Is it worth fighting a parking ticket in Chicago or just pay it?

I got a $60 ticket last month for parking too close to a fire hydrant on Addison. Thing is, the hydrant was behind a snowbank and I honestly couldn't see it. I took photos and went to the hearing. The adjudicator basically said tough luck and I still owed the full amount. My buddy says you can sometimes get it cut in half if you just plead no contest and ask nicely upfront. Has anyone else had luck with that approach or is it a waste of a morning off work?

3 comments

3 Comments

young.thomas9h ago

My buddy went through that whole song and dance on a hydrant ticket near Wrigley last year, asked nicely upfront, and they still hit him with the full $75. I think those adjudicators have heard every excuse in the book, they don't care about snowbanks or "I didn't see it." The city needs that money, so they're not in the business of letting people off easy unless you have a cop who didn't follow procedure or a clearly blocked sign. You might get lucky if you have the time to sit there for hours, but for a $60 ticket, your morning off work is probably worth more than the potential half-off discount. I'd just pay it and move on, it's not worth the headache or the risk of them sticking you with late fees if they say no.

amy_martin11h ago

Used to think they were all scams but this changed my mind.

lewis.brian7h ago

A buddy of mine got a $50 ticket for parking in a loading zone he swears wasn't marked. He fought it online with photos, wrote a whole paragraph about the faded paint, and they dropped it to $25. Took him like fifteen minutes on his lunch break. Said it wasn't a full win but he felt better about it than just forking over the whole thing.