Chicago’s yearly winter parking ban kicked in Sunday morning, but not a single car was towed.
Instead, anyone parked on streets where the ban is enforced were greeted with a warning Sunday morning.
“Due to the holiday weekend, vehicles in violation of the winter overnight parking ban were given flyers with warnings and were not towed,” a Department of Streets and Sanitation spokesperson said in a statement. “Overnight, crews posted flyers along the route providing additional messaging to motorists that vehicles must be removed according to signage.”
The 3 to 7 a.m. ban, which starts Dec. 1 and ends April 1, is enforced whether there’s snow or not. The city will begin towing cars Monday morning.
Violators are towed and hit with a fine of at least $235, which includes a minimum $150 towing fee, a $60 ticket and a storage fee of $25 per day. Towed vehicles will end up at a pound at 10301 S. Doty Ave. or 701 N. Sacramento Ave.
The overnight ban remains in effect through April 1 on 107 miles of main streets throughout the city. Those streets include parts of Madison, Division, Central, Archer, Kedzie, King, Cottage Grove, 79th and 103rd streets.
The city says the parking ban ensures plows can quickly respond to snow on major roads and keeps those streets clear for emergency vehicles and public transportation. The annual ban was implemented after major snowstorms in 1967 and 1979 caused widespread traffic jams in the city.
To check if your car was towed, visit chicagoshovels.org or call 311.
Here’s a map of the streets affected by the ban.