Nassau parking ticket late fee amnesty

Beginning Monday, motorists with outstanding parking tickets issued by Nassau County before Jan. 1, 2010, will have a 45-day amnesty period in which they can pay the fines without additional penalty, County Executive Edward Mangano said Friday.

The amnesty program will not include red-light camera violators.

"I am urging residents with outstanding parking tickets to take advantage of this amnesty period before the county Boot and Tow program begins July 1," Mangano said at a news conference at the County Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola. The Boot and Tow program targets drivers with three or more unpaid parking or red-light violation tickets.

Drivers with outstanding tickets who do not take advantage of the amnesty program will face additional costs for the booting, towing and possible storage of a vehicle, but the amount has not been determined because no contractor has been hired, Mangano said. The contractor's percentage of revenue also has not been set.

Mangano said the amnesty program will end June 30, after which "no reductions will be offered [and] any additional costs related to this effort will be borne by the violator."

The county has 359,000 outstanding parking tickets issued before 2010, valued at $49.4 million, not including the fees and late charges that would be waived during the amnesty period. Drivers of 20,782 vehicles have accumulated three or more outstanding tickets, some dating as far back as 1987, according to county officials, who said those scofflaws owe $20.5 million.Drivers with unpaid parking tickets that qualify for the amnesty program can be found at www.nassaucountyny.gov/amnesty. Names are listed in alphabetical order.

For more information, contact the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency by email at TPVA.Amnesty@nassaucountyny.gov or by telephone at 516-572-0954.