Parking violations in Folly Beach (Charleston, Newport: house, traffic, art)

[emilybh]

I to went to Folly Beach last weekend to try out a restaurant called "Conch" on Center St. I parked on one of the side streets, off of the other side of Center St, in front of some sort of a parking lot and as far off of the road to the side as I could get and when I came back there was a ticket on the windshield. I couldn't believe it because there was no signage saying parking wasn't allowed and there were other cars parked in the vicinity too. When I examined the ticket it said I was parked in the 100 block of E. Cooper. Under that there were a list of violations and checked off was "parking in the street" with a corresponding penalty of $50!

I'm going to contest it because I WAS NOT parking IN THE STREET. I was pulled WAY OVER. I even went home; came back; took a picture of how I was parked with my digital camera and when I came back saw an SUV parking just forward of the same spot and the SUV had NO ticket.

My question is. Is Folly Beach a separate town (with its own laws about parking) or do all the towns abide by state laws or is Folly Beach part of Charleston? I bet Folly Beach has its own ordinances about parking right?

I want to research the parking ordinances. I looked up the ones for Charleston and they allow parking on the side of the street as long as there is 10 feet for cars to pass (and I'd left at least that much space).

I wouldn't be so outraged if maybe he's given me a lower penalty such as parking too far from the curb for $30 (even though there was no curb) but having to pay $50 having done nothing wrong really rubs me the wrong way.

Also for others visiting Folly Beach since there are no signs to warn anyone about any of these, here are some of the other parking violations you might want to be aware of:

NO Parking within 15 ft of an interection -$50
NO Parking within 15 ft of a fire hydrant - $200
Parking on the wrong side of the street - $30
Parking on Dune - $200
Diagonal parking unless posted - $50

Then there is a line where an officer can write in another violation and make up a penalty.

Doesn't this seem a bit EXTREME? Where can I find the parking ordinances for Folly Beach?

Needless to say, the pleasant experience at Conch was quickly ruined when I not only saw the ticket but saw what I was being charged for and the amount due.

[Rggr]

Folly Beach is its own town and they are tough on parking. If your tire touches concrete, you will get a ticket for parking in the street. Another thing people will do a lot at the beach is make a u-turn into a parking space. Make sure you are facing in the direction that is consistent with the flow of traffic.

[DJShymansky]

I've never received a ticket at Folly for parking, I just make certain that no tires are touching asphalt. Quick question though, what state is on your license plate?

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by DJShymansky

I've never received a ticket at Folly for parking, I just make certain that no tires are touching asphalt. Quick question though, what state is on your license plate?

Ironically it was the week I finally got around to taking off the old plates and put on the new South Carolina plate.
Darn! Are they really that strict (your tire can't even touch the concrete)?. The wheels on the road side where on the road taking up about 4 inches. I guess the SUV was parked 4 inches further off the road. The Charleston ordiance says as long as there is 10 feet of space for traffic to pass by ---and there was certainly that ---you are ok.

Sh$t. Guess I better just pay the money.

[DJShymansky]

Well there goes that theory.

[emilybh]

However I do still have Newport, RI parking stickers on my car windshield. Maybe I should get rid of those.

Well anyway, what I decided to do was what I did last year when I was visiting Charleston and got a ticket that was issued unjustly. I sent a check along with a letter saying I couldn't take the time to contest it and instead enclosed a letter explaining how and where I was parked and mentioning lack of signage etc with huge color pictures illustrating everything. I said that both the amount of the penalty and charge were unjust. The Charleston Police Department sent me my check back uncashed. We'll see what Folly Beach does.

[Rggr]

Good for the Charleston PD on that one. I wouldn't expect the same response in this situation, but let us know what happens.

[Captain Ed]

They are definitely strict with the no-tires-on-the-road law. I lived at Folly for a number of years, and made sure to tell visitors when they parked in front of my house: "Make sure your tires are not even touching the asphalt".

[Jim3310]

Originally Posted by Rggr

Another thing people will do a lot at the beach is make a u-turn into a parking space. Make sure you are facing in the direction that is consistent with the flow of traffic.

Yeah, I paid for that one.
Live & learn.

[meks]

you can thank boatwright for that, no one ever got tickets like that until he took over and now he's running for sheriff of my county...

I've parked all kinds of wrong ways on folly for most of my life n never got a ticket, but I haven't since he came to town... I'm double careful now

Folly has always been it's own seperate piece of the world apart from the rest of the lowcountry, if u don't believe that just ask them

they never wanted ANY visitors, but now they are over run by them so they've decided to make a few bucks off of them

just be careful, and take pics with your cell phone anytime u park there