Coronavirus Ticket Amnesty Is Over For Street Sweeping, City Stickers — Here’s How To Get Yours And Avoid A Ticket

UKRAINIAN VILLAGE — As various businesses, trails and parks reopen, one not-so-fun aspect of daily life in Chicago is back: parking tickets.

While officials ceased some (not all) ticketing early in the coronavirus pandemic, the city resumed citing drivers for failing to move their cars for street sweeping last Wednesday.

Ticketing for expired city stickers will resume on July 16, Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said in a newsletter to constituents.

If you’re planning to renew your sticker online, know that stickers can take as long as 10 business days to arrive by mail.

Credit: Dawn Rhodes / Block Club Chicago

Didn’t get your annual reminder to renew your sticker? Doesn’t matter. Reminders to renew stickers are a “courtesy,” and a “lack of mailed notice” does not warrant a waiver of late fees or ticket fines, according to the Clerk’s Office website.

However, if your sticker renewal was due between January and June, you will not pay a late fee, clerk spokeswoman Treshonna Nolan said. Late fees are waived through July 15, Nolan said.

Whether you got a reminder or not, if your vehicle sticker has expired, you are still on the hook for renewing it before July 16.

How to renew your vehicle sticker

Residents needing to renew their city sticker or buy guest parking passes have several purchasing options:

• Online through the Chicago City Clerk’s website. Items purchased will be mailed within 10 business days. If you have never made a purchase on the EZ Buy website, you will need to create an account. For questions, email ezbuy@cityofchicago.org
• In person at one of three locations:
  City Hall Clerk’s Office, 121 N. Lasalle St. Office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
  North Side Satellite Office, 5430 West Gale St. Office hours are 9 a.m – 5 p.m., Monday-Friday
  South Side Satellite Office, 5672 South Archer Ave. Office hours are 9 a.m – 5 p.m., Monday-Friday
• At participating Currency Exchange locations.

The clerk’s office is encouraging residents to visit City Hall or the two satellite locations for immediate assistance, Nolan said. The offices have plexiglass and residents are required to wear masks and maintain social distancing.

“We’re doing everything we can in terms of safety,” she said.

If you want to buy online and lost your reference number, click here and enter your license plate and VIN numbers. Otherwise, the reference number is underneath the bar code at the top of your mailed city sticker renewal notice.

Still stuck? Call the clerk’s office at 312-744-6770.

Registration costs vary by vehicle size. A small passenger vehicle costs $90.88 while a small truck costs $213.82.

Street sweeping

The city resumed ticketing cars for street sweeping violations last Wednesday.

Find the sweeping schedule for your ward and block schedule here. Keep an eye out for temporary signs posted ahead of planned sweeping.

View the 2nd Ward-specific schedule and sign up for text alerts here.

Moved? New car? Here’s what to do

If you are registering a new vehicle you must do the following:

• Locate your driver’s license or state ID and current State Vehicle Registration ID Card.
• Photograph and send these items to ezbuy@cityofchicago.org. Within 2-3 business days, the Clerk’s Office will send you a new reference number and enable you to buy online.

If you are a new Chicago resident or recently acquired a vehicle, here’s what to know to avoid late fees:

• A $60 late fee — $30 for senior-discounted stickers — applies to all Chicago vehicle stickers purchased after the grace period of 30 days for new Chicago residents or vehicle purchases.
• If you moved to Chicago or purchased a vehicle please see New Residents FAQ for details.
• There is no grace period for tickets. A vehicle with an expired sticker may receive a ticket the first day after the sticker expires.

Learn more about rules for new residents and new vehicles here.

If you are a 2nd Ward resident and your street does not have an assigned residential parking zone number, but you live within one block of a street with an assigned zone, you may request an exception letter so that you may park in that zone, Hopkins said. 

To request an exception letter, email the following to Ward02@cityofchicago.org:

• Photo or scan of your current photo ID
• Proof of residency – click here for a list of accepted documents
• Make and model of your vehicle
• License plate number
• Requested zone number

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