When Ian Arquero received a nasty note after parking overnight on a Noe Valley street, his response was boldly unrepentant (and spatially challenging)! But was his parking offense a legal one or just an ethical one?

"So I parked my car near Sophie's place last night....," Arquero wrote on Instagram. "The next day i get this wonderful note."

"Take 2 spots again and I'll key your car you fuck," read the note in question.

"Next time I am going for 3 spots and I'll park at the samr [sic] exact place :) #hatersgonnahate #welcometosf #noparking #noevalley" Arquero wrote.

A ballsy response to be sure, but is taking up two (let alone three) spaces legal? According to San Francisco parking expert David LaBua, it is not.

"Legally, this is considered a violation of TRC7.2.51 of the SF Traffic Code. 'Not Within Marked Spaces.' And, legally, it renders the vehicle eligible for a $58 ticket," LaBua tells SFist.

"Ethically, it depends entirely on the situation and in what city your parking behaviors were learned. Even with the long list of rules and regulations, parking will forever be an emotional and subjectively interpreted phenomenon, LaBua says.

LaBua has a less subjective stance on the note left on Arquero's car, saying "there are so many other possible creative ways one can deal with this situation that aren't laced with a violent tone."

Before leaving a note like the one above (or doing something more drastic, which SFist of course vigorously opposes), LaBua urges parkers to avoid rushing to judgement.

"One considerately parked vehicle, motorcycle, tiny Smart car; or one inconsiderately parked car can throw off the whole chain of parking events for days," he says.

Oops. As the driver of both a Smart car and a Vespa (no, not at the same time) I had to gulp at this point. LaBua hastened to elaborate.

"For example, if a Smart car or motorcycle parks in the front of a row of spots, and another vehicle parks toward the rear of the spot behind it, then the remaining space in between could leave enough room in which another vehicle to park, but technically is illegally parked. If the Smart car and other vehicle leave before the violator, then the violating vehicle looks like it was parked totally ridiculously without regard to any structure of logic whatsoever."

Something else LaBua questions the logic of: Arquero's vow to take up three spots the next time he parks in the area. Just how would that work, exactly? LaBua isn't sure.

"That's something that I've never seen before and would be worthy of the parking hall of fame."

Thanks to Noe Valley SF for bringing this to our attention