Most disputes fall into a handful of patterns. Use this guide to check the right record, reach a fair decision, and explain it clearly to the resident.

• For the review steps and decision options, see Responding to a citation dispute.

When to use this

• A new dispute is in your Citation Dispute Report and you're deciding how to respond.

• A resident calls or writes about a citation, boot, or tow they believe was wrong.

What to do

1. Open the dispute with Details and identify which scenario below it matches.

2. Check the record the scenario points to, and compare its timestamps with the violation.

3. Approve, deny, or request an investigation. Then fix any underlying cause so it doesn't happen again.

Common scenarios

The resident's lease was active, but ParkingPass showed it as expired

What's happening: The resident's Lease Expiration Date wasn't current when the violation happened.

What to do: Check the date on the resident's profile. If it was out of date at the time, approving the dispute may be justified. Update the lease date going forward — see Updating a resident's lease expiration date.

What to say: "Your lease date in our system was out of date, which caused this. I've approved your dispute and corrected the date."

The vehicle was on the Do-Not-Tow list but was towed

What's happening: A protected vehicle was enforced against.

What to do: Confirm the Do-Not-Tow entry was in place before the violation timestamp. If it was, request an investigation — this is usually a software or patrol partner issue. If the entry was added after the violation, the tow was valid. See Managing the Do-Not-Tow (DNT) list.

What to say: "Your vehicle was on our Do-Not-Tow list at the time, so I've asked for a review. I'll update you by [day and time]."

A patrol hold was in place, but enforcement still happened

What's happening: A violation was issued during what should have been a patrol hold.

What to do: Compare the patrol hold's start and end times with the violation timestamp. If the hold should have covered it, request an investigation. See Placing and managing patrol holds.

What to say: "Enforcement was paused during that time, so this shouldn't have happened. I've asked for a review and will update you by [day and time]."

The resident says they paid, but the permit shows expired

What's happening: A payment may have failed or processed late.

What to do: Check Payment History on the resident's profile and compare payment dates with the violation timestamp. If a payment failed without notice or processed late, approving the dispute may be justified. See Paying for a parking permit.

What to say: "Your payment was processed on [date], after the violation on [date]. Because of that delay, I've approved your dispute."

The guest had a pass but was towed

What's happening: A guest pass existed, but it didn't cover the vehicle at the time of enforcement.

What to do: Check the pass's start and end times and the plate exactly as entered. A plate typo or a future-dated start time is the most common cause. If the pass was valid and the plate matched, request an investigation.

What to say: "The pass was registered to plate [plate], which doesn't match the towed vehicle. The violation stands, but here's how to make sure future passes are entered correctly."

The rule was clearly broken

What's happening: The resident or guest broke a configured parking rule, and the enforcement was valid.

What to do: Deny the dispute.

What to say: "I've reviewed the record, and the violation was issued correctly under [rule]. The dispute is denied. If you'd like to talk through it, reply and I'll help."

Important notes

• Keep lease dates current. Outdated lease information is the most common cause of disputes from valid residents.

• Add vehicles to the Do-Not-Tow list early. Add employees, vendors, and contractors before they arrive.

• Schedule patrol holds for known events, like move-in days and community gatherings.

• Encourage automatic recurring payments. Most "I paid but it expired" disputes come from manual renewals that lapsed.

• Review Patrol Analytics weekly. Repeat violations from the same vehicles or areas often point to a rule that needs clearer signage or a configuration change.

• Audit your Do-Not-Tow list and patrol holds weekly.