Chicago |
NYC |
| 7 days to file a defense to a parking ticket from date of issuance | 30 days to file a defense from date of issuance |
| Additional 14 days to request a hearing if you miss the first 7 days | $10 penalty assessed on the 31st day
$20 penalty on the 46th day |
| If no defense filed, a default is entered. You have 21 days to petition to set aside the default | $30 penalty assessed on the 76th day |
| After 21 days, You’re toast! Ca-ching | Default judgment enter approximately 100 days after issuance |
Time Limits for Appeals
- You have 35 days to appeal a guilty finding for a Chicago parking ticket
- You have 30 days to appeal a guilty finding for a NYC parking ticket
What are your standard, run of the mill, defenses?
The Municipal Code of Chicago allows the following defenses for most parking and compliance tickets. They are:
- The respondent was not the owner or lessee of the cited vehicle at the time of the violation;
- The cited vehicle or its state registration plates (license plates) were stolen at the time of the violation;
- The relevant signs prohibiting or restricting parking were missing or obscured;
- The relevant parking meter was inoperable or malfunctioned through no fault of the respondent;
- The facts alleged in the parking or compliance violation notice are inconsistent or do not support a finding that the specified regulation was violated (e.g., motorists may contest a city sticker violation if they have resided in Chicago for less than 30 days or the cited vehicle was purchased in the last 30 days; tinted windows comply with the medical use requirement of 625 ILCS 5/12-503(g); the residential parking permit was issued to a delivery, service, or repair vehicle or home health care provider doing business with or assisting a resident of the zone; etc.);
- The illegal vehicle condition did not exist at the time of the compliance violation;
- The illegal vehicle condition was corrected prior to the hearing (Note: this defense does not apply to city sticker violations (§ 9-64-125), muffler or exhaust violations (§ 9-76-140(a)), missing plate violations (§ 9-76-160(a)), expired registration violations (§ 9-76-160(f)), and tinted window violations (§ 9-76-220)).