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 Winter overnight parking ban

Tuesday, December 1, 2009, at 3:00 AM, is the time and date that Chicago reactivates its Winter Overnight Parking restrictions for a number of Chicago's most critical arterial streets. More directly, if you go to sleep on Monday evening the ban will already be operational by the time you wake up on Tuesday morning.

The winter overnight parking ban will be in effect on about a dozen main priority routes - approximately 107 miles of city streets - from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. between December 1st and April 1st - regardless of snow.  Enforcement of the ban begins Dec. 1 at 3 a.m.

Violating the overnight parking ban can be costly:  motorists ignoring this posted seasonal tow zone face a minimum $150 towing fee in addition to a $50 ticket.  For residents who regularly park on one of these designated streets during non-winter months, it's a good idea to start looking for an alternate place to park until the restrictions are lifted next April 1.

A separate ban on parking exists on another 500 miles of main streets when there is at least 2" of snow on the street, no matter the time of day or the calendar date.  Cars violating this ban can be ticketed and relocated nearby.

Both of these seasonal restrictions are marked by permanently posted signs along the designated routes.  They constitute Chicago's "Snow Route System," which was created as a response to massive snow storms, such as the Great Blizzard of 1967, which literally brought traffic to a halt citywide.