Scanning plates and issuing tickets from your phone

When payment cannot be verified

A relevant outside system that is unavailable or stale produces a Can’t verify warning. This is different from checking current data and finding no valid payment. Review the warning before deciding to cite.

The ticket can retain the verified check and your action in Why this ticket. Staff can review it in the ticket or contest queue.

Start a patrol

1. 1On your phone, open the officer sign-in page (the sign-in address in your invite email, your site followed by /ticketer) and sign in.
2. 2Pick the lot you’re patrolling. Next time, Resume patrol takes you back to it.
3. 3The camera opens. Center the plate in the frame and tap the shutter button to take the photo, or tap Type plate to enter it by hand.

If the camera is blocked, allow camera access in your browser settings or type plates instead.

Reading the result

Lotably checks the plate against monthly permits, resident guest passes and paid parking for that lot. A valid car shows what covers it, such as a monthly permit, a guest pass or a paid session, and the main button is Scan next.

If a permit or payment is for a different lot, you’ll see that, with the option Ticket: wrong lot. If the plate has unpaid tickets, the result shows the balance.

If nothing covers the car, the main button is Issue ticket. At lots that warn first, it’s Issue warning instead, with Ticket instead next to it. More actions holds booting and towing, when they’re turned on.

If the payment check doesn’t finish, you’ll see Retry check, because the car may actually be paid.

Protection against misreads

When the camera isn’t sure of its read, the result says how sure it is and asks you to check it matches the car, sometimes with other readings you can check instead. You can edit the plate at any time.

If a very similar plate is paid, such as one with a swapped letter or a nearby key, Lotably flags a possible typo and shows that plate so you can compare it with the car. Moving on is the easy tap there, and ticketing anyway is a deliberate choice.

Lots in the same lot group count each other’s permits and payments, so a parker isn’t ticketed for using a sister lot.

Issue the ticket

1. 1Pick the violation. Its fine is filled in for you.
2. 2Add photos: the plate, where the car is parked and any sign. They’re your evidence if the driver disputes.
3. 3Add notes if the violation needs them, then tap Issue ticket and confirm.
4. 4Tap Print ticket to print the slip, or Scan next to keep going.

Every ticket carries a QR code that opens the pay page for that exact ticket, so the driver can pay from the windshield.

Printing

Tickets print from your phone to a mobile printer. Open Printer setup in the officer app to choose your paper size and printing method, and print a test slip before your first real ticket. The recommended method is marked: the print dialog on Android, or a PDF sized to the roll on iPhone.

Today lists your tickets, warnings, boots and tows, and you can reprint any of them from there.

Common questions