Date:         Mon, 19 May 2008 18:27:03 -0700
Reply-To:     John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Does anyone know if you can get a ticket for staying
              overnight in a NJ walmart lot?
Comments: To: taeke <taeke.t@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <48321e75.8905be0a.1264.fffffd03@mx.google.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

> Does anyone know if you can get a ticket for staying overnight in a NJ walmart lot?
> Anyone positive either way??

Well, the law regarding this stuff is pretty consistent across all 50
states: if it's private property, they can't give you a parking
ticket, nor can you usually be charged with a moving violation for
that matter. There are a few caveats, such as DUI laws that kick in
with you passed out in the back seat in a parking lot of a bar, but
you put your keys in the ignition so that somehow shows "intent to
drive" so they can arrest you for DUI. Also, ticketing people in
disabled parking spaces who don't show a placard is another exception.
But I digress.

Parking ticket wise, if it's not a public street or gov't owned/run
parking lot, you're fairly safe from the parking enforcement
jerks...errr OFFICERS. The owner of the property, however, can call
and have you towed away by the parking enforcement OFFICERS if he
requests they come on to his property to do so, so make sure whoever
runs the lot (e.g. WalMart) is OK with it. But again, there's always
the problem of YOU knowing the law, but the parking OFFICER being
ignorant of it and writing you a ticket anyway! You being right will
get you out of it eventually, but not without a lot of bureaucratic
wrangling. It's like they say: being innocent doesn't keep you from
being arrested, it just (hopefully) keeps you from being convicted...

--
John Bange
'90 Vanagon - "Lastwagen"
'90 Vanagon GL - "Wiesel"