Parking Ticket 101: Tow Tips
What To Do When You Get Towed By The City
Where the hell did my car go?!?
Your mind races with panic when you come back to the spot where your car used to be just minutes ago.
Did I forget where I parked? Was my car stolen? Am I just confused?
The most likely answer is your car just got towed.
What Do I Do Now?
The first thing to do is not panic.
Call 311 and talk to an operator. Tell them you think your car got towed. They’ll most likely connect you with someone with Streets & Sanitation or at an auto pound. Give them your license plate information and they will be able to give you the location of where your car is now incarcerated.
You can also search for towed vehicles at the City of Chicago’s Vehicle Search website.
Sometimes, if the tow just occurred, it may take a few minutes for the tow truck to get back to the auto pound, the paperwork filed and the car is added to the database.
Even though you’re anxious to pay the city $160 to get your car back, take a few moments to survey the scene to see if you really should have been towed.
Are there permanent or temporary signs prohibiting parking? Was it rush hour parking (7-9AM or 4-6 PM in most cases)? Is there construction going on or a special event happening? Were you parked in a tow zone, in front of a fire hydrant, in a loading zone or handicapped space? Try to figure out why you were towed.
If signs were not posted correctly or there were no signs at all and you know you were parked legally, whip out your cell phone or camera and take photos of the parking environment if you can. Document the signs or lack thereof and perhaps some storefronts and/or street signs to establish your location. Take notes if necessary.
If your car was towed improperly, this is the best time to document the situation if possible.
Other possible reasons for a tow is if your car has been booted. If you haven’t had the boot removed within 24 hours, your car can be towed. Another possibility is someone thought your car was abandoned and it was towed for that reason.
Dude, Where’s My Car?
If your car is towed downtown, you might as well start walking over to the auto pound located on Lower Randolph just east and below Millennium Park. That’s where your car probably is.
If your car got towed from a different part of the city outside of downtown, it could end up at any of three other auto pounds.
Here’s a listing of all non-police Chicago auto pounds.
Central Auto Pound (Downtown): 500 E Wacker Drive. (Lower Level)
O’Hare International Airport Auto Pound: O’Hare Airport (Remote Lot E) at Zemke & Mannheim Rd.
South Side Auto Pound: 103rd and Doty Avenue
West Side Auto Pound: 701 N. Sacramento Avenue
Fun & Games At The Auto Pound
When you get to the auto pound, be prepared to wait in line.
It could be a long time, so bring a book or something else to read. It’s not uncommon to wait for over an hour or even two hours if things are really backed up at the pound.
Sometimes Streets & Sanitation tow trucks and private tow trucks contracted by the city, will bring a whole flock of cars in at the same time, which means you’re going to be waiting a while.
Make sure you have your driver’s license and either cash or a credit card to pay your $160 to the friendly person behind the 2″ of bullet proof glass.
You will also have to produce the vehicle registration for the car.
If your registration is in the vehicle locked behind the barbed wire topped fence, you will have to surrender your driver’s license before you will be allowed to locate your car and retrieve this necessary documentation.
If you’re not the registered owner of the vehicle, be prepared for your painful experience to get that much more excruciating.
You’re going to have to reach out to the registered owner and ask them to quickly type up a letter with the following information:
- Registered owner’s full name and address
- Make, model, year of vehicle
- License plate and VIN# if possible
- A note giving their permission to you (your name) to deal with the auto pound and to remove the vehicle from the premises
IMPORTANT: The registered owner must also have this letter notarized at a Currency Exchange.
This notarized letter must be faxed or brought to the auto pound where their car is under lock and key.
If the vehicle is registered within Chicago city limits and you do not have a current Chicago city sticker, you will need to run out and get one before the nice people at the auto pound will release your car.
The quickest solution to this is to find the closest Currency Exchange who will sell you a $75 city sticker with an added $40 late fee. The Currency Exchange charges a paltry $5 service fee to get your city sticker–a deal considering the situation.
Fighting Your Tow
If you want to contest your hearing, you need to do so at the pound where you had been towed.
Talk to a manager and they will help you pick a date and time to have your hearing. Try to schedule your hearing while you’re picking up your car. Otherwise, you have just 14 days from the date of your tow to schedule your hearing. Because auto pounds are open 24 hours a day, just go when it’s most convenient to you but make sure you get back down to the auto pound before your two weeks is up.
At your hearing, which is conducted at Central Hearings Facility at 400 W. Superior, the first thing you’ll do is speak to an attorney from the city. They will show you their documentation and evidence and you will have a chance to share your story and evidence with them.
Sometimes, if your evidence is strong enough, the city’s attorney will just ask to have the tow dismissed and your money refunded.
If the attorney feels the city’s case is strong enough, you will proceed to the hearing where the Administrative Law Officer will act essentially as a judge and hear from both you and the lawyer representing the city.
This is where aggrieved drivers get to make their case, tell their story and present photos and other evidence to try to convince the hearing officer you were wrongfully towed. The city will try to poke holes in your story and make their case. Ultimately, the ALO will render a decision. If the city wins, the tow stands. If you win, the city has to refund your money. Although it can take four to eight weeks to see the check.
In the photo above, Expired Meter reader “Matlock” successfully argued the tow zone signs restricting parking were not displayed properly as they were wrapped around a pole and therefore unreadable. In addition no other properly posted signs were posted nearby. “Matlock” says the hearing officer agreed, ruled in his favor and refunded his money.
GEEK TIP: If another person was with you and can also back up your story, try to bring them to your hearing. If they can’t come, ask them to write a letter to bring to the hearing explaining what happened. Make sure they have it notarized so it’s considered sworn testimony.
Contesting The Tow Ticket
Most likely, due to being towed, there is probably a ticket associated with your fun outing to the auto pound.
If you somehow filed to contest the ticket right away, you may be able to fight the ticket at the same time as the tow hearing. If your violation is in the Department of Revenue database, then you can fight it immediately after your tow hearing.
If the ticket isn’t in the system, you’ll have to wait until you get your Hearing Notice in the mail.
GEEK TIP: If you prevail and beat the tow, use the decision by that Administrative Law Officer as evidence you’re not liable for the parking ticket at your hearing.
Be prepared to be treated like shit while you are there, and even be laughed at.
My experience – my car got towed about a year and a half ago. I walked down to the Central Auto Pound. There was only 1 other person there. It was about a 1/2 hour before I got out of there. While the woman was “helping” me, she just stopped what she was doing and walked away – for about 10 minutes…without an explanation. Another person came in a little while later who got towed, and said there were several cars parked near her, and they were all towed too. The same lady behind the counter laughed and said “Yep, I’m sure we got them all!” When it came time to pay, she told me she wasn’t sure if I could pay with my credit card, because my CC says “Greg” and my registration says “Gregory.” I’m not making that up. She asked the cashier, and even he looked at her like she was from Mars. Then, I requested a hearing. She looked at me and said “Well, you can schedule one, but you ain’t gonna win.” I mean, do you have to take an asshole test to be hired for this job?
I did win by the way, by having photos that showed I couldn’t have possibly been in the area indicated by the address on the ticket and tow report, because, get this, there was huge snow storm the day before and there was a huge pile of plowed snow – a car lane wide and about 3 feet tall – in the spot indicated by the address. And don’t think your troubles stop at the pound. If you go for a hearing, an attorney for the city will try to shoot down your story by any means. She was literally making things up as she went along. When I showed the photos of the snow pile, she said “Well, if you didn’t pay the meter, that’s a reason to be towed too.” (Forget that the reason for the tow stated No parking zone. She tried to convince the hearing officer that the tow was justified because of a violation that I wasn’t even charged with.) when I tried to say something to counter that, the hearing officer looked at me and shook his head subtly, telling me silently “No need – I’m going to find in your favor” and basically rolled his yes at her.
Then, they promise you will receive the reimbursement with 5 weeks. Try 5 MONTHS! That’s how long it took, because first of all, the check never got to me, and they had to go thru a month long process to cancel the check and sens another one, and every time I called to follow up I pretty much had to start the story all over, even though I was dealing with the same person for 5 months. So you can’t even get your car unless you pay for it, but they can take 5 months to pay you even after it has been determined it was a wrongful tow.
So if you get towed – fasten your seatbelt. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Greg’s experience is not a unique one.
I believe there is no worse place in the city to visit than the auto pound. It is like a town on the road to Hell.
Here’s my story.
I, of course, have had vehicles towed several times over the years. Some “legit” and other times not legit and I ended up having to fight the bastards at tow hearings. Geek 3, City 0 on tow hearings.
But one time I got towed after my crappy van was stolen and recovered and brought to the pound.
I got to the Sacramento location and the line was out the door. I got in line and struck up a conversation with a security guard for the place who I ask “do people ever get unruly.” The guy pulls up his shirt to show he’s packing and he’s ready if people get out of line. Well, just then, all the computers go down and they announce it could be a while before they can release cars. Now the place was tense to begin with mind you. But now, people are getting really tense. People are so upset that the security guard with the gun decides it’s a little too over the top for even him and leaves. About 5 minutes later I decided to come back later.
It really is hell.
People that work the Impound Lots are only slightly slightly nicer to deal with than the people that work for the Private Tow/Boot Companies that the Geek mentions from time to time.
I’d rather be towed by a City Agency….at least in that case, I might be able to beat the Tow/Ticket in a Hearing.
Also..
The City of Chicago has a Code of Conduct for ALL Career Service Employees.
File a 3-1-1 complaint if you are treated in a unprofessional Manner by anyone in the Impound Lot Office, and Request a Supervisor so you can file a complaint for behavior while you are there.
Towed on July 25 from south side (facing east) of Kinzie between Dearborn & Clark, a place I have parked dozens of times. Now when did that no parking from 11PM-3AM sign go up where I was unlikely to see it? And why no parking from 11-3??? For the midnight rush hour? To add insult to injury, I had dutifully put money in the pay box and displayed the receipt on my dash. Also no fun having the crowd of gear heads congregating down there hoot at you as you drive away. Still have not tackled the task of getting those grease penciled numbers off off side and rear windows. Thanks for letting me vent.
Htbp51,
Question. Was this a permanent or temporary (paper) sign?
Was there only one or many signs?
Correction, 11 PM-5AM
Permanent, was down there tonight. All of Kinzie west of State at least to Wells is now posted no parking 11PM-5AM. Last time I parked on Kinzie before this incident was July 15, 2012. No problem. Just was caught assuming business as usual this time. Fair warning. You have to watch out all the time.
That’s an example of “stupid” restrictions done almost solely for the purpose of supporting private lots. That is near a growing “night spot” area. This restriction hits club goers and forces them into the very expensive Private Lots. It doesn’t inconvenience anyone. This isn’t even justified by the horrific (and piggish) “resident parking zone” policy.
I wonder what the heck this is about.
My recollection of the area would be that it’s right in the middle of a lot of bar/restaurant/nightclub action.
I’m going to try to check it out soon.
Yes. I am willing to bet that if it were fully investigated, you would find that the parking lot owners in the area are behind it. 11 pm is early enough to “force” many patrons into parking lots (or using Valet services….). Otherwise, to the extent that the street capacity is sufficient, they will lose business. This is, in many ways, even worse than the “piggish” residential parking zone policy. This is piggish that doesn’t even colourably benefit anyone with a legitimate interest.
The parking lot theory is logical. They probably contribute to the alderman’s campaign fund. The no parking zone from 11PM-5AM is expanding to State street and other streets in this area. Almost got nailed again a couple of weeks ago, and a friend got towed tonight. Beware!