Traffic and Parking Ticket Appeals

The appeal form must remain in the Traffic Office. The appellant may wish to discuss the assessment with the Chief of Police to determine if a decision can be reached that is acceptable to both parties. If the decision of the Chief of Police in regard to the assessment is not acceptable to the appellant, the appellant may wish to appeal the assessment to the Traffic Appeals Committee. The appellant is not required to discuss the assessment with the Chief of Police. The appellant may also file the appeal at the Traffic Office for forwarding to the committee without discussion with the Chief of Police.

The appellant, following either one of the two procedures stated above, is required to file the appeal within 10 days after the issuance of the assessment. Failure to appeal an assessment within this time frame will render an appeal invalid. Each assessment must be appealed separately.

1. The Chief of Police is expected to submit all appeals to be decided to the committee.
2. Written appeals will be acted on by the committee at regularly scheduled meetings. Decisions will be rendered without personal hearings.
3. Appeals acted upon will be handled as follows:
   1. Appeal is upheld—Chief of Police is notified to refund the assessment and properly notify the appellant.
   2. Appeal is denied—Assessment is returned to the Chief of Police for proper notification of the appellant and collection of the assessment. Notifications shall be sent by campus mail or U.S. mail within a reasonable time after the decision is made.

The Traffic Appeals Committee is an ad hoc committee appointed by the Vice President for Student Affairs. The committee’s duties and responsibilities are:

1. To facilitate appeals of University traffic assessments brought by persons in the University community (faculty, staff, and students) who have been assessed fines for parking violations as owners and/or operators of motor vehicles.
2. To set a date and time for the appeals to be reviewed.
3. To uphold or deny appeals based solely on the merit of the case in accordance with the current year MSU Motor Vehicle Regulations. Only officer error (no offense committed) or extreme mitigating circumstances (e.g., verifiable emergencies such as medical emergencies or family emergencies) may be considered when upholding an appeal. Ignorance of the rules is not a valid excuse. The       decision of the committee is final and may be referred back to the committee for a second consideration only by the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Committee Operating Rules:

1. The committee meets as required to hear appeals filed with the Traffic Office.
2. All committee votes and deliberations will be held in strict confidence by committee members in the best interest of all parties concerned.
3. Decisions regarding appeals will be determined by committee vote. A quorum of two members must be present to render a vote. Majority vote determines a decision. If only two members are present and they cannot reach agreement, then the appeal shall be carried over to the next meeting.
4. The committee is not a collection or an enforcement agency. The committee’s decision will be to uphold or deny the appeal of the traffic assessment.