Tag Archives: Contesting Chicago parking tickets
Ask The Parking Ticket Geek
Dear Mr. Geek,
Can I get a ticket for no city sticker if I am legally parked at a meter?
Sagar
Of course you can be ticketed for a city sticker violation parked at a meter Sagar.
Being legally parked at a meter does not magically project an invisible force field over your vehicle that repels ticket writers from issuing you tickets for other violations.
If your car’s license plate is expired, missing a front plate, parked over 12″ from the curb or not sporting a valid city sticker on the windshield you can be ticketed–even if you have time on the meter.
Frustrated Driver Creates Anti-Ticket Video
Seemingly inspired by an unjust parking ticket, one Chicago driver tries to exact some video revenge.
Ask The Parking Ticket Geek
Hi Geek,
I got a ticket at 7 am for parking in a spot that clearly states its a 30 minute standing zone only from 10 am – 8 pm. I will contest this ticket by mail. Should I submit a photo? I don’t have a good printer so doing so would be a bit extra work for me.
Chan
Please, PLEASE provide photos Chan.
Photos are perhaps the very best way for a driver to illustrate the parking environment when the violation was issued. It allows the hearing officer to see what you saw on the street at the time the ticket was given.
Otherwise, it’s just your word against the ticket writer’s word. And guess what? Without the photos, the word of the ticket writer is going to carry more weight and most likely, you’ll lose.
Take the extra time and effort to do this or you risk losing.
The Geek
Hello Parking Ticket Geek,
I got a ticket during the week , the reason for my ticket says “VIOLATION OF WHEEL TAX STICKER” what exactly does this mean?
Jessica
NBC 5 Shares Tips For Fighting Parking Tickets
View more videos at: http://www.nbcchicago.com.
NBC 5′s Lisa Parker is back on the parking ticket beat.
First she helps a driver ticketed while his car was parked in a garage in the suburbs get some ticket justice.
Then, she shares research from successful parking ticket defenses on how to beat parking tickets.
Check out her full story at the NBC 5 website.
Ask The Parking Ticket Geek
Parking Ticket Geek,
Do you know anything about this law firm that collects money for the City of Chicago, Arnold Scott Harris?
I was garnished after I got on a payment plan and they claimed it was a “system” error. I am embarrassed at my job now and could scream! I can never get through to them and when I do, different people tell me different things, they always contradict themselves that is assuming I can understand what they say, some of them can barely speak good English.
Is this place legit?
Mike
I feel your frustration Mike.
Ask The Parking Ticket Geek
Hi Geek,
Do you know if you can contest a parking ticket via email or online?
I have the supporting documentation to show they ticketed me while I was parked legally. I have the ticket showing the issue time of 3:08PM and I have the ticket from the meter showing that it did not expire until 3:41PM.
I also have the transaction from my bank debit card showing the fee paid to LAZ. I’d like to email something right to Bea as well to complain…got her email address?
Best regards,
Angry
Maybe in the future, but currently tickets cannot be contested online Mr. Angry.
Blogger Makes Beating Parking Tickets Look Easy
Steve Tanner dislikes parking tickets just as much as the rest of us.
But Mr. Tanner, after getting two tickets in February for not displaying a Chicago city sticker, decided to do something about it and fight back.
Unfortunately, Tanner’s sticker was one of the tens of thousands of city stickers sold last year without enough adhesive to remain affixed to his windshield.
The cold weather of the Blizzard of 2011 ultimately took its toll and Tanner’s sticker wound up on the floor of his car and thus, replaced by two orange tickets on his windshield.
Tanner does an amazing job of documenting how the entire process of his journey from violation to building a case to ultimately having both tickets dismissed at his hearing on his blog, SteveandAmySly.com.
Ask The Parking Ticket Geek
Dear Geek,
Apparently I have over $4,000 in parking tickets.
Arnold Scott Harris (the collection agency) has been contacting me like crazy.
The problem is I have no money. I have been unemployed since September of 2010.
Do you have any idea what my options are? I wanted to see if they would offer me a settlement where I can pay half, but they claim they don’t do that. Do you know if that is true?
The lady said my only option is a payment plan. Is that true?
Thanks,
Jake
Unfortunately, the payment plan is your only option Jake.
NBC 5 On The Parking Ticket Beat Again
NBC 5′s Lisa Parker, always on the hunt for a good story, is back on the parking ticket beat.
This time around, NBC 5′s cameras are spotlighting a young lady who was ticketed for an early morning rush hour violation despite no sign in sight.
She photographed the street and lack of a sign prohibiting rush hour parking and mailed the photos along with her contest letter to the Department of Revenue.
Despite documenting the lack of a sign, the driver was still found liable.
Parking Ticket 101: Fighting Cell Phone, Texting Tickets
Back in 2005, the Chicago City Council passed a controversial law prohibiting motorists from using a cell phone without a hands free device back.
It was one of the country’s earliest municipal bans on driving while using a cell phone without a hands free device and it was not without controversy. Some people embraced the move, while others felt it was just another strategy to generate more revenue for the city.
The law was changed in 2008 to take it from being adjudicated as a moving violation and making it essentially the equivalent of a parking ticket or red light camera violation.
Since 2005, tens of thousands of drivers in Chicago have been slapped with a $100 ticket for driving with a cell phone up to their ear.
But there are ways to avoid cell phone driving tickets as well as fighting them successfully when they’re issued improperly.
