Whether you live in Chicago or if it is your first time driving there, you should know or will find out that some of the road rules are a bit different from other cities. Chicago parking garages are usually your best bet due to the oftentimes harsh weather conditions there, but if you are looking for alternate parking, while in Chicago, check out our list of Chicago parking tips!
1. Street cleaning
Chicago street cleaning starts on April 1st and goes through mid-November. The city of Chicago will post bright orange temporary parking restrictions at least 24 hours before the street cleaning happens.
So, what happens if you don’t move your car? You can get hit with a $60 ticket, AND you can have your car get towed. Check out this Chicago ward street cleaning schedule to know when the city has scheduled street cleaning in your area.
2. To leave the receipt on the dashboard, or not?
In October of 2018, it was announced that the city would be getting rid of having to leave the receipt on your dashboard when you use one of the Chicago parking meters. This is awesome because it means you do not have to go back to your car to place a receipt on the dashboard. All you need to do when paying for parking is enter your license plate number into the machine. Make sure you enter it correctly to avoid getting one of the Chicago parking tickets.
3. It’s snowing!
In Chicago, when it snows, it can get quite heavy. To make sure that the city can plow the streets from snow, from December 1st through April 1st, Chicago street parking in certain areas is prohibited from 3:00 am to 7:00 am.
The idea of Chicago’s winter parking ban is to keep 107 miles of main streets across Chicago clear for emergency services in the event of heavy snow. But keep in mind, the parking ban can be activated at any time, on any day on about 500 miles of Chicago streets when snow reaches more than 2 inches.
So, if it’s snowing, it may be a good idea to use a garage if parking in downtown Chicago.
4. Unofficial Dibs
Because of heavy snowstorms, the citizens of Chicago have created the “dibs” system. This system allows for people to shovel snow from a spot in front of their home to park their car and place a marker to show that the spot will be used later.
While you can’t get a ticket for parking in an empty spot, your neighbor might not be too happy with you if you do.
If you are looking for the best Chicago parking app on the market, check out Way.com on iOs and GooglePlay to avoid getting one of the expensive City of Chicago parking tickets.
Read more blogs on affordable airport parking, the best insurance for your car, and top-rated car washes near you.
