In Person Sales For City Stickers Starts Today
Online Sales Already Breaking Records For Second Year
Drivers brave long lines to buy city stickers in 2009
It starts every June 1st.
Like the Old Faithful in Yellowstone, the swallows in Capistrano or the drunks in the Wrigley Field bleachers, Chicago city vehicle stickers always go on sale this first day of June.
2010 is no different, with the exception that lines are expected to be shorter than previous years.
That’s because of a concerted effort by the Chicago City Clerk’s office last year and this, to promote sticker sales via the Clerk’s website, is having a substantial impact on changing the purchasing behavior of Chicago drivers.
Online sales for 2009 were double those of 2008, with nearly 200,000 city stickers sold via the Clerk’s website, and their on track to break the record again. Online city sticker sales started on May 24th and thus far, the results are impressive.
“As of this morning (Friday) we were up 750% compared to the same time last year with more than 31,000 stickers sold (online),” said Kristine Williams, spokesperson for the City Clerk’s office. “This is great – we want to keep people out of lines!”
In addition, nearly 1.3 million city sticker renewal forms have been mailed to Chicago drivers the past two weeks to allow motorists the option of obtaining their city sticker by mail.
But now today, Chicagoans can purchase their city stickers in person at City Hall, City Clerk Satellite Offices, Department of Revenue Substations, and on select days at Aldermanic offices.
Drivers also have the option of bypassing long lines and buying their city stickers via 400 community vendors. This list mainly consists of neighborhood currency exchanges and Dominick’s grocery stores. However, be prepared to pay an extra few bucks and as much as $5.50 in some cases for the convenience.
“Buying a vehicle sticker online is the easiest, fastest and most convenient way to purchase a sticker and there is no additional fee to do so,” said Clerk del Valle. “For those who prefer to purchase the sticker in person, we are happy to provide more than 400 locations to do so before the July 15 deadline.”
While June 30th is the city’s “official” deadline for purchasing this year’s city sticker, the city allows a two week grace period until July 15th. After that, vehicles not sporting this year’s Daniel Burnham design, can be tagged with a $120 parking ticket and be subject to a $40 late fee.
For more information on Chicago city vehicle stickers, go to the City Clerk’s website.
I ordered mine online, came about 3 days later, good job Clerk’s Office. However, I did notice the expiration date on the receipt is listed at 06/30/2010. Someone must not have updated their template from last year.
The 6/30/2010 receipt date is done on purpose for your protection from Bogus No City Sticker violations.
And please remember…this is going to be the first year we will be comparing plates to the city sticker.
Avoid the Currency Exchanges. They don’t always Print the Plate Number of your vehicle onto the City Sticker.
Please remember…City Stickers MUST be no Higher from the base of your windshield than 1 inch…and it MUST be on the passenger side of the Vehicles windshield.
If you are moving out of the city and don’t want to buy the sticker for the next cycle…..PEEL the Damn 2010 sticker off on June 30th. We are no longer Issuing for Expired City Stickers from 2009.
Also…can all you Mooks please for the LOVE OF GOD remove all the 1995 to 2008 City Stickers from your windshields?
It looks dumb…and the city actually can issue a ticket for Obstruction of Windshield 9.76.220(a) at 250 usd per 24 hours.
Full disclosure, I’m the spokesperson for the City Clerk’s office.
To clarify from what the DOR employee said:
You CAN NOT receive a ticket for having no license plate or inaccurate license plate information on your sticker. This is not an enforceable aspect of the sticker.
You can only receive a ticket for not having a sticker or not having zone parking and parking in a zoned area.
The 6/30/2010 expiration on the receipt is a minor printing glitch that impacted a small handful of customers and we apologize for that. Rest assured your sticker does no expire until June 30, 2011.
We encourage people to avoid lines and buy the sticker online at http://www.ChiCityClerk.com. It takes just a few minutes, you can buy it with our without a renewal notice and you can receive the daily guest passes online as well.
That’s Funny Kristen…I saw the Courtesy Cards being handed out by Clerk Enforcement a few months ago that stated that City Stickers without Plate Number/Bar Code/ All Proper information were Invalid and eligible for City Sticker tickets.
So my sweet…which is it?
Because I will happily Quote your name when I contact Bea Hickey and link your post.
DOR – You may be referring to a courtesy card we issued to people who had peeled off the white portion of their sticker – the portion with the identifying information such as license plate number and bar code and zone number.
This card was issued informing the person their sticker was not valid because that information wasn’t on their sticker due to peeling off that white box. We issued them a replacement sticker.
Again, you can’t get a ticket for not having license plate information – it isn’t anywhere in the ordinance that a ticket can be issued for that. That is only a security feature.
However, you do need to keep that white portion of your sticker with the barcode, zone information and license plate information on the sticker for it to be valid.
I hope this helps to clarify.
Let’s have a good clean fight. Let’s get it on!!!
That’s right city clerk tell that DOR dumbass the truth about parking tickets !!!
Where do they hire these people from? They remind me of the traffic aides Pam Zekman is always following.
DoR Employee says:
June 1, 2010 at 6:45 pm
So my sweet…which is it?
***************
Stay classy DoR. Way to reinforce my opinion of you.
Kristine, it’s refreshing to see the Clerk’s office embracing this site as a way to spread information.
Dis is Ticket Masta Blasta how u doin? Yo its been about a minute since I been on dis site fo sho. Don’t chu worry DOR I gotz yo back jack how u doin?
Masta blasta huh well I guess you must be a real character to be backing up DOR cuz if you knew this person you wouldn’t have his back YO !!!
All I can tell you is Ms. Williams has been a VERY reliable source of information for me here at the website. Everything she’s told me has been spot on. So, I put a ton of weight behind whatever she tells me.
In addition, of all the different city departments, no department has been more open and cooperative with us than the City Clerk’s Office.
I STRONGLY encourage Kristine to continue to post here and answer reader questions. It’s refreshing to have that type of outreach on the part of the city.
That being said, if there’s some confusion or problem with something city sticker related, send me or show me information to the contrary–I’s be interested in seeing it.
However, my initial thought regarding problems with city sticker enforcement is there’s some misunderstanding or confusion.
You are very right the people who purchase anything for the city just to have there vehicle up to par should learn more about what citations they can get when a vehicle is not up to date with any sticker they purchase
Wolfman how u doin? Fo sho I gotz his bak DOR has been reppn the city a while now n he knows how the deelio goez. Dat foo be winnin employee of the month awards. We havnt been partners in a minute. Miss those days at 79 n cottage fo sho
Um, masta blasta you need a ENGLISH class, don’t really know what your saying cause I don’t speak GHETTO LINGO! EMPLOYEE of the Month? They NEED to test his SKILLS B4 they do that!
Wolfman I think mah skillz are good enuff fo u to undastand. U dun undastand mah man DOR, he gona be up derr runnin things won day . He knows wat he talkn bout. He da best employee they gotz derr. Lay off mah man .
There is one somewhat large problem w/ the City Clerk site.
If you have a specialty plate (Veteran, Prevent Violence, Environment, etc) you cannot renew your sticker online. It will barf and complain that you need a truck/commercial sticker and must renew in person.
I’ve bugged the City Clerk’s office for the last few years, and they still have not fixed the problem. Very disappointing. Especially now that I seemingly cannot renew via mail and must go to their offices and wait in line.
JJ – You can renew your sticker online with specialty plates. Per the terms and conditions, this is what you need to do:
If you have a specialty license plate, when typing in your license plate number please omit any letters that come at the end of the license plate number. Specialty license plates include Universal Veterans, POW/MIA, Prevent Violence, Mammogram, Sport Series, Collegiate Series, Fire Fighter, Master Mason and Wildlife Prairie Park. After completing the transaction, please email your 2010 – 2011 vehicle sticker number and the complete license plate number including the ending letters to City of Chicago Office of the City Clerk Your Drivers License and Vehicle Information will be required to complete all transactions.
This is a program coding issue that we continue to work on. Unfortunately in IL the specialty plates read like truck plates. We continue to work on refining the program so that this wouldn’t occur, but for this year we need you to follow the above. It all works out in the end – we’ll update your record on the backend and get your sticker out to you!
Thanks!
Kristine,
Thanks for all the good info. My question relates to moving away from the city. If a person is moving out in, say, August, is there any provision for them to get a discounted sticker, or book of temp passes in its place? It seems brutal to have to pay the full year’s fee to park for only, say, 1.5 months. Is the city at all concerned about addressing this?
I know someone moving to the City who will be having a garage. I have urged them to get a city sticker, but they have said that since their car will either be parked in a garage at their house or in a garage at their office and never on the street that they don’t need to get a sticker because they will never get caught. Are they correct? How can the City tell which cars at, for example, O’Hare, live in Chicago and should have a sticker and which are from, say Cairo.
David,
They will type in the license plate number into their little computers, and it will spit out the vehicle’s registered address (presumably from a state database). If it’s registered in Chicago, and there’s no city sticker, it will be ticketed.
David how u doin? Mah main man Jeff is correct yo. They be runnin plates to see if u live in da chi-city. Yo man is playn games if he thinks he won’t get a ticket. Da popo can make a random stop and hit u up with a tickets. On da reelz respect the law get yo sticka o mah man DOR will get u!!!
asta’s English not withstanding…
Municipal Code # 4-232 (if I remember the number right):
“Vehicles on private property that is accessible Via a Public Way can be Inspected for City Stickers.”
If I can get to your car via a Alley, Sidewalk, driveway, in Target; I can Legally run your plate and see if you are required to have a City Sticker, and if you don’t; I can Ticket you.
Now…having said all that………City Clerk has employees out daily with Ser Co contractors looking at cards for the City Sticker and writing tickets on those that need it and don’t have it. Dept of Revenue Management does not currently want PEA’s going into lots and such like above and checking for city stickers.
I provide the information I have been given from my supervisors and managers and directors. Since I don’t work for the Clerks Orifice, I don’t know what goes on there.
Mah main man DOR how u doin? the man is correct on city stickers yo. i dont know who dumb enough to go into a drive way to write ticket cuz i guarantee they gona be blasted. but all youz out there watch out for mah man DOR he know his stuff yo. DOR memba we went to that won alley and wrote all of them gangsterz we waz runnin for our livez yo. good times in englewood
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Jeff –
Technically, any vehicle in the city more than 30 days needs an annual city sticker. (for others who asked, yes, this even means if you park on a garage and never in the street) We can’t issue refunds for stickers bought and then you move out of the city shortly after. That’s the technical answer…
Yo Jeff how u doin? What mah girl Kristine is trying to say is get da dam sticker yo. If you don’t yo vehicle will be responsible for n e city sticker violations after july 15. U dnt kno mah man DOR he will be settin records that day.
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I bought a car on Saturday July 31st. Went on Monday Aug 2nd to get a City Sticker and teller said I had to have permanent plate number on the application. I picked up the plates Aug 30th. Went on vacation 8/31 — back on 9/6. Went back to City Clerk’s on 9/7 to try to get the sticker again. This time they say I owe a late fee and I DIDN’T need my permanent plates. Really? Then why wouldn’t they sell it to me the first time?