Appeal Process

The Parking Appeal Board is made up of students from University of Richmond's student governments who meet during the regular school year. The Appeal Board Chairman will read your appeal before the board without disclosing your name. Your parking record will be provided if the board requests it. After the board makes a decision, an email notification will be sent to the email address you provide on the appeal form.

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  • Tips for Writing an Appeal

    Contrary to popular belief, a well-written parking appeal can make a difference. Appeals should be specific, detailed, and honest. The appeal board may recommend changes in the parking rules and regulations as a result of parking appeals. When writing appeals, it is in your own favor, and in the favor of the University community, to provide earnest and clear information.

    To help get your point across, here are some things to keep in mind:

    Make sure your appeal reason matches the violation on the ticket. If it’s for parking in a "No Parking" area in a student lot, don’t state why you were in the lot. Instead, explain why you were in the "No Parking" area.

    Don’t lie in your appeal. If untrue information is given in an appeal, it will immediately be denied. Students should follow the University Honor Code when submitting an appeal.

    Don’t insult the appeal board. The appeal board is made up of your constituents –– senators from the five student governments. It is not in your best interest to insult the board.

    While the appeal board members appreciate well-placed sarcasm as much as you do, do not use it in your appeal. Sarcasm does nothing to help support your appeal case.

    Don’t "name drop." The appeals are anonymous –– all identifying information is removed from the appeal before the board meets, so the board does not know who you are or who you know.

    Spell check. Remember, as with any well-structured paper, it takes away from the appeal if there are multiple misspelled words. You care enough to send an appeal in, so make it look good!

  • Avoid these Common Statements
    • "I had my hazard lights on!" Hazard lights on your vehicle do not authorize you to park anywhere. The flashing lights only draw attention to your vehicle and to the fact that you know that your vehicle shouldn’t be there, even "just for a second".
    • "I don’t read SpiderBytes." Always read SpiderBytes! Lot closure information is always sent out by Parking Services in SpiderBytes. It is impossible to send out individual emails to every single person who uses a lot (legal or illegally) on campus when a lot is going to be closed.
    • "I only parked in the post office lot for a few minutes while I went into the Dining Hall." The spaces at the post office are only for post office use. You cannot park there to go to the Science Center, to the Dining Hall, to the Commons, etc.
    • "But I’ve parked there before and never gotten a ticket." Call it luck, call it good fortune. Even if you have parked in an illegal area in the past and not been ticketed, your responsibility is not waived.
    • "I wasn’t taking anyone’s space." Every time a vehicle is registered on campus, the student "owns" a space in the lot to which they are assigned! That space is your vehicle’s "home". So, when you park outside of your lot, you are indeed taking someone’s space. With the ongoing construction on campus, it is more important than ever that vehicles remain in their assigned lot.
    • "I didn’t know that was an illegal area to park." All of the Parking Services rules and regulations are distributed each year when you receive your parking sticker and are available on this website, which is updated when any changes in parking regulations, including lot closures, occur.
  • Appeal Statistics

    Before writing an appeal, many people wonder: “is it worth it?” The answer is yes! The Appeals Board is committed to ensuring that full consideration is given to each appeal that it reads. While our primary goal is to uphold parking regulations, we understand that sometimes things happen. If extenuating circumstances prevent you from parking correctly and you receive a citation, we encourage you to submit an appeal explaining the situation. At the request of students, we’ve provided the statistics for appeals that were granted, warned, or denied in the last academic year.

    In the 2023-2024 academic year…

    • 643 appeals were warned (recipient is not responsible for fine)
    • 75 appeals were granted (recipient is not responsible for fine)
    • 315 appeals were denied (recipient is responsible for the fine)
    • 9 appeals were cancelled
    • 21 appeals were voided

    In total:

    • 60% were warned
    • 7% were granted
    • 30% were denied
    • 1% were cancelled
    • 2% were voided

    Total of 1,063 appeals were submitted for August 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024