Meter outage flags
A flag says "possibly not taking payment" and links the method. It does not say a ticket is void.
San Diego and Los Angeles are live
Know when the meter was the problem.
Meter Watch reads each city's own parking data to show meters that stopped taking payments, blocks where tickets pile up, and the rights that apply when a meter fails. Free to use. No ads. No tracking.
278,076parking tickets written in San Diego
$24.0Min fines on those tickets, at face value
22,739meter tickets written on a block while one of its meters was silent
January–June 2026. Our analysis of City of San Diego parking citation and meter payment data. Method published at launch.
What you get
The city's records, turned around to work for you
Street sweeping
The layer says "the City's schedule shows no sweeping here that day." An add-to-calendar reminder stays on your device. Nothing is sent to us.
Temporary no parking
Clusters say "possibly no permit on file." The sign check compares your photo's time with the city's posted rule. A citation is not decided here.
A map hosted here
Tiles, fonts, and sprites are served by this site. The map does not request them from another company.
The law most drivers never hear about
A broken meter is not your fault
California Vehicle Code §22508.5 sets the rules when a meter or pay station can't take your money. Some cities tell drivers to pay by app or move. Read the statute for yourself.
§22508.5(a)
A vehicle may park, for up to the posted time limit, in any parking space that is regulated by an inoperable parking meter or an inoperable parking payment center.
§22508.5(d)
If a parking space is regulated by a parking meter or parking payment center that cannot physically accept payment, a local authority shall not issue a citation for nonpayment of parking fees notwithstanding the fact that the parking meter or parking payment center may accept payment by other nonphysical means.
Read the full section on the California Legislature's site. Meter Watch is not a law firm, and this is not legal advice.
Read the curb
What each curb color means in California
Curb paint carries the force of law under Vehicle Code §21458. Local signs can add hours and limits, so read the sign too.
Red
No stopping, standing or parking.Buses may stop where marked as a bus zone.
Yellow
Stop only to load or unload passengers or freight.The city sets the time allowed.
White
Stop only to load or unload passengers, or to drop mail in a mailbox beside the curb.The city sets the time allowed.
Green
Park for a limited time.The city sets the limit, usually on a sign or painted on the curb.
Blue
Parking only for a vehicle of a disabled person or a disabled veteran.
How it works
Public data, open method, honest labels
We read what the city publishes
Every day we pull the meter payment and citation data the city puts on its own open data portal. We never scrape city or vendor websites.
We look for meters that go quiet
When a meter takes no payments by coin, card or app while the meters beside it keep working, we flag it. When coin and card stop but app payments continue, we flag that too.
We show our work
Every flag says "possibly," links to the method, and can be corrected by anyone, including the city. Corrections are logged in public.
Our promises
Built to hold the city accountable, not to watch you
We never sell your data.Not to data brokers, insurers, advertisers, towing or collection companies. Not to anyone.
No ads, no trackers.This site makes no requests to any third party. Not even for fonts.
We don't track parking officers.No names, badge numbers, locations or rankings. Ever.
No license plates in public.Even when a city's own dataset includes them.
Government gets nothing without a court order.And we tell you first, unless the law forbids it.
A transparency report every January and July.Legal requests, incidents, and every dollar in and out.
Pricing
Free for everyone. Pro if you're fighting a ticket.
Pro is a flat subscription. We never take a cut of a dismissed ticket or a refund.
Free
$0
- The meter map for your city
- Plain-language rights guide
- Deadline reminders
- Low-income payment plan check, which waives late fees (Vehicle Code §40220)
- One-tap broken meter report
Pro
Soonprice set before launch
- Appeal packet built from the meter's own payment record
- Guided evidence photos at the curb
- Public records request letters
- Late-fee refund claims
- Several vehicles per household
Cancel online in two clicks. Full refund within 14 days.
Fleets
Per vehiclemonthly
- Every ticket across your fleet in one place
- Bulk import by file or email
- Where your drivers get ticketed, by route and depot
- Exports and an API for your systems
- Data processing agreement included
Cities
Starting where the data is public
San Diego
Daily meter payments by method, monthly citations by block.
Los Angeles
Citations with time and meter id, the space inventory, sweeping, and temporary no-parking clusters.
Santa Monica
Map in progress. The city publishes meter locations, street sweeping and permit zones, and those are going into the map. Payments and citations aren't published. We've asked for them.
Beverly Hills
A public map of rates and hours. Payments and citations are not in that file. The map waits on those records.
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