Increased Fine, Focused Ticketing Means More Painful City Sticker Enforcement
At the toll of midnight, the ticketing began.
The 15-day grace period for Chicago vehicle owners to purchase and display their 2012-2013 city sticker expired at midnight, Monday July 16th.
While Chicago Police officers, according to reports, began writing tickets for failure to display city vehicle stickers as soon as was legally possible, the bulk of the many thousands of violations began in earnest Monday morning when the first shift of city Parking Enforcement Aides hit the streets looking for violators.
It is no surprise, that the bulk of city sticker violations for the year are written in the weeks immediately following the July 15th deadline each year.
But this year will be the first post-city vehicle sticker grace period with the new and much higher fines.
Higher Fines Make It More Painful On Scofflaws
At the beginning of the year, the fines for a “failure to display city vehicle sticker,” rose from $120 to an even more painful $200. On top of that, the late fees have risen from $40 to $60. Both increases were supported by City Clerk Susana Mendoza, who’s office administrates the sale of city stickers.
“Clerk Mendoza proposed and helped City Council pass legislation that gave stiffer penalties to City Sticker scofflaws,” explained City Clerk spokesperson Kristine Williams. “She felt it was simply not fair to ask law-abiding Chicagoans to pay more for their stickers without first going after
those who purposely do not buy the sticker and pay the tax. City Vehicle Sticker fees help maintain and repair the more than 4,000 miles of Chicago roads. It is our hope that people who have not been in compliance before will come into compliance and pay their fair share to maintain our roads.”
What’s the total cost for getting caught without a 2012-2013 city sticker? When you add the $200 fine plus the $60 late fee on top of the $85 sticker, it totals $345. Larger vehicles and trucks will bump up your total cost even higher. It’s a big incentive to drivers who still haven’t purchased their vehicle sticker to get it sooner than later.
More Aggressive Enforcement Policies?
Earlier in the year, there was speculation that the city’s policies on having more than one city sticker on a vehicle windshield was going to change. Historically, some car owners keep several years of city stickers on their windshield. Sources within the Department of Finance Street Operations were hearing whispers of a more strict interpretation of the law that sees the presence of more than the current year’s city sticker as a violation.
However, this doesn’t seem to be the case according to Department of Finance spokesperson Holly Stutz.
“No new enforcement strategies are planned.” said Stutz when asked about this issue a week ago. “When enforcement begins next week, PEAs will be verifying if a current city sticker is displayed and whether the vehicle is registered in Chicago. Enforcement of multiple city stickers on a vehicle will not be the focus.”
The City Clerk’s office, which has their own small enforcement crew, will not be ticketing for multiple stickers either.
“The City Clerk’s enforcement division is focused on making sure that drivers have the current City Vehicle Sticker displayed, not on the number of city stickers on a motorist’s windshield,” said Williams. “However, the municipal code is very clear in defining the placement of the sticker as “the front windshield in the lower right-hand corner farthest removed from the driver’s position. We always encourage people to remove the previous year’s sticker to ensure proper placement of the current sticker and also to help with driver safety as multiple stickers may impede a driver’s ability to see out of the windshield.”
Open Season On Parking Garages, Lots
However, there has been one change to enforcement policies for PEAs that will make it easier to write more sticker violations.
PEAs can now patrol publicly accessible private garages and parking lots, including shopping centers, to write parking tickets.
Although the municipal code has allowed city sticker enforcement in public garages and lots since 2003, only Chicago police officers were allowed to write the violations. So despite the law on the books, many drivers essentially hid their vehicles from city sticker enforcement by housing their vehicles in private garages and rarely parking their vehicle on the public way where the chance for receiving a ticket are greater than parking in the Jewel or Target parking lot.
But a recent change in policy allows PEAs to write tickets in these same garages and lots, of course potential increasing the volume of city sticker violations which can be written.
“DOF will enforce city sticker violations in public garages as described in the
ordinance,” says Stutz. “Enforcement is equitable and PEAs are instructed to use discretion when enforcing any violation code.”
Geek,
One day into the city sticker ticketfest and I got handed a $200 ticket.
I live in a 383 zone near Wrigley and am moving at the end of the month. I called up City Hall long before my sticker was due to expire and they told me I would be okay using one day 383 guest passes until I move. Despite that advice, I got hit with that bright orange reminder that the city has a clasp on the residents’ collective marbles.
Am I still eligible to get a ticket for no sticker despite my guest pass? I was told my city hall employees – agents of the city – “no”. Do I have any recourse??
Speaking about expired stickers…
Out of State plated vehicles are being ticketed for Expired City Stickers this year.
We used to ignore them. No longer.
I pay this every year. How about coming out and fixing the damn potholes instead of writing tickets.
Why would an out of state vehicle even have a city sticker? Yes, I know what the questionably constitutional law SAYS (not that Chicago has ever cared about that pesky constitution anyway) but how the hell do you prove an out of state vehicle was “principally garaged” for more than 10 consecutive days in Chicago anyway?
Jack,
You know, any other year I’d be on the “fix the pothole” bandwagon with you.
But due to the mild weather and administration changes, these days potholes are being filled within 24-72 hours after being reported to 311.
Mike,
This is a good question.
And, initially, I do not have an answer for you.
I’m going to pass on your info to someone at the Clerk’s office to see what they say.
What I will strongly suggest is to remove last year’s or any other old city stickers off your windshield.
You see, the old sticker is a tip off to enforcement that you should have purchased and displayed this year’s sticker.
Once last year’s sticker is gone and you’re using guest passes, you should avoid any future tickets. Again, not a guarantee, but your vehicle should be a lower profile target.
Geek- I was lazy and failed to get a city sticker on time. Besides, I rarely use my car. Today I got 2 tickets, at separate locations for not displaying a sticker! Do I have a case? $400 in violations in 6 hours? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Seeing the same out of state or out of country registered car parked on the same residential block or in the same residential parking lot for months or years makes it pretty obvious the owner is living there.
It appears that the city will sell stickers to those having vehicles registered elsewhere, so that seems to eliminate a catch-22 for students and people with two residences.
Now the problem is for people who simply work in the city of chicago but live elsewhere. Or people who have friends that live in chicago that they frequently visit. They could easily find themselves ticketed as their vehicles would regularly appear in the same area over and over again despite being registered elsewhere and the owner living elsewhere.
To me it seems that the City of Chicago, that is the people running it and many living in it simply want to discourage anyone who doesn’t live in Chicago from ever setting foot there except as someone they can tax heavily. (requires a hotel stay, rents a car, etc and so on) Someone who can just drive in and drive out isn’t welcome.
Michael,
Here’s what you do.
Request in-person hearings on both. Make sure you contest both at the same date and time and in front of the same administrative law judge.
When you have your hearing, cop to the first violation and explain you realize you need to pay it.
But the second one, explain that you received the first one 6 hours before and the municipal code only allows for one of these violations to be issued to the same vehicle once in the same 24 hour period.
The ALJ should dismiss the second violation based on this argument. Make sense?
Potholes???? Well if all 650,000 scofflaws in the boot system actually paid up, every street in the city can get repaved. Bitch about potholes, bitch about tickets and bitch about higher property taxes. I wasn’ t aware that $$$$ fell from the sky into the city’s budget to handle all the complaints.
Makes sense. Thank you very much. Is an in-person hearing necessary?
Michael,
In most cases yes.
But in my opinion, this situation requires it.
You don’t want some judge to skim your letter and find you liable for both tickets. You need to take advantage of the more deliberative pace of the in person hearing.
Hey, here’s an idea.. Instead of the rejects running around wasting time and money ticketing people, give them a shovel and make them work for a living actually being useful like fixing Chicago’s terrible roads.
I got 2 different tickets at the same time for basically the same thing – $200 for no display city sticker, and $75 for residential permit parking.
I actually bought and received my sticker 2 months ago, just forgot to put it on my windshield. My car was parked in my residential zone, as listed on the sticker. Do I still need to pay both tickets? Is it worth going in-person to a judge?
Chad,
I think you’re screwed on this and end up being responsible for both.
You may want to try contesting both at the same time at an inperson hearing and seeing if you can get out of the RPP violation, but I think your chances are slim.
Sorry.
After 7 years of living car-less in Chicago, I bought a car last fall and dutifully purchased a city sticker. I never received a renewal notice and completely forgot to get a new sticker. I walked out of my apartment this morning to see a $200 ticket on my car. I stopped at the City Clerk’s on my way to work and purchased a sticker, including the $60 late fee. I realize I should have known when the stickers expire, but I was expecting some sort of notification – do I have any shot at contesting the ticket?
Full disclosure, I’m the spokesperson for the City Clerk’s Office…
Mike – Re: your question/comment, I apologize if you received misinformation from our office. I am guessing that an enforcement agent ran your plates and saw you had last year’s sticker or the car was registered in Chicago. In either of those cases, that is likely why you were issued the ticket.
As others have mentioned, it really doesn’t matter where the car is registered, it matters how long it is in the city.
Of course, you can always contest the ticket following the information on the ticket, but it may stick. We’ll also make sure our staff is reminded of the ordinance and policies.
Kristine Williams
Mike, Kristine is correct. If the vehicle is still registered in Chicago, Or Owned by a Current Chicago Resident; then regardless of it displaying an expired city sticker or not displaying Any…the Ticket is valid.
The person at City Hall that you talked to probably made the assumption that you had changed your vehicle registration already and that is why they said you could get by with just using temp daily RPP passes for 383 zone.
Chad….the City Sticker municipal code violation is a different municipal code than the one for Residential parking Permit violations. Both violations can be issued at the same time to the same car if the RPP Zone is active for where the Vehicle is parked. Revenue and City Clerk enforcement agents go through Active RPP Zones Hunting for vehicles that qualified for Both Tickets.
Management wants PEA’s to ticket everything we find if it is violation we write in our Street Ops Division of Finance. The City Clerk probably wants the same thing.
And it isn’t personal…It’s just the Job we were Hired to do.
Street Cleaning And an Expired/No Display City Sticker? 2 tickets.
Bus Stop, Expired City Sticker and Expire Plates? 3 tickets.
Front Plate on Dash, Expired Plates, Expired RPP and Expire/No Display City Sticker? 4 tickets.
Unfortunately, I think you need to pay up on this one Erin.
I cannot think of any defense that would hold sway with the Administrative Law Judge.
Sorry.
I received the same city violation within 24 hours of the first $200 ticket. Is there a 24 hour compliance rule or anything that would indicate I can contest the second issuance within literally 24 hours of the first ticket?
Geek, Per the City ordinance that covers the vehicle owners Right to Contest Parking and Compliance Tickets the Following Tickets are not dismissible by correcting them after you get a ticket:
9-76-160 A: Missing plate violations
9-76-160 F: Expired plates/registration
6-64-125 B & C : City Sticker Violations
9-76-220 A & B: Tinted Windows Violations
The ALO/ALJ isn’t ALLOWED to dismiss them, you have to go to County Court and fight it there.
And Geek….do a FOIA to the Clerk and Revenue….
We all want to know How Many City Sticker Tickets got issued city wide from July 16th to the 31st.
Erik,
Request in person hearings for both tickets. Fight both at the same time.
Cop to the first one, but then on the second one explain that it was issued within 24 hours of the first and you should get out of the second. That’s not a guarantee, but I’m told it works over 90% of the time.
Capt M-Plate,
You’re correct except for the missing plate violation.
If your plate is stolen and you bring in a police report and proof of it being replaced from the Secy. of State, the ALJ should dismiss.
Or, if the plate comes off due to no fault of your own, like a car backs into your vehicle or it was involved in a more significant accident, etc, and you can document this AND you show you replaced the plate, the ALJ should dismiss.
I know this first hand in both scenarios and have always had those tickets dismissed.
Both my wife and I forgot to put on the stickers for this year (I will admit that).
We both received tickets while parked in a public garage. Is there any way to contest?
Todd,
Unfortunately, no.
Ticket writers are allowed under the municipal code to ticket in public garages and parking lots.
I just moved back to Chicago from Colorado. I have a copy of my lease and recent pay stubs on file. My vehicle, however, is registered in Chicago at my old address (moved last year). I just received a $200 ticket for no sticker, and the cop ignored my pleas that I just got back into town.
Do I have a shot at contesting the ticket (is it better to contest in person or via mail?) or even getting my sticker without the late fee tacked on?
Thanks
Matthew,
I think this is pretty easy.
DEFINITELY, request an in-person hearing. Bring in your new lease. See if you can bring in evidence to document your recent residency in Colorado (lease, ID, paystub). Explain the law allows for a new resident 30 days to get a city sticker.
I believe you get the ticket dismissed.
Geek…he never changed his registration from Chicago to Colorado..
He can’t beat the ticket because when the ALO looks up the Registration of the vehicle it isn’t going to match his new address. And that is the fault of the vehicle owner for not changing his registration when he moved.
Just got a ticket for $200 because we forgot to put on our 2012 city sticker. we purchased the sticker in April but forgot to put it on. $200 seems like a lot. Can we fight or get a reduced fine for simply forgetting to display a purchased sticker? thanks.
KM,
No. No reduction. No mercy.
I don’t mean to be harsh, but the city does not play with these violations. Sorry.
Thanks. I had a feeling that was the case.
Plate renewal issue. I renewed my plate on line three weeks ago and the sticker has not shown up. What re my options? Do i need to stick it in a private lot and leave it there on Tuesday night?
David….yes.
Unlike City Sticker Enforcement…All other municipal vehicle citations are not allowed to be written on private property unless it is CTA or Park District or a City Owned Lot. A private lot is the safest location for a vehicle waiting for its’ new license plate sticker.
Let me understand this. Do I need to put the car in, for example, a private company lot behind a locked gate or is a plain old privately owned public lot sufficient. I know the first is even City Sticker enforcement immune.
And how long do I need to wait. Three weeks seems long….
You don’t park on a Public Street or City Lot until you get the new Tags.
60.00 Ticket every day we find you man.
My question s how long do I need to wait for the tag.
David,
My understanding of the muni code allowing enforcement in parking lots is that they can ticket for both city sticker violations and expired tags.
My thinking is, outside of Capt. M-Plate, and a few of the other big volume ticket writers, most enforcement is focusing on city stickers. I have very little to back this up except that City Clerk enforcement only writes tickets for city stickers and nothing else.
I am not saying you’re immune from that type of ticket, but that odds are lower for that violation in a parking lot.
Still waiting for the sticker, but I have worked out a “solution”. The car spends the night in a garage and the day in a private gated lot. During the travel between the two, I have put the bike rack on the car and the bike rack and the bike obscure the rear plate. As long as I am not pulled over, I think I am okay about not getting a ticket.
I got a ticket for not dipslaying my city stiker for 2012 @ 7:36 am then another one @ 1:46 pm the same date can I fight this and at least get one forgiven? Can they just give tickets like this within 6 hrs to each other?
If a car is parked in a private, non-city-owned lot or garage – no plate is necessary. The rules of the road specify that a license and registration (and insurance) are required to operate a vehicle on public roads but this requirement does not extend to private property.
Assuming its OK with the property owner, you can park there with expired or non-existent plates and no law is being violated. Remember this if some meter maid tries to ticket you for expired plates while parked in a privately owned facility.
Laura,
You’re right. The second ticket needs to go.
Do this. Fight both in person. Cop to the first, but then explain the timeline on the second ticket and tell the Administrative Law Judge that it is your understanding of the municipal code that this violation can only be issued once in a 24 hour period. It should get dismissed.
Pete, you make a very good point.
I remember a long, long time ago, I had a similar fight with the city. I had a van I was fixing on private property and some jerk walked on to the property to write a ticket for a lapsed plate sticker. Totally pissed me off.
I bought my 2012 city sticker on time but due to difficulty removing my 2011 sticker, I simply laid the new sticker (barcode visible) in the lower righthand corner of my windshield under the 2011 sticker.
I got a $200 ticket for “no city sticker”. Any way I can get this reduced to the $30 fine for “improperly displayed city sticker” by contesting??
Hi,
My husband and I purchased a used car early this year. We live in and the car is registered in Palatine. I neglected to get the city sticker and received a ticket for $200 after parking downtown Chicago. A Chicago city sticker (from the previous owner)from last year is still displayed in the window. Because I live and car is registered in Palatine am I in anyway exempted from paying that amount?
Makicisa,
Yes. You MUST fight this. Request an in person hearing.
Bring in your registration and perhaps some mail showing you live in Palatine.
The ticket MUST be dismissed as A) you don’t live in Chicago and B) the car is registered in Palatine.
I would advise immediately removing last year’s Chicago city sticker ASAP. Also, if Palatine has a city sticker, get one of those on your car pronto.
Ok so i just purchased my car 08/18 and recieved a ticket for no city sticker 09/25….I was under the assumption that they couldnt ticket you within 60 days of purchasing a car seeing as how i contested a ticket last year for the same reason… has the law changed?? i am a resident but i just got the car and need time to pay 195 :-/
TJMOM,
Oof! It’s 30 days, not 60 days.
Are you sure you didn’t purchase the car 08/26? Hint, hint.
Thanks a bunch.