A Reddit photo shows a car ticketed then towed, illustrating SFMTA's policy that requires a citation as the legal basis for towing.

A photo posted to Reddit captures the moment a San Francisco driver gets hit twice: first the citation on the windshield, then the tow truck arriving to clear the car. The image, shared by user /u/Mmm510916, shows a parking citation tucked under a wiper blade just before the vehicle is towed—a sequence that aligns with SFMTA policy.

According to SFMTA's towing procedures, a parking citation must be issued as the legal basis for any tow. Under the agency's "Text Before Tow" program, a text alert and tow truck are dispatched simultaneously when a violation is found, but the citation is still placed on the vehicle regardless of whether the owner moves it in time. The citation that serves as the basis for the tow is reviewed during any contest hearing.

The policy shift in October 2023 means SFMTA and SFPD can no longer tow vehicles solely for having five or more unpaid parking citations without a judicial order, following a Court of Appeal ruling in Coalition on Homelessness v. City and County of San Francisco. However, active violations like street cleaning infractions or blocked driveways still trigger immediate towing alongside citation issuance.

From January 2024 to January 2025, SFMTA issued over 570,000 parking citations, with street cleaning violations accounting for 43% of all tickets—approximately 245,100 citations—generating over $51 million in revenue, according to ABC7 News analysis of city data.