How to Handle Traffic Tickets Issued on San Francisco’s Steep Hills
Start fighting your traffic ticket in under a minute
Driving in San Francisco is an adventure — but the city’s steep inclines, tight intersections, and crowded neighborhoods can make it a challenging environment for even seasoned drivers. Because of this, San Francisco traffic ticket and parking violations are particularly common on hilly streets.
Know the Most Common Violations
Parking on a hill without turning your wheels correctly is one of the top infractions in San Francisco. When facing uphill, your wheels must turn away from the curb; downhill, they should turn toward it. Failure to do this, even with your brake engaged, can result in a ticket.
Other frequent violations include rolling stops, double parking, and blocking crosswalks. Because of the city’s density, even small misjudgments — like stopping an inch over a red curb — can draw enforcement.
Always Check Street Signs Carefully
San Francisco’s street signs often change block by block. Parking restrictions vary by time of day, street cleaning schedules, or neighborhood permits. For example, some areas allow two-hour parking only between certain hours, while others switch to resident-only after 6 p.m. When in doubt, snap a quick photo of nearby signage. It’s helpful evidence if you later need to clarify your situation.
Responding to a Ticket
If you receive a ticket, don’t delay reading it. The city offers several ways to respond — online, by mail, or in person. You can request an extension, pay, or contest. If you believe a mistake occurred, gather evidence like photos, timestamps, or dashcam footage before submitting your appeal. Written declarations are a popular choice for drivers who can’t appear in person.
Safe Driving on the City’s Hills
Driving safely in San Francisco means adjusting your habits. Use your handbrake when parked on steep slopes, allow more space for cars ahead, and avoid sudden accelerations on inclines. When in doubt, use lower gears to control your descent. It’s not only safer — it also reduces wear on your brakes and lowers your risk of tickets.
Mastering the hills takes patience, but once you do, you’ll find driving in San Francisco to be far less stressful — and far less expensive.
Trial by Written Declaration
The Easy Way to Fight a San Francisco County Traffic Ticket
If you’ve received a San Francisco County traffic ticket, you can contest it without stepping foot in court through California’s Trial by Written Declaration process. You simply submit your written defense and any evidence by mail. If you win, your ticket is dismissed and no points go on your record. GetDismissed helps San Francisco drivers handle this process from start to finish—fast, easy, and fully online.
Follow a manual added link
Photograph your ticket & license.
*If you don’t have your ticket handy, it’s okay — you can still start the process and just add it later!
Follow a manual added link
Provide info through guided questions.
*Be sure to quickly add as many notes about the stop as you can so you don’t leave out any important details!
Follow a manual added link
Sign & send your defense to court.
*We will send you a completed packet for the court that just needs your signature and a stamp!
What Types of Tickets Do We Help With?
GetDismissed produces results in fighting all kinds of tickets. Unfortunately, this list does not include exhibition of speed citations. Your best bet in fighting one of these infractions, is to contact an attorney. An attorney can negotiate on your behalf to try and reduce fines, or even to reduce the charges to a lesser infraction which could possibly qualify for traffic school.
We do however, contest infractions revolving around speeding, red lights, red light cameras, cell phones, signs (primarily stop signs), carpool violations, U-turns, out of lane violations, and commercial violations. If you receive a citation and have questions, contact us today.
