Watch Where You Park

The other day I came out of my house to find this on my car

It's a $30 ticket for parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. I guess I am an idiot for not realizing this was actually an ordinance. For the record, I was at least 4 feet away from the hydrant.

I ran into two cops eating dinner the other night. I asked them if they ever write these tickets. They laughed and said neither of them had ever written one in their careers.

This ticket was written at 11:30 at night. I understand that it's technically against the rules, but why exactly is a police officer stopping at 11:30 at night to write this ticket?

For future reference, here are some other places to park that could get you a ticket.

• In any one spot continuously for five days
• Within 10 feet of a mailbox
• Within 5 feet of the rounding of a driveway, alley or private street
• Within 20 feet of a crosswalk, stop sign or yield sign

The above $30 ticket is pricier than a ticket for parking in a no parking zone ($25), parking without a valid license plate ($25) and contrary to yellow markings ($25).