The winter night parking ban begins Sunday, but no cars will be towed

CHICAGO — The city’s winter night parking ban went into effect Sunday, but those who broke the law received something of a Christmas present.

Instead of towing cars parked on streets where parking is banned, city workers issued warnings and leaflets with information about the law, said Mimi Simon, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Streets and Sanitation.

The warnings came in lieu of tows because the start of the parking ban — Dec. 1 annually — fell on a holiday weekend, Simon said in a statement. The ban applies until Sunday night and beyond.

The parking ban limits parking to 107 miles of Chicago’s major streets from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. daily from Sunday through April 1. The ban is limited to main roads in the city.

The Ministry of Roads and Sanitation says it is using these early morning hours to keep major roads clear and safe from snow and ice. The ban applies regardless of whether there is snow or not.

If your car is parked on a closed street during driving ban times, it will be towed. Drivers whose cars are towed will face a minimum towing fee of $150, a parking ticket of $60 and a storage fee of $25 per day.

Hundreds of cars are usually towed away on the first night of the parking ban.

In 2022, emergency services towed 242 cars that were parked along the no-parking route.

There were 192 cars towed in 2021, compared to 232 in 2020 and 248 in 2019.

Towed vehicles will be taken to one of two locations: Pound 2, 10301 S. Doty Ave. or Pound 6, 701 N. Sacramento Ave.

There is also a separate “two-inch parking ban” covering an additional 500 miles of major roads. This applies whenever snowfall is more than 5 cm, day or night, every day of the year. According to Streets and San, your car may be ticketed or moved if parked on these routes during heavy snowfall.

The city has installed permanent signs along all affected routes. Before the restrictions begin, emergency services will also attach warning flyers to parked cars.

To check if your street is affected:

• Look for road signs marking restricted routes.
• Check out the Chicago Shovels website for a map and real-time plow tracking.
• Call 311 if you think your car has been towed.

Grace Xue contributed reporting.

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