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Managing Violation/Citation Appeals

The Appeals Report provides administrators with a centralized view to review, manage, and action user appeals against parking violations. Its primary purpose is to allow for the detailed examination of appeal information and the recording of formal decisions (uphold, reduce, or cancel), ensuring a fair and transparent dispute process. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators.

Setup and Configuration

Before you can process appeals, the module must be enabled and configured within your system settings, and your communication templates must be established.

System Settings Configuration

  1. Hover over System Configuration and click System Settings.

  2. Click the Violations tab.

  3. Ensure the Enable Appeals Module checkbox is enabled. (If it is not, please contact support@ops-com.com).

  4. Configure the following fields to dictate how your system handles the appeals process:

    • Appeal Days: Enter the number of days a user has to appeal a violation after issuance.

    • Appeal Notification Email: Enter the email address that should receive notifications when new appeals are submitted.

    • Automated Notification Email: Enter the email address that should receive automated appeal reports.

    • Enable Adjustments: Enable this checkbox if you want to allow fines to be adjusted without going through the formal appeals process.

    • Enable Fax for Appeal Format / Enable Email for Appeal format: Enable these checkboxes to allow appeals to be submitted outside of the OPS-COM portal.

    • Remove Discount when Appeal Made: Enable this checkbox to automatically forfeit any early-payment discounts once an appeal is initiated.

    • Enable Appeal Evidence Uploads: Enable this checkbox to allow users to submit PDF or PNG files as supporting evidence for their appeals.

Reset Appeal on Association: Consider enabling the Reset Appeal on Association checkbox. This setting allows users who have a violation associated with their vehicle, but have not yet created an account, the same amount of time to appeal a violation as a registered user. Once they create and associate their account to the vehicle, the appeal timeframe will reset, giving them the full number of days specified in your settings to appeal.

Email Templates

  1. Hover over System Configuration, hover over Templates & Design, and click Email Templates.

  2. Set up the Appeal Decision email template. Detailed instructions for this can be found on the Email Templates page. This is the template the system will use to automatically communicate your final decision to the appellant.

Using this Feature

Administrators have two distinct methods for actioning an appeal: through the centralized Appeals Report, or directly from an individual violation's information page.

Accessing and Actioning via the Appeals Report

  1. Hover over Violations, hover over Appeals, and click Appeals Report.

  2. Search for the specific appeal you wish to review.

  3. Click the View Info button beside the person's name to access the full details on the User Appeal History screen.

  4. Review the user history and vehicle details, then locate the Appeal Management section.

  5. Click the Action Taken drop-down menu and choose one of the following options:

    • Uphold: The appeal is denied, and the original fine amount remains.

    • Reduce Violation: The appeal is partially granted. Enter the new, reduced fine amount into the field that appears.

    • Cancel Violation: The appeal is fully granted, and the violation is voided.

  6. Enter your detailed explanation into the Comments to Send to Appellant box.

  7. Click the Submit button to process the appeal and trigger the automated decision email.

Actioning Appeals Directly from Violation Information

  1. Access the Violation Information page for a specific ticket by using the Violation Search tool.

  2. Click the Edit button.

  3. Click the Ticket has not been appealed. Show appeals form link to reveal the hidden appeals section.

  4. Review the Appeal Reason provided by the user.

  5. Click the Fine Action drop-down menu and choose Upheld, Reduced, or Cancelled.

  6. Edit the Offense Value field if you are manually reducing the fine (this automatically sets to 0.00 if cancelled).

  7. Enter any private, internal notes into the Appeal Admin Comment field.

  8. Select your administrator account from the Actioned per drop-down menu.

  9. Click the Update this Violation button to save the changes.

Best Practices and Considerations

Payment Locks: Once a user pays for a violation, the primary comments fields become permanently locked. If you need to add further comments to a paid ticket after the fact, you must use the separate Violation Notes section.

  • Internal vs External Comments: Always double-check which comment field you are using. The Comments to Send to Appellant box is public and will be emailed directly to the user. The Appeal Admin Comment field on the individual violation screen is strictly for private, internal administrative notes.

  • Timely Review: Process appeals promptly to ensure fairness and maintain a positive relationship with your user base.

  • Leverage Reporting: Use the Appeals Report regularly to analyze appeal trends and common dispute reasons. This data is highly valuable for identifying confusing signage or updating enforcement policies.

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