Show of hands, who else hates finding one of those orange envelopes on the windshield of their car??

The City of Chicago has been busy this year, issuing over 1 million parking tickets in just the first 6 months of 2022. Ironically, Mayor Lori Lightfoot made a campaign promise to reduce Chicago’s dependency on fines and fees… *cough* red light cams *cough.*

Parking violations can cost drivers between $25 and $500, so that’s big money for the city.

As one who’s fought a Chicago parking ticket and won, I recommend challenging a parking ticket in court if you really feel you weren’t in the wrong. If you’re representing yourself, take pictures of the scene of the violation, make a compelling argument about why you do not believe you were in the wrong and why it could have happened to any other law-abiding citizen, and be respectful to the judge. (It doesn’t hurt to brush up with a court drama or two). Chicago may hand out another million parking tickets before the year ends, but those all definitely don’t need to be paid!

Source: Illinois Policy