NYC Violation Code 93: Removal of Flat Tire Vehicle
Parking violation · $65 base fine · 5-stage penalty escalation
Fine Breakdown
Base Fine
$65
Maximum (before judgment)
$165
Penalty Escalation Timeline
Base Fine
$65
At issue
+$10 Late Penalty
$75
After 30 days
+$30 Late Penalty
$105
After 60 days
+$60 Late Penalty
$165
After 75 days
Judgment Entered
$165
After 90 days
Quick Tip
Vehicles with flat tires must be removed from the street. If you had already called for a tow or were in the process of repair, provide the tow or repair receipt showing the timeline.
When this ticket gets issued
Code 93 is issued when a vehicle with a flat tire is observed on a public street and has not been removed. The rule recognizes that a disabled vehicle creates a hazard and cannot occupy the curb indefinitely. Officers write this code after observing a flat tire with no active repair or removal effort underway. Fleets encounter code 93 most often when a driver discovers a flat at the end of a shift, when a parked truck has a slow leak that finishes deflating overnight, or when a tire failure happens on route and a tow has not yet arrived.
How to fight code 93
Tow or repair was already in progress
Produce the roadside assistance dispatch log showing a tow was requested before the ticket time. Include the tow or repair invoice. If help was on the way, the vehicle is being removed — just not instantly. Hearing officers accept a contemporaneous tow call as full defense.
Evidence to bring: written_account
Ticket contains errors (wrong date, time, location, or vehicle description)
Check vehicle color, body type, and the described tire condition. If the officer wrote 'flat tire' but your truck's tires were all inflated (photograph them), the summons is factually wrong. Sometimes officers confuse low tires with flats.
Evidence to bring: written_account
Vehicle was not at this location at the time
Submit GPS or dispatch records placing the truck elsewhere at the ticket time. A flat-tire citation requires physical observation — if the vehicle was at a yard or in a garage, the ticket was misattributed.
Evidence to bring: written_account
Wrong plate number on the ticket
Verify the transcribed plate. Code 93 tickets sometimes involve multiple disabled vehicles on the same block; plate errors are common. A mismatch voids the summons.
Evidence to bring: photo_of_plate, photo_of_registration
Frequently Asked Questions
My driver called for a tow 20 minutes before the ticket was written — does that help?
Yes. Submit the tow company's dispatch record showing the call time. If the tow was en route when the officer ticketed, the vehicle was in the process of being removed, which is the legal standard. Hearing officers dismiss code 93 on this evidence almost every time.
What if the flat happened overnight and we did not notice until morning?
Provide the discovery timeline and the tow or repair receipt from that morning. A flat that developed overnight is not a failure to act — the fleet acted as soon as the condition was known. Attach the repair record and note the discovery time. This usually produces dismissal.
Can I change the flat myself to avoid code 93 instead of calling a tow?
Changing a tire roadside is lawful as an emergency repair (code 92 exception) and resolves code 93. If your driver has a spare and the skill, replacing the tire removes the violating condition. Document the work with a photo of the replaced tire and keep the damaged tire receipt from later disposal.
What this means for commercial fleets
Code 93 is a logistics problem. A 24/7 roadside assistance vendor with guaranteed response times (ideally under 60 minutes) eliminates most of these tickets. At $65 per ticket, and given that flats cluster around the same shop-ignored tires, a disciplined tire-inspection cadence is the real savings. Photograph tires at each yard check-in to catch slow leaks before they finish deflating.
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Disclaimer: Clear Plates is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. The information on this page is general educational content about NYC violation code 93 and is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Defenses, evidence strategies, and hearing outcomes depend on facts specific to each ticket. For legal advice about a specific violation, consult a qualified attorney licensed in New York.