a $50.00 fine.
Is it worth fighting? It certainly can be. There are a few common angles that drivers use when contesting this specific violation. The most common defense is that you had actually renewed your registration prior to the ticket being issued, but the new sticker hadn't arrived in the mail yet. If you can provide a receipt showing the transaction date predates the ticket timestamp, hearing officers are often lenient. Another angle is checking for clerical errors; if the officer mistyped your plate number or the make of the car, the ticket might be invalid on its face. Even if you forgot to renew, some drivers find success by renewing immediately and presenting proof of the active registration during a dispute, though this is not a guaranteed dismissal.
Ignoring the ticket is definitely the wrong move. Somerville has a structured escalation for unpaid fines. If the $50.00 isn't paid or contested within 21 days, a $5.00 late fee is added. If you still haven't paid 21 days after a notice is mailed (roughly 42-63 days in), another $15.00 is tacked on. Finally, after about two months, the city refers the debt to the RMV. This incurs a hefty $40.00 referral fee and creates a "non-renewal" mark on your record, meaning you won't be able to renew your license or registration until the debt is cleared.
That is where Busted comes in. We know that dealing with municipal websites and mailing in checks is a hassle you don't need. You can use the Busted web app to manage your ticket entirely online. Whether you want to pay the fine quickly to avoid those escalating penalties or you want to submit a dispute letter with your evidence, our platform streamlines the process. We help you organize your argument or facilitate the payment so you can get back to your day without the stress of looming late fees.
Late fee schedule
| Timing | Fee |
|---|---|
21-42 days First late fee > 21 days unpaid and no hearing requested | $5.00 |
42-63 days Second late fee 21 days after the mailed notice if still unpaid (or no hearing request) | $15.00 |
After 63 days RMV referral fee - when Parking Clerk reports non-payment to Registrar of Motor Vehicles | $40.00 |