How to Fight Parking Tickets in the City of Somerville
On-Demand Storage (POD) Permit
In the City of Somerville, you are required to obtain a specific permit from the Traffic and Parking Department before placing a portable storage container (POD) on a public street. If you place a storage unit on the road without this permit, or if the permit is expired or not clearly displayed, you will be issued a parking citation.
Guide to Fighting City of Somerville On-Demand Storage (POD) Permit
Moving day in Somerville is chaotic enough without seeing an orange envelope stuck to your storage container. If you received a citation for an "On-Demand Storage (POD) Permit," it means the city believes you placed a portable storage unit on a public way without the necessary paperwork. Somerville is tight on parking and street space, so the city is quite strict about anyone claiming public asphalt for private storage without prior authorization.
The base fine for this violation is $50.00. While that might not seem like a budget-breaker compared to the cost of moving, ignoring the ticket is a bad idea. Somerville has a tiered late fee system that gets expensive quickly. If you don't pay or request a hearing within 21 days, a $5.00 late fee is added. Wait another three weeks (42 days total), and another $15.00 is tacked on. If you let it slide past 63 days, the Parking Clerk reports the non-payment to the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), hitting you with a $40.00 referral fee and potentially blocking your registration renewal.
Why was this ticket issued? Usually, this happens for one of three reasons. First, you simply didn't know you needed a permit to drop a POD on the street. Second, you applied for one, but the dates on the permit didn't align with when the container was actually dropped off. Third, you had a valid permit, but it wasn't visible to the parking enforcement officer when they walked by.
Can you fight it? Absolutely. If you had a valid permit that was active at the time the ticket was written, you have a strong case. Sometimes permits fall off the container or get obscured by weather; providing a copy of the valid permit usually clears this up. Additionally, check the ticket for clerical errors. If the officer wrote down the wrong location or date, the ticket might be invalid. Even if you didn't have a permit, explaining mitigating circumstances sometimes helps, though it is not a guaranteed win.
Dealing with city bureaucracy is the last thing you want to do while unpacking boxes. That’s where Busted comes in. You don’t need to download an app or visit City Hall. Just use our web app to handle the entire process from your browser. Upload a photo of your ticket and answer a few simple questions about your situation.
If you want to contest the fine, our system will generate a professional dispute letter based on your answers and mail it to the City of Somerville on your behalf. If you’d rather just pay it and move on, we can facilitate that too. We handle the paperwork so you can focus on setting up your new home.
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 |