Ask The Parking Ticket Geek
Dear Geek,
I am a Fleet Manager and have just received two incorrect city stickers.
The license plate number on the stickers don’t match the actual plate on each car.
When I contact the City Clerk’s Data Services office I was told the plate numbers don’t matter. There should be a letter stating that non matching plates and city stickers are not a ticketable (her word not mine) offense.
Is this a city worker trying to get me off the phone or is it legit? I’ve been scouring the web and so far no information exists. It was my understanding that the plate numbers had to match on the sticker AND the vehicle. Any information you might have would be helpful.
Thanks,
Chris
Don’t sweat this one Chris…
Ticket writers are instructed NOT to ticket for any discrepancies between city stickers and license plates.
Kristine Williams, spokesperson for the City Clerk’s office, tells me these discrepancies won’t trigger a ticket because their databases aren’t up to date enough and may not be for another year or so.
“The license plate number is only a security feature,” explains Williams. “However, if someone does want a correction made, we will do so at any City Clerk office location but the person must bring in the sticker and original purchase receipt. Again, I want to emphasize that anyone with incorrect plate information is OK to use the sticker – they cannot receive a ticket for this.”
See? Nothing to worry about Chris.
The Geek
Dear Parking Ticket Geek,
I am about to purchase a car from an individual, and this person owes hundreds
of dollars in parking fines.
My question to you is, once the title is changed over in my name and I get new license plates, will the tickets follow me, or is the seller still responsible for the tickets.
Thanks.
Vicky
Hey Vicky!
This is a good question.
But the answer is NO, the tickets do not follow you if you get your own license plate on the car.
The tickets don’t technically belong to the vehicle but the license plate and in reality the registered owner of that plate.
So you’re cool.
Some people make the mistake of not taking off their license plate when they sell their car and the new owner starts parking in front of hydrants, blocking alleys, in handicapped spots–whatever and the former owner starts getting hit with the tickets. OUCH!
One person I know of left the old owner’s plate on their car and they got booted because of the former owner’s tickets.
So, you are wise to get a new plate.
The Geek
Hi Geek,
I came across your website and wondered if you had the answer to my question.
I received a parking ticket and I contested it but was still found liable.
It was one of those instances where it is a tow zone during weekdays, and I was parked on a Saturday, yet they still did not dismiss it. Can I just not pay the ticket?
Thanks so much,
Irene
Irene,
If you don’t pay the ticket it doubles after 21 days.
If you have more than 3 unpaid tickets in Chicago, you can get booted.
If you have two or more unpaid tickets in Chicago, you can get booted.
If it’s just one ticket, the worst thing that will happens is you’ll get nasty computer generated letters from the city and/or a collection agency. You’ll probably get a few phone calls.
However, if you keep your nose clean and only have one ticket on your record, there’s not much any city can really do until they change the law.
Sound good?
The Geek
Ask The Parking Ticket Geek is a semi-regular parking ticket advice column.
If you have a question for The Parking Ticket Geek, please e-mail the Geek with your query at:askthegeek@theexpiredmeter.com
4etg4eg
Hey i Got a Quick Question i Just Regerstered This Vehicle And They Gave Me a Temporery Plate ” Oranged Colored ” And They Told Me i Dont Have To Buy The City Sticker Untill i Put On The Hard Plates, And Today They Gave Me a Ticket For No City Sticker and i still have on my orange plate temporery? any help would be Great Thanks
Steve-
I’m not sure about temp plate vs. hard plate, although what they told you sounds plausible.
If you just registered your vehicle, you have 30 days to get your City Sticker.
You definitely need to fight the ticket. Just send or present your registration with the state of Illinois as your evidence that you should not have been ticketed because you are legally allowed 30 days to get your city sticker.
By the time you have your hearing, you should have your hard plates and your city sticker. Make sure you present your city sticker receipt as evidence that you complied.
But, you need to fight this crap ticket. To me, a temp plate should indicate to the ticket writer that you could still be in the process of obtaining your city sticker within the 30 day period. So, I think the ticket writer was either stupid or most likely, being a dick.
Geek….one point……..we are required to run the plate to check if the vehicle is registered in Chicago and (if a temp) more than 30 days from issue.
And its 30 days…not until you get your perm plates
DoR-
The plate check for a temp plate older than 30 days does make a helluva lot of sense.
The impression I got from the commentator was the temp plate was a few days old and he still got a ticket for no city sticker.
And you are correct, the city sticker is required 30 days from the date of when you take up residence in the city–at least technically.
You’re given 30 days to change your registration AND obtain a city sticker.
One could make the argument, if ticketed, you changed your registration the first day or so from establishing residence–even though that might have been–let’s say, an exaggeration.
Question. I got a ticket in Glen Ellyn for parking downtown as an employee. Is this legal? How can they prove I’m an employee? What if someone else was driving the car? What if I purchased something downtown thereby becoming a “customer”? Any idea what I can do about this?
@DoR how many times do you guys actually run plates? and dont lie theres alotta bogus tickets out there, i knwo first hand from the ashland site and seen it from the 95th site …. 2nd .. when your givign incorrect information from currency exchange when u buy ur plate and they tell u u have to wait for the perm plate due to the temp tag and puttin it in the sticker . your sent off into a trap then u end up with more tickets then you can handle tthen u get a boot..then bolt cutters haha . naw jp dont do that people thats a higher ticket and automatic tow . needless to say i got put in the trap and now have a cop on my a$$ wit these city stickerts n guess what i dotn get paid till next week
flippin police
Hey Flippin,
I have spoken with several of the ticket writers and from what I have been told, that if a car has no stickers on it’s window or an old sticker, they are required to run the plate and somewhere in the remarks, they have to put “per secretary of state”. All plate checks are recorded and matched to each individual ticket writer. If a complaint is made, the information is double checked and that ticket writer can be disciplined if the ticket is found to be bogus. The only time they don’t have to run the plates is if there is last year’s sticker on the window, which I believe is the brown sticker. It sounds to me that the currency exchange is just being lazy. They can give you the sticker with the temp plate on it. When the perm. plates come in, you can replace it or just keep the current one til next renewal. Next time, go to a payment center and you can get it without a problem.
Rinzler is correct..
Currency Exchanges are run by morons.
There is no Code on the Books that Prevents a Currency Exchange from Selling a City Sticker when they sell an Illinois Temp Plate.
There are some things that give away the amount of time you’ve had that temp though..
Taping the Receipt from the Currency Exchange to your window really helps us out.
If the Temp Plate is more than 30 days old and you display a prior year sticker we can just ticket you with no search. Improper Display clause.
Further reminder that Temp Plates expire 90 days from date of Issuance.
Not the Last day of the month indicated on the temp plate. EG: 123M345 exp 12/11 but gotten on Sept 4th…thus expires 12/5/11.
@ Flippin…
I run between 10 to 100 plates a day….its easy.
Fire Department Lots
Police Department Lots
Streets and San Lots
CTA lots
The Mayors Street
Obama’s Neighborhood
Around Harpo Studios
The Daley Foundation Parking Lot
20th Ward
Revenue Parking Lots
Hey ticket guy..
One question.
Can parking tickets follow me if tickets were issued to temporary now that i have my regulars?
Johnny…
In short…
Yup.
Tickets can follow you from a Car or Truck you had 10 years ago…no statute of limitations on a Chicago Parking Ticket.
So here’s a question about tickets following you.
I understand that tickets follow you from car to car and plate to plate.
I also understand that your current car can be booted for tickets you have from years ago, even if the plates are different.
But in reality, how often are cars are booted for tickets from past plates. I know they use the plate readers these days, but are those actually connected to some data base that cross references past plates as well?
All I can tell you about the Booters is that if the there are more than 2 older than 1 year or more than 3 over 21 days old each the vehicle is most likely to be on the boot list.
Since the tickets travel…I’d only be Guessing if I commented on whether or not past plates are cross referenced by the software.
I really have no clue on how “smart” the databases AI is…and this is Chicago….Highest Connected bidder with the lowest quality product most likely produced the software.
Thanks DOR.
I am going to have to say I would tend to think your final statement may hold quite a bit of truth.
I have been on the boot list for 13 years for a car that is 2 plates ago.
Chances are if the DB cross referenced it, I would have been found by now.
I have a total of 6 tickets over the past 3 plates – and the only car listed on the boot list is the one with the plate from 13 years ago.
Also, I have noticed that I tend to get a letter from a law firm / collection agency about 3 months after the final determination – and that is the last I ever hear from them again. While it could be that my total is so low compared to thousands of others so its not worth pursuing me, with that kind of lackadaisical effort, it’s pretty easy to not take the city seriously on paying these.
Could a new car be booted with a temporary plate even if I owe tickets on another car
Can you get a boot with temp tags
Does your parking tickets follow you if you buy a whole new car and plates or does it follow your drivers license
I am getting ready to purchase a car. I would like to know if I have past tickets and the new car I purchase have temp plates could it still be booted?
Ms. Rita,
First, go to this city website to search for tickets.
https://parkingtickets.cityofchicago.org/CPSWeb/web/SearchTickets.jsp
You can search by your old plate numbers, by VIN #, and your driver’s license number.
Second, it is HIGHLY unlikely your temp plates will come up on the boot list. It’s a fresh, temporary plate with no history.
Geek…
I don’t know about that with the Temps….
I was out today in an area and saw a SUV with a brand new temp (not due to expire for 60 odd more days) and it had a bright yellow boot on it.
It is looking like someone updated the software AI to at least search Temps.
And I’ve seen out of state plated vehicles with Boots on them…so the Software AI is smarter than I thought.
DoR-
That’s a new development to me.
It would not surprise me, but up until now, I didn’t know they had that ability yet.
I assumed it was just a matter of time.
Thanks for the good info–as usual DoR.
I just got an expired meter parking ticket, but i Have temp plates. Can i get away without paying this once i get my permenant regular plates.
No Eric,
I wouldn’t recommend ignoring it. It’s pretty easy for the city to link your Temp plates to your new, permanent plates using the Sec.of State database.
Sorry
If you have temp plates can you still gey booted
Gloriana,
Theoretically, you can get booted with temp plates, but I believe, because temp plates are on a car for such a short amount of time, I think the chances are very, VERY low. The temp plate would have to somehow make it into the boot eligible database over that 30-60 days your vehicle has the temp plate attached and then a boot van would have to find your vehicle parked on the street. So, technically yes, but in real life practice, no.
I am trying to purchase a car and the lady says there is no title because she owes tickets. How true is that.
Hi,
So my car was totaled and it had parking tickets left unpaid under that license plate.
I’ve gotten a new car since and new plates but was wondering (As i was told by someone else) that if the car is totaled the license plate no longer exists and the unpaid tickets attached to it basically die with the car/plate.
Is this true?
Thanks for your input!
No Drag.
Just because the car was totaled, does not mean the record of the parking tickets associated with the plate are magically erased.
Those violations are alive, well and perhaps dormant on a city database, looking for an opportunity to be paid.
Much like murder or arson, there is no statute of limitations on parking tickets.
Sorry for the bad news.
I received a ticket for expired plates or Temp Registration. I live in Indiana and work in Chicago. My Indiana Plates are not required to be renewed until 30 days after the expiration date due to the grace period.
Why would I receive this ticket when it is impossible for me to sticker my car until it comes in the mail. I find this quiet ridiculous especially when The lake County Indiana Police station ran the plate and said it’s still valid.
I was told by a police officer that this ticket is reckless, and that there is a grace period given to avoid this very situation. I want to contest it by mail, What do you suggest?
Ryan,
This is an odd little area of parking enforcement.
Wisconsin has the same policy. My question is the same as yours…if the state where your car is registered doesn’t consider your car to be in a state of illegality, how can the City of Chicago?
I would NOT, repeat NOT contest this by mail. Do it in person.
Bring any and all documentation explaining Indiana’s law to the hearing. See if you can get a letter from someone at the Indiana DMV or Secy of State or whomever to back you up.
Bring in photos of the new sticker on your plate.
Make the argument that your car, registered in Indiana, was not out of compliance in the state it’s registered and therefore CANNOT be considered illegal in Chicago or Illinois.
I have no idea if this works, but it would be the strategy I would employ. Please report back.
I bought a car and it still had the previous owner plates still on it but I have not got any tickets on it but got a boot on it.. Do I have to pay the previous owner fees to get it off??
Nard,
You’re killing me here.
Try to go get a boot hearing and bring proof you are the new owner of the car and you shouldn’t be booted due to someone else’s parking tickets.
Honestly, I’m not sure if you need to pay those tickets. I don’t think so. However, get that damn plate off your car and change the registration so you can get your own license plate. You should NEVER drive with someone else’s license plate. Not only is it unlawful, but you can get yourself booted for tickets that aren’t yours.
But, try to get a boot hearing right away at the Central Hearings Facility in River North on Superior.
Ryan….while you might have a 30 day grace period in Indiana for your Registration…your license plates were still expired.
The Ordinance is Expired Plates OR Registration. Not Expired Plates AND Registration.
Once the Date has come and gone…your license plate sticker is no longer up to date and in Illinois, you can legally be cited for failing to display a current valid plate sticker.
And Mike….when your vehicle is In Chicago and the State of Illinois..it is subject to the State and Local Vehicle laws.
Don’t want to be subject to Chicago Rules? Don’t drive in Chicago.
There is only 1 State that the City is legally required to honor the 30 day grace period on….Iowa. Because their Sec State Told us Officially that they give 30 days after the tag expires. Indiana and Wisconsin Sec States Didn’t.
As a result…the ALO isn’t required to honor the supposed grace period because there is no Official Notice of it in the Database.
And as you’ll notice….Expired Plates are 1 of those tickets that the ALO isn’t supposed to dismiss just because you fix it. And since the Plates are actually expired…there you go.
Everyone always cries…Oh I get 30 days extra per my Sec State..
And the least dismissed ticket in Chicago? Expired Plates.
Dear Geek, I received a letter in the mail stating that I owe $167 for an unpaid parking ticket. The problem with this is that, it is not my car, but I know who car it is, and they evidently put it in my name without my knowledge. What can I do to contest this, and get this car out my name?
And by the way, I have to clue where this person is, and No way of contacting them.
Lartice,
Any idea how your name got on the registration without your knowledge?
This is my opinion, but somehow you will have to prove your name was added to a registration and/or title without your permission.
I’m going to have to look into how this might happen. Get me any details you have.
Dear Geek…
I live in houston tx and i just purchased a new vehicle recently. I ran across a letter from the city and forgot that I have 1 parking ticket on the old vehicle. Will my new vehicle get booted? I am on the boot list for the old vehicle..
Alexis,
The answer is…I don’t know. I don’t think you can get booted in Houston for just 1 past due ticket. I believe in Houston it’s 4 tickets to receive the boot (I’m going by recollection so don’t quote me). But Chicago has the most aggressive booting program in the nation with 2 unpaid tickets in final determination over a year old or 3 tickets in final determination immediately.
So, if you have only 1, you won’t be booted.
Hello. So I am buying a new car but still have unpaid parking tickets on my last one. Will these tickets prevent registering a new vehicle. I live in NYC
I just traded my car and put my old plates on the new car to drive it home I didn’t have Monet to tow it or be thing and I parked it on the street last night and I got a parking ticket for parking on the wrong side of the street there’s alternate parking because its winter I live in NY I wanted to know if I would get caught for having wrong plates and registration, I wanted to know if they could get that information from I revived a ticket? Please help thanks
James,
I don’t know New York law, but in general, you need to have a vehicle you own with the correct plates. I’m guessing it’s some sort of violation to have another vehicle’s plates on your car–despite the fact you used to own the other vehicle. But check NY law on this.
IF I HAVE UNPAID PARKING TICKETS AND GETTING ON A PAYMENT PLAN CAN I STILL BU.A CAR FRM.A CAR LOT OR CAN I PURCHASE A CAR FRM.SOMEBODY OFF THE STREETS AND CHANGE EVERYTHING AT.A.CURRENCY EXCHANGE
Tammy,
Your unpaid parking tickets and/or a payment plan should not keep you from purchasing a new or used car. The main deterrent to buying a car with a car loan is one’s credit rating. Why not go to a car dealership and see what happens.
In the River North area, I’ve noticed the growing area where you are required to have a parking permit for residents of the area AND have to pay the meter. The last two times I have been in this area, I have had the permit, had the meter receipt displayed on my dash and still received a ticket for no permit. Once…ok maybe it was a mistake. Twice…I have to wonder how many times has this happened to someone else?
Billie,
I hope you contested both those tickets!!!
I just received my second parking ticket for residential permit parking in the past two weeks, but I’ve lived here for over a year and have had the correct permit the whole time. My car and almost every car parked along the street had the same ticket but had the correct zone sticker. I fought the first one by mail, it isn’t online yet, but what I was wondering, did they run my plates and see that my car isn’t registered in Chicago (but I have the city sticker with the correct zone) and that’s why I got this ticket again or are they just giving bogus tickets to everyone hoping they are too late on contesting them. I’ve received bogus parking tickets before that I contested but they still made me pay.
I’m in the process of it. I’ve sent letters in with copies of my temp passes. The first one I have received a notice from the city but I’m not sure if it was just a second notice or I got denied (I’ve never had a reason to fight a parking ticket before). I talked to the doorman in my friend’s building (same I was visiting when I got the tickets) and he told me that this has begun to happen more and more. He advises people to keep the temp passes AFTER the night of use because most people just get the ticket in the mail and never got the actual ticket on their car so they threw the temp pass out and have no proof.
Billie..
What location of River North are you talking about? Was it a Finance Agency or Ser Co agency ticket or a handwritten Police Ticket?
I’d want to know that before commenting on any other portion of the situation.
But for (for example) RPP zones that are All Day….the meters don’t matter if they are not active (8am or 9am to 6pm or 9pm). And the reverse is true that you don’t have to have the RPP when the meters ARE Active.