The Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) is reminding motorists that the Chicago winter overnight parking ban begins on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, and runs through April 1, 2021, according to the city's website.
The parking ban is enforced regardless of snow on 107 miles of main streets throughout the city during the hours of 3-7 a.m.
During a snow event, DSS works to clear the city's main streets and Lake Shore Drive first to ensure that roads are safe and passable for motorists, buses, and emergency vehicles.
Cars left parked on these designated roadways obstruct the path of snowplows and prevent routes from being fully plowed and salted when it snows. During a snowfall, a build-up of snow next to parked vehicles on these routes impedes traffic flow.
Violators of the parking ban will be towed and face a minimum $150 towing fee, a $60 ticket and a storage fee of $25 per day. Vehicles in violation of the ban will be towed to Pounds 2 (10301 S. Doty Ave.) or 6 (701 N. Sacramento Ave.).
There is also a separate snow related ban that affects another 500 miles of main roadways across the city that is activated by the Department during extreme weather, when there are at least two inches of snow on the street, regardless of time of day or calendar date.