Did You Receive a Chicago Meter Parking Ticket? What You Need to Know

If you have received a Chicago meter parking ticket, you might have been mistakenly fined a higher amount as if you had parked in a more exclusive area than your car was actually located.

How Could I Have Been Overcharged? Aren’t All Parking Tickets the Same?

According to Chicago law, those who receive an expired meter parking ticket in the city’s central business district are fined $65. Anyone who receives such a ticket elsewhere in the city should be fined $50. Individuals in those outer areas who were charged $65 were overcharged for parking fines.

Chicago defines its business district as the community within Lake Shore Drive on the east, Roosevelt on the south and Halsted on the west. The northern boundary is unusual in that it goes between Halsted and LaSalle, but continues north on LaSalle, ending at Division Street.

How Do We Know the City of Chicago Overcharged for Parking Tickets?

Local CBS affiliate Channel 2 in Chicago reported on a Chicago resident who investigated the city’s alleged disregard for meter boundaries. Matt Chapman told Channel 2 that he discovered the city overcharged more than $450,000 between 2013 and 2018. These overcharges were due to the issuance of 30,001 $65 parking tickets that should have been only $50, he said.

He studied data from ProPublica, which also indicates the city made almost $264 million from parking tickets in 2016.

How Long Has the City Been Overcharging for a Chicago Meter Parking Ticket?

The city of Chicago has allegedly been overcharging city dwellers for over a decade. Chapman alleges he found data that indicates that from January 2007 through November 2008, the city overcharged those who received a Chicago meter parking ticket a total of more than $165,000. Back then, the business district ticket was set at $50 and the remainder of the city was set at $30.

If I Received a Central Business District Rate Ticket for Meter Parking at O’Hare International Airport, Is That the Correct Rate?

No. O’Hare International Airport parking meters should be at the lower city rate, not the central business district rate.

What Is the City Doing to Remedy These Mistakes?

According to Chicago’s CBS affiliate, city officials have agreed to conduct their own investigation to see how many ticket recipients were overcharged. However, the city denies knowing the overcharges were occurring prior to Chapman pointing it out.

Interestingly, this is not the first time parking tickets have been an issue for Chicago. In 2017, the ParkChicago app, meant to provide a convenient way to pay for metered parking in Chicago via mobile phone or web, allegedly failed to perform as advertised – leading to improper fees and false parking tickets.

If I Receive a Parking Ticket in Chicago, Am I Allowed to Challenge It?

Yes. According to the Municipal Code of Chicago, you may contest a ticket within seven days of receiving one for a parking or compliance violation. If you do not pay the ticket or contest the ticket within seven days, you will receive a second Notice of Violation in the mail that will allow you 21 days to request a hearing.

What Are the Statistics on Successfully Fighting a Chicago Parking Ticket?

According to CBS affiliate Channel 2, people who fought expired parking meter tickets won 71 percent of the time. By contrast, those who fought red light or speeding tickets only won 10 percent of the time.

What Can I Do If I Have Received and Paid Chicago Meter Tickets Over the Years at a Higher Rate Than I Should Have Been Fined?

If you received a $65 parking ticket when you were parked at a meter where the violation should have only been a $50 fine, you could be eligible to participate in a Chicago parking ticket class action lawsuit investigation.

Join a Free Chicago Parking Tickets Lawsuit Investigation

If you were issued a parking ticket in Chicago outside of the central business district and were charged $65, you may qualify to join this Chicago parking ticket class action lawsuit investigation.

Learn More

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.