# Permits & Violations # Purchase a Parking Permit

The Purchase a Parking Permit process allows end-users to buy standard recurring permits, purchase temporary short-term parking, or join a waitlist for full lots directly through the user portal. Its primary purpose is to enable self-service parking management for users, reducing administrative overhead and streamlining revenue collection. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators to help them understand and support the user-facing permit purchasing workflow.

## Setup and Configuration This feature is a core component of the user portal. **Admin Side:** Administrators must ensure that parking lots, permit types, and waitlist limits are properly configured on the backend. If your organization requires a permit disclaimer, ensure the disclaimer text is updated and enabled in your system settings. **User Side:** Users must have an active portal account and at least one registered vehicle on their profile before the system will allow them to complete a permit purchase. ## Using this Feature Administrators can use the following instructions to guide users through accessing the permit store and selecting their desired parking option. ### Accessing the Permits Screen 1. Log in to the User Portal and click **Permits**. 2. Read the **Permit Disclaimer** presented on the screen. 3. Click **I Agree** to accept the terms and proceed to the main permit selection screen.

If a user has not yet registered a vehicle to their account, clicking the **Permits** menu item will automatically redirect them to the **Vehicles** screen to complete that mandatory step first.

### Purchasing a Standard Permit 1. Locate the desired parking option and click **Standard Permit** to view the permit details. 2. Click the **Reserve Permit** button to add the item to the cart. 3. Proceed to the **Payments** screen to complete the checkout process and finalize the purchase. ### Purchasing a Temporary Permit 1. Locate the desired temporary parking option and click **Get Temp Permit**. 2. Select the start and end dates or choose the number of hours for the permit from the provided fields. 3. Select the specific vehicle that will be using the permit. 4. Click **Check Availability** to verify that the lot has capacity for the selected timeframe. 5. Click **Reserve Permit** and proceed to the payment screen to finalize the transaction. ### Joining a Waitlist 1. Locate the desired lot on the **Permits** screen and expand the **Waitlist** option on the lot card. 2. Click **Join Waitlist** to add the account to the queue for that specific parking area. ### Available Actions and Buttons - **Standard Permit:** Click this button to begin the purchase process for a standard permit, which typically covers recurring periods like one month or a full semester. - **Get Temp Permit:** Click this button to initiate the purchase of short-term, temporary parking. - **Check Availability:** Click this button during a temporary permit purchase to query the system for available space before confirming the reservation. --- ## Best Practices and Considerations - **Communicate temporary permit limits:** **Administrators should ensure users understand that temporary permits are strictly valid for up to 30 days.** If a user requires parking for longer than 30 days, they must purchase a standard permit. - **Waitlist visibility:** **If your organization allows users to see their waitlist rank, ensure they know where to find this information.** Users can track their place in line by following the instructions on the *[Viewing Your Waitlist Position](https://opscom.wiki/books/OPSCOM-user-portal/page/viewing-your-waitlist-position "Viewing Your Waitlist Position")* page. # Printing Your Parking Permits Made Easy!

The User Portal Permit Printing feature allows end-users to generate and download PDF copies of their active, historical, and temporary parking permits directly from their dashboard. Its primary purpose is to provide self-service permit management, reducing the need for administrative staff to manually print and distribute physical tags. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators to help them understand and support the user-facing permit printing workflow.

## Setup and Configuration This feature is a standard component of the user portal. **Admin Side:** Administrators must ensure that printable permit templates are correctly configured and assigned to the relevant lot types within the system settings. If a template is missing or corrupted, the user will be unable to generate the PDF. **User Side:** Users access the printing capabilities directly from their portal dashboard or their historical payment records. ## Using this Feature Administrators can use the following instructions to guide users through printing their various types of parking permits. ### Printing Active Permits 1. Log in to the User Portal and click **Home**. 2. Click the specific permit number under the Permits section to open the Permit Information window. 3. Click the **Print** button. 4. Open the downloaded PDF file to print the hard copy of the permit. ### Printing Historical Permits 1. Log in to the User Portal and click the user profile name in the top corner of the screen. 2. Click **History** from the drop-down menu. 3. Click the specific confirmation code for the payment associated with the permit. 4. Click the permit details on the receipt page to open the Permit Information window. 5. Click the **Print** button to download the permit PDF. ### Printing Temporary Permits The process for printing temporary, short-term permits is identical to printing active permits from the dashboard.

Temporary permits can only be printed one time to prevent abuse and unauthorized duplication. If a user has already printed their temporary permit, the **Print** button will be disabled, and the system will instead display the exact date and time the permit was last printed.

--- ## Best Practices and Considerations - **Communicate print limits for temporary parking:** **Ensure users are aware that temporary permits can only be printed once.** If a user loses their printed temporary permit or experiences a printer error during their single attempt, they will need to contact the parking office so an administrator can manually regenerate the file from the backend. - **Test permit templates regularly:** **Administrators should routinely verify that PDF permit templates are correctly formatted.** Whenever adjustments are made to standard permit layouts, test the changes using a test user account to ensure the resulting PDF downloads cleanly without broken formatting. # Appealing Your Parking Violation

The Parking Violation Appeals process allows users to contest parking tickets directly through the User Portal. Its primary purpose is to provide a streamlined, self-service channel for users to submit appeal reasons and supporting evidence, reducing manual data entry for administrative staff. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators to help them understand and support the user-facing appeals workflow.

## Setup and Configuration This feature is a core component of the violations module. **Admin Side:** Administrators must configure the allowable appeal timeframe (e.g., 14 days from issuance) within the global system settings. Additionally, administrators determine whether users are permitted to upload evidence files (such as photos or PDFs) during the appeal process. **User Side:** Users must have an active portal account. If a user wishes to appeal a ticket for a vehicle not currently registered to their profile, they must temporarily associate that vehicle with their account during the process. ## Using this Feature Administrators can use the following instructions to guide users through appealing a ticket for their own vehicle, or appealing a ticket on behalf of a third party. ### Appealing a Linked Vehicle Ticket 1. Log in to the User Portal and click **Appeals**. 2. Search for a specific violation using the **Search my Tickets** field, or locate the ticket in the displayed list. 3. Click **Details** on the desired ticket, then click the **More Info** button to open the ticket information window. 4. Click the **Request Appeal** button. 5. Enter the justification in the **Reason for Appeal** text box. 6. Click **Select Files to Upload** to attach supporting evidence from your device, if this feature is enabled by the parking office. 7. Click the **Submit Appeal** button to finalize the request.

Users can upload multiple files as evidence. Supported file types include JPG, PNG, and PDF, with a maximum file size of 12MB per document. Users can review their uploaded files as thumbnails and remove any incorrect files prior to submission.

### Appealing an Unlinked Vehicle Ticket 1. Click **Lookup All Tickets** on the portal navigation. 2. Enter the citation number in the **Search Plate or Ticket** field to locate the violation. 3. Click the **Request Appeal** button to initiate the process. 4. Click the **Associate** button when prompted by the system message. This links the vehicle to the user's profile to manage the appeal. 5. Click the **Request Appeal** button again and complete the standard appeal steps described above to submit the justification and evidence. ### Available Actions and Buttons - **More Info:** Click this button to open detailed information about a specific violation. - **Show Appeal Information:** Click this button on an already submitted appeal to view the user's submitted reasoning and the administrator's final response once a decision has been made. - **Associate:** Click this button to link a third-party vehicle to the active user profile for the purpose of managing an appeal. --- ## Best Practices and Considerations - **Communicate appeal deadlines clearly:** **Ensure users understand that appeals must be submitted within the allowable timeframe.** Once a ticket passes the deadline or becomes overdue, the system will automatically hide the appeal options and prevent the user from submitting a request. - **Understand vehicle association implications:** **Administrators should be aware that when a user appeals a ticket for someone else's vehicle, that vehicle becomes associated with the user's profile.** This means future violations or permit actions for that specific license plate may appear under this user's account until the vehicle is manually disassociated or marked as inactive. # Self-Release Boot System: User Portal

The Self Release Boot System allows vehicle owners to pay for a parking violation associated with a vehicle boot and instantly receive a release code to remove the device themselves. Its primary purpose is to offer a fast, self-service resolution for parking violations, getting vehicles back in service quickly while reducing the manual dispatch burden on parking enforcement staff. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators to help them understand and support the end-user self-release workflow.

## Setup and Configuration This feature requires the booting and violations modules to be active and properly configured within your environment. **Admin Side:** Administrators must configure the booting device policies, determining whether a user is required to pay only for the single violation the boot is attached to, or if they must pay all outstanding account violations before the system generates a release code. Additionally, administrators must ensure that the automated release emails contain accurate removal instructions and clearly defined boot drop-off locations. **User Side:** Users must have a valid email address to receive their unique release code. If choosing to pay through an existing account rather than as a guest, the user must have the booted vehicle's license plate actively registered to their profile. ## Using this Feature Administrators can use the following instructions to guide users through paying for their violation and removing the booting device. ### Paying via QR Code or Guest Payment 1. Scan the QR code sticker located on the booting device to access the quick pay portal. 2. Navigate to the online payment portal and use the guest payment option if the boot lacks a QR code. Detailed instructions can be found on the *Quick & Easy Guest Payments* page. 3. Enter the specific violation code found on the windshield ticket. 4. Complete the required payment for the violation. ### Paying via an Existing Account 1. Log in to the User Portal. 2. Add the vehicle's license plate to the user profile if it is not already registered. 3. Navigate to the cart to view outstanding items. 4. Locate the violation marked with the **Boot Applied** status. 5. Complete the required payment. ### Removing and Returning the Boot 1. Check the provided email inbox for two separate automated emails: a payment receipt and a release code email. 2. Follow the detailed instructions in the release code email to safely unlock and remove the boot from the vehicle. 3. Return the boot to the specified drop-off location outlined in the instructions.

It is crucial that users return the boot promptly according to the provided instructions. Failure to return the boot within the allotted time frame may trigger automated secondary fines or prevent the user from appealing future violations until the equipment is recovered.

### Visual Cues and Status Indicators - **Grey Lock Icon:** Violations in the user's cart that currently have a physical boot applied will display a grey lock icon alongside the text **Boot Applied**. This indicates to the user that payment is mandatory to release the vehicle. --- ## Best Practices and Considerations - **Communicate email requirements:** **Ensure users understand that a valid email address is strictly required during checkout.** The unique boot release code and return instructions are dispatched exclusively via email upon successful payment. - **Establish deposit policies:** **If your organization charges a refundable boot deposit, ensure the refund conditions are clearly communicated.** Deposits are typically refunded to the original payment method only after the device has been returned within the specified timeframe and is confirmed to be in good condition. - **Enforce return deadlines:** **Organizations should establish strict business rules for unreturned boots.** Remind users to keep their instruction email until the device has been successfully dropped off, as failure to return the boot promptly may result in additional system fines or the complete forfeiture of their deposit.