Chicago Parking Tickets

[Leonard Zelig]

I just received a notice in the mail from a law firm trying to collect money from me for a parking ticket. The date of the citation is 6-17-97.

 

Should I pay this? Is there any kind of statute of limitations on parking ticket? What could happen if I don't? They are saying that failure to respond to the notice may result in garnishing my wages and bank accounts, and filing a lien against my property. And that their client, the City of Chicago reserves the right to seek interest, attorney's fees, and other collection costs. It's only $61, but I still don't really want to give it to them.

[Y2HH]

I just received a notice in the mail from a law firm trying to collect money from me for a parking ticket. The date of the citation is 6-17-97.

 

Should I pay this? Is there any kind of statute of limitations on parking ticket? What could happen if I don't? They are saying that failure to respond to the notice may result in garnishing my wages and bank accounts, and filing a lien against my property. And that their client, the City of Chicago reserves the right to seek interest, attorney's fees, and other collection costs. It's only $61, but I still don't really want to give it to them.

 

I wouldn't pay it. I HIGHLY doubt the statute of limitations hasn't wayyyyy expired on this.

[iamshack]

So there actually is no statute of limitations on City of Chicago parking tickets.

 

However, they don't keep the actual tickets more than 7 years. So they probably have some logs or databases that show tickets that are outstanding, and they're trying to capture additional revenues, but the bottom line is, they can't offer proof of the ticket and you couldn't offer proof if you paid, since banks don't keep cancelled checks that long either.

 

I'd just ignore it.

[jasonxctf]

I just received a notice in the mail from a law firm trying to collect money from me for a parking ticket. The date of the citation is 6-17-97.

 

Should I pay this? Is there any kind of statute of limitations on parking ticket? What could happen if I don't? They are saying that failure to respond to the notice may result in garnishing my wages and bank accounts, and filing a lien against my property. And that their client, the City of Chicago reserves the right to seek interest, attorney's fees, and other collection costs. It's only $61, but I still don't really want to give it to them.

 

Just make sure it doesn't hit your credit bureau as collections.

 

A lot of people think it doesn't matter but as someone who lends out money on a daily basis, i'll tell you that it does.

 

in college my apartment had Nicor for gas. When we moved in, the landlord told us to call them and set up an account. We never did and the gas was on. We never said anything and never got a bill. Two years later a bill came, after we moved out and we said screw it. Well the landlord gave Nicor my roommates name and social security number and they put a collections on his bureau. He didn't find out until he applied for a mortgage years later. We paid Nicor (50-50 split) but the collections on his bureau cost him a higher mortgage rate and thus thousands of dollars over time.

 

If you are wondering if the letter is legit, check out https://parkingtickets.cityofchicago.org/

 

 

[iamshack]

Just make sure it doesn't hit your credit bureau as collections.

 

A lot of people think it doesn't matter but as someone who lends out money on a daily basis, i'll tell you that it does.

 

in college my apartment had Nicor for gas. When we moved in, the landlord told us to call them and set up an account. We never did and the gas was on. We never said anything and never got a bill. Two years later a bill came, after we moved out and we said screw it. Well the landlord gave Nicor my roommates name and social security number and they put a collections on his bureau. He didn't find out until he applied for a mortgage years later. We paid Nicor (50-50 split) but the collections on his bureau cost him a higher mortgage rate and thus thousands of dollars over time.

 

If you are wondering if the letter is legit, check out https://parkingtickets.cityofchicago.org/

Well the difference here is they can't prove whether he paid it or not. They are just grasping at straws because they have no money. There is no way either party could prove whether the ticket was ever received, paid, etc, unless he is some kind of hoarder that saved his receipt from 20 years ago.

[jasonxctf]

Agreed but when's that stopped a municipality from sending someone to collections???

[StrangeSox]

There's all kinds of shady debt collection stuff out there, might not even be legitimate.

[Leonard Zelig]

Thanks for the input guys. They have the accurate car make, a license # that sounds vaguely familiar, and the address where the ticket was written was right around the corner from where my dad lived. It's probably legit, but I have no idea if I ever paid it and I certainly could not provide proof that I did. Obviously I don't want to go to collections, but I also don't want to hand over $61 just for the hell of it. I will check out that website in the morning and see what I can find.