Parking passes are another hassle on top of a whole list of matters to handle before the semester starts in earnest, but are very important to both keep Los Medanos College safe, and save you from costly parking tickets.

Though the $50 price tag for a semester parking pass seems steep, the cost of violations can quickly add up to far more than the initial $50.

Anything from not having a pass to not displaying your pass correctly while parking at LMC will earn you a ticket. The parking ticket will say under the “Violation” section what the issue was and reason for citation. If the ticket was issued in error, the citation can be appealed online as directed by the citation.

The best way to avoid a citation is to have either your pass displayed clearly on either your windshield or your dashboard where the police aide can easily see it. For daily pass users a visible pass is not needed, but is appreciated.

Even if you have purchased a semester parking pass online, you must display a temporary or permanent pass in your car to avoid a ticket. To print out a temporary parking pass, print it out from the same website used to purchase the pass.

Be wary of leaving your unpermitted car on campus too, as a citation can be issued every 24 hours the vehicle is parked on campus. Leaving a car over the weekend could easily rack up $120 in tickets.

Should you be ticketed, the smartest choice is to pay or dispute it quickly, as citations start at $40, but can increase with late fees up to $90. From the day the citation is ordered, the ticket has 21 days to either pay the ticket or dispute it.

After 21 days you cannot dispute the claim and incur late fees on the ticket. Once the ticket has not been paid for long enough, it can lead to your registration being put on hold at the DMV, requiring the fee be paid to renew.