Does Prato collect fines from North America?

I doubt if anyone else has been ticketed in Prato. But it really doesn't matter. With the increasing reach of the internet it becomes cheaper and cheaper and easier to chase the "evil" doer. The bigger question that is not resolved is -- can the debt be pursued as a collection in US courts. Can they get a judgement? And they might not have it. Just reporting to the credit bureaus can cause a lot of hassle. It has been reported here that some of these tickets have been turned over to collection agencies. But no reports on further action.

for privacy, I substituted alphabet characters for some numbers. Thank you for your reply.

I was glad assolta means acquitted rather than assaulted.

Cod.Fisc.No.00433120581/Part. I.V.A. No.IVA 00890931009
REA Roma n.225428 - R.I. No.1807/60

DESCRIPTION OF PENALTY CHARGE NOTICE

Penalty Type: NO TRANSIT AREA RISERVATA
Issued On: 11/09/2017 13:40
Issued At: PRATO - COMANDO POLIZIA MUNICI
Country: ITALY
Rental Agreement No: XYZABC5891
Bill Reference: ABC021001864

L'IMPOSTA DI BOLLO SE INDICATA SUL PRESENTE DOCUMENTO VIENE ASSOLTA
IN MODO VIRTUALE IN BASE ALL'AUTORIZZAZIONE D.R.E. n. 369/93 Rep,
2 T del 12.02.93, RELATIVO A CORRISPETTIVI ASSOGGETTATI AD IVA.

IF the fine is accurate, just pay it. That is, if you were there at the time and place indicated, why are you asking if you have to pay unless you are trying to avoid paying?

I intend to pay it, but I don't intend to devote any time to wondering if mail theft has tripled the penalty because I never received the official document. For Firenze, the fines are a huge income stream, and they are efficiently collected. I would know to watch carefully and pay promptly if that's where I had been fined. Is Prato small? Well, it's famous for biscotti, which most of us have heard of, and some of us have eaten.

Elsewhere in these forums, though, and on other web pages, one can read that many small municipalities do not even send bills to North America. If I were planning such a crime spree as not paying fines, I would choose the dark web for my posts, no?

The document from the rental car company is no more than an explanation of why they charged me €30.50 for giving my information to the Competent Agency in Prato.

You are right. It was the rental car company. It was a .pdf attached to an email from Hertz Italiano SPA.

Thanks for the further details. I would share your concerns. My earlier comment was due to there being many posts here in the past from people looking for the rest of us to condone not paying legitimate fines since they had no plans of returning to the scene of the crime.

It does sound like you should wait for the official actual ticket to arrive before paying anything beyond what Hertz has already charged you.

This is a direct quote from my most recent ZTL infraction letter, the "Violation of the Highway Code":

a) Payment of the sanction, equal to the minimum amount prescribed by law, reduced by 30%, made within five (5) days from the receipt of this Act, of € 115.60, including notification and procedural costs.
b) Payment of the sanction, equal to the minimum amount prescribed by law, be made within sixty (60) days from the receipt of this Act, of € 139.90, including notification and procedural costs.

The "Violation of the Highway Code" letter is sent by Registered Mail. The date of delivery is stamped and official.

NYCtravelsnob,

I appreciate input from you, as well as Roberto (who has not yet made me spit beer onto the Super Bowl).

Travel in Italy can be wonderfully rewarding, but I don’t consider it a game for the faint of heart.

Whar exactly did I do wrong in Prato? Will I ever find out? How much will it cost me? A charming Italian man and his son devoted about 10 minutes to helping me find a place to park.

I do love the Italian term I learned for a “hefty fine:“ a multa salata, in Pimsleur Italian V. The man announces to the woman in Italian the amount of the fine and she gasps and sobs and asked him if he knows how many pairs of shoes she could have bought with that money.

Travel in Italy can be wonderfully rewarding, but I don’t consider it a game for the faint of heart.

It's never been a game for the faint of heart. Many of us old-timers have war wounds that continue to reveal scars. For the true faint-of-hearts, there are the trains.

What exactly did I do wrong in Prato? Will I ever find out? How much will it cost me?

Difficult to know, I wasn't there with you. You may not ever fully find out. You'll know the cost, eventually. If they do fine you, the fines can appear many months after the first letter arrives from the car rental company.

A charming Italian man and his son devoted about 10 minutes to helping me find a place to park.

Lots of charming men to be found in Italy, but they can't help you here.

Whar exactly did I do wrong in Prato?

It's written in your first message, you entered a ZTL.

How much will it cost me?

I googled ZTL Prato, the fine is 81 € plus mailing and notification costs. 56.7 € if you pay within the above 5 days. http://www.comune.prato.it/trasporti/aree/ztl0-24/

If the registered letter you'll receive in the coming months does not say when and where you entered the ZTL the fine is illegal and you can appeal. To appeal you must write a letter (in Italian) to a Judge saying just that. Same if they do not provide a way to see the pic of the car entering the ZTL, to make you understand where you did it
You could appeal also to the Prefect, but I'd rather write to a Judge.

I'm afraid gentlemen make mistakes, too.

I'm not sure anyone can trust Google to be 100% correct. Italian Comuni (cities) aren't known for keeping updated websites. The truth won't be revealed until you receive your registered letter.

It should be noted that my fine did not occur in Prato. Fines may differ from city to city. You can't assume that my facts will be your facts.

I should also add: the amount "owed" in my first registered letter was slightly less than the amount owed in my second "official" letter. I found it very odd that the figures changed. Not by much, but none of the figures were the same from first to second letter. I wish I could blame it on the exchange rate, but the money owed is presented in Euro in both letters. I'm still trying to get an official Italian answer on that.

See here for additional info:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/traffic-ticket-scam

The ZTL (and bus lane) violation amount of the fine is established by art. 7 of the Italian Motor Vehicle code.
It currently ranges from 80€to 323€ (see par.14 of art 7 below)

http://www.aci.it/i-servizi/normative/codice-della-strada/titolo-i-disposizioni-generali/art-7-regolamentazione-della-circolazione-nei-centri-abitati.html

Municipalities cannot apply fines outside what established by the Code.