Tell me if you've ever been here:

You're visiting another state, you park on the street to enjoy a local restaurant that's got good reviews, and you run the meter, getting a $54 parking ticket for your troubles. You might be thinking, ahhhhh, screw it. I won't be back in this state any time soon. Plus, this is a rental! It's not even my car! Do I really have to pay this stupid thing?

I recently found myself asking this very same question, when I visited Phoenix, Arizona. Me and my lady friend parked on the street to grab a bite to eat. We fed enough coins to buy us 45 minutes, and we figured that would be enough.

But it wasn't, and our negligence led to the city of Phoenix hitting us with a $54 parking ticket. We kinda laughed it off, thinking it wasn't really our problem. After all, the parking ticket is tied to the vehicle, not the person driving it, right? I almost threw the ticket out before boarding the plane back to New York... but good thing I didn't.

WHAT IF THIS HAPPENS IN NEW YORK?

Let's say a Vermont rental car gets a parking ticket in New York. Here's what happens if the Vermonter doesn't pay: New York will report the unpaid ticket to the rental company's violations department. The rental company will pay the ticket, but they will then hound the renter incessantly until they pay them back... and they may even add some sort of outrageous fee for their troubles. The $54 parking ticket could skyrocket past the $100 point if the person lets it get out of hand.

So, in short: Do you have to pay an out-of-state parking ticket for a rental car? Yes, yes you do.

But there's no law that says you can't wipe your butt with it first.