How To Get Your Parking Ticket Dismissed (...at least in Chicago)

Nobody is above the law. NOBODY.

So a couple months ago, I went home for a random weekend, something I don't do often. My friend Ian is a football coach at Whitney Young, and their kickoff game was against St. Ignatius at Soldier Field. Seeing this as an opportunity to be at Soldier Field (I had never been) on the cheap, I decided to go home.

I drove downtown and had lunch with a friend, then had enough time to park near the Sports Authority- the downtown flagship always has a ton of brand name workout gear on clearance, so I checked it out. Not even 20 minutes later, I came back to my car, and a ticket was on the windshield- the No Parking Zone sign was bent and was nuzzled well into a nearby tree- there was no way for me to have seen it unless I was extremely aware.

Long story short, I protested the parking ticket and won. Here's how I did it, and how you can, too. My official protest letter and pictures are at the end.

1. Check the Online Pictures
Chicago cops are high tech, and with each parking ticket they write, they upload the offending picture(s) on the website for you to see. They normally take a picture of the sign and your plate number for the website-  the biggest mistake they can make is not taking a picture of your car in relation to the sign. Did they only take a picture of the close up sign and another of your plates? That's really not enough information to rule in the law's favor. If they can't make a correlation that proves that your car was the offending vehicle at the time of the ticket issuance, then you have a case.

2. Take Your Own Pictures
The biggest mistake you can make as someone who wants to appeal is not taking pictures, especially if you have a legitimate claim. Sometimes, as in my case, signs are obstructed by nearby trees or snow. Anything that could have been a reason for you not to clearly see that sign is a legitimate means of protest. If you don't have a legitimate camera phone, you should keep a disposable camera in your glove compartment at all times. Let me revise that- IF YOU OWN A CAR, KEEP A DISPOSABLE CAMERA IN YOUR GLOVE COMPARTMENT AT ALL TIMES. I don't care if your smartphone is 77 megapixels and takes 3D video....smartphone batteries, as you well know, die. Quickly. Just in case you get ticketed after a long night at the club and your phone is dead, keep the disposable camera in your compartment. You'll be glad you spent that $4.

Take two kinds of pictures- unbiased ones and ones that push your case a little more. You can throw those in there as leverage- don't embellish your story, but you can push a tad.

3. Be Specific.
Take note of all times, street names, and other little details that will make your case more sound. Note the street or intersection where you were ticketed. Note the time you left and returned to your car. Sometimes this information can help when you're analyzing it for your appeal, whether you write one for the mail or appear in court.

4. Use Logic
Your appeal should be treated like a court case. You need to convince someone of your side, and sometimes, pictures alone won't do it. Sometimes, you need to go all Law and Order on your appeal. Analyze your pictures. How do they prove your innocence? Take a look at the online pictures- how do they discount the writing of the ticket?

5. Be Respectful
Be honest in your description. If you have a legitimate gripe, state it and back it up through pictures and logic. More than anything, fact is God. Also keep in mind that snarkiness and an angry tone will only hurt your case. Yes, you're pissed. Yes, the law can sometimes bend the rules to write more tickets. Regardless of that, still be respectful- you are still dealing with cops. A nice add-on is stating at the end that you hope the sign will be fixed soon so nobody else has your issue.

I hope this helps someone not have to pay a ticket! If you have any questions, share in the comments section and hopefully I, or someone else, has an answer for you.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I received a parking ticket on Friday, June 26th on the grounds that I parked in a No Parking Zone. I am contesting the ticket on the grounds that the pole which denoted the Tow Zone was bent, and the flag was obstructed by a nearby tree. I have included photographs to plead my case.

At about 7:00 PM on August 26, I parked my car in the spot in question. I was in town to support a friend who was coaching in the High School Football Showcase at Soldier Field. The game wasn’t to start until 8, and since I had some time to waste, I parked my car and headed to the Sports Authority on LaSalle Street. I returned to my car by 7:20 PM, and saw the ticket in my windshield. A gentleman who worked at the paid parking lot on Franklin and Ohio informed me that he had seen my car get ticketed only a few minutes earlier; he informed me that I should take photos of the obstructed sign in order to appeal the ticket. I have included those photographs and descriptions of each below.

Photo #1 was taken from the sidewalk right next to where my car was parked, and from that angle, the sign is obstructed as well.

Photo #2 was taken as a close up, but considering the orientation of the cars on that side of the street, the only person who would have seen the sign would have been someone in the passenger’s seat; I was the only person in my car that day.

Photo #3 is the angle that I would have seen as I pulled up to park my car in this space. As my car is a hard top and not a drop-top, the only angle that would have been able to properly expose the sign was obstructed, and even still, the sign was still blocked by the shrubbery.

I hope you can see from my photos that the sign is blocked- I hope that the proper authorities are able to fix this sign soon as to eliminate any confusion about it. I thank you for your time and patience.

-Jeremy Nelson 

Photo # 1

Photo #2 

Photo #3

UPDATE: My ticket was thrown out. Score one for the little guy!