Parking in Oak Park has long been a hot topic issue and a cause for strife among residents. With complicated parking rules, it’s not uncommon to find yourself with a dreaded orange envelope tucked under the wiper blades of your car. The Village of Oak Park has launched an amnesty program this week to help residents pay off old parking tickets that have accrued large late fees. Approximately 180,000 parking tickets are eligible for this program.
From now until April 4, parking citations issued prior to 2018 can be paid without the added fees. All collection activities will be suspended during this amnesty period, including the use of vehicle boots. Village Manager Cara Pavlicek said, “Amnesty is an effective way to collect a share of outstanding debt. But individuals benefit, too, because they can satisfy their debt at a discount and avoid future enforcement, which can escalate to collections or even vehicle booting.”
It’s important to note that after April 4 collection will resume and all of the fees previously waived will be expected to be paid in full. Those fees range from $30-$70 per ticket on top of the original cost of the parking violation. Be forewarned: the Village boots vehicles that have five or more unpaid tickets. If your car gets booted, the fees increase exponentially making it even harder to pay off those tickets.
Parking citations can be paid online using the Village of Oak Park’s online portal. There, you can search by license plate or citation number to find outstanding tickets under your name. Tickets can also be paid in person at Village Hall or by mail to the following address: Parking Amnesty, Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison St., Oak Park, IL 60302
