Administrative Hearings

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Administrative Hearings reports to the Finance & Information Technology Division (FIT)

Our Responsibilities

  • Conducting fair, professional and unbiased administrative hearings as mandated by federal, state, and/or local law
  • Hearings are conducted on the following protested matters:
    • Parking Citations
    • Towed Vehicles
    • Immobilized vehicles (Booted)
    • Transit Violation citations
    • Safe Paths of Travel (SPOT) citations
    • Appeals of Scooter Permit Application
    • Administrative citations issued to Scooter, E-bike and Shuttle companies
    • Taxi Issues:
      • Permit revocation/suspension
      • Application denials
      • Administrative citations issued to Taxi permit holders and unpermitted drivers
  • Facilitation of Engineering Public Hearings for proposed parking and traffic changes
  • Muni Accessibility Reviews

Our Code of Conduct

  1. Hearing Officers are designated to hear all cases requiring a hearing officer under the San Francisco Transportation Code or other City regulations.
  2. A Hearing Officer shall hear and decide all matters assigned except those in which he or she is disqualified or unavailable.
  3. A Hearing Officer shall be faithful to the law regardless of partisan interests, public clamor, or fear of criticism, and shall maintain professional competence in the law.
  4. A Hearing Officer shall perform his/her duties with impartiality and without bias or prejudice.
  5. A Hearing Officer shall require order and decorum in proceedings before the Hearing Officer.
  6. A Hearing Officer shall be patient, dignified, and courteous to parties witnesses, lawyers, and others with whom the Hearing Officers deals in an official capacity, and shall require similar conduct of lawyers and other advocates appearing in front of the Hearing Officer.
  7. A Hearing Officer shall not make any public comment about a pending proceeding, and shall not make comment of any kind that might substantially interfere with a fair hearing.

For the Hearing Section “due process of law” means:

  • The Petitioner and Hearing Officer must receive reasonable notice of the hearing dates and procedures
  • The Petitioner must have opportunities to present evidence and arguments
  • The Hearing Officer and staff will prepare citation determination letter based only on evidence in the administrative record or provided by Petitioner
  • The Hearing Officer and staff will not discuss substantive issues or major procedural issues with one party or the party’s representative unless all other parties or their representatives are present
  • The Hearing Officer will be impartial and free from bias, prejudice, or interest in the proceeding
  • Separate Deputy City Attorneys will represent the Hearing Officer section and SFMTA

Ex Parte Communications

Hearing Officers may not consult any person nor party on any fact at issue unless upon notice and opportunity for all parties to participate. No employee or agent of the City and County of San Francisco engaged in the investigation of this case shall participate or advise in the rendering of the Hearing Officer’s decision in the case, except as witness or counsel in the proceeding.