NYC Invalidates $26 Million Worth Of Parking Tickets Over Tiny Error

Roughly half a million parking tickets are being dismissed or refunded by New York City officials thanks to a small coding error that’s costing the city around $26 million in fines.

The invalidated tickets ― which were issued to drivers that either failed to display their meter receipt or had an expired one ― had an incorrect violation code, the New York Post reported.

The city’s Department of Finance said the mistake was caused by the violation’s code number being changed from 4-08h10 to 4-08h1. That numerical distinction, however small, completely invalidated the tickets, a spokeswoman told the Post.

“It’s really important for us to be fair,” Jeffrey Shear, deputy Department of Finance commissioner for treasury and payment service, told local news radio station 1010 WINS.

The error was reportedly first discovered in June. Since then, the city said it has issued about $18 million in refunds to 400,860 drivers, and has dismissed another 106,808 tickets worth roughly $8 million.