How strictly enforced is permit parking? (Lincoln, Bridgeport: neighborhood, to buy, live)

[koctail]

If you park in a permit only zone without a permit, what are the odds of being caught? And what is the penalty?

[lenniel]

1) Very good
2) Very expensive
3) Don't do it.....if you don't believe me and want to try it, go ahead and roll the dice but don't get upset when you're towed because it will happen.

[Thepreacherswife]

It really depends on the neighborhood, the time of day, and how long you stay. I mean, if you park on one of the permit streets in north Albany Park late at night, nobody's gonna give a rat's ass and chances are you'll get away with it. Try it in Lakeview or Logan Square (especially during the day) and you'll probably get hosed.

[squirrels]

I've seen the parking enforcement guys out five minutes after the permit-only hours begin. I wouldn't risk it anywhere in the city personally.

[emathias]

I did it once and got away with it for like a 20 minute errand, but if you do it with any regularity at all, you will end up paying dearly for it.

[chet everett]

Neighborhood is key. There are parts of the NW side with permit parking but they only way you will get a ticket is if you park in the space that the cop that lives on the block usually puts his family's cars into, there are no real scheduled parking aides working those zones...

Similarly, if you park in a permit zone down in Bridgeport and there is no city worker on the block to phone it in / ain't during a Sox game when the police and parking aides swarm the area you probably will be fine.

Lakeview? Due to the huge volume of folks that try cram into tiny number of spaces the permit enforcement there is pretty much round the clock every month of the year and going even a few hours without a ticket is a major stroke of luck...

[oddstray]

Are the Lincoln Park Pirates (and their ilk) still around?

[ChicagoMeO]

or you might get a Denver boot... a nice yellow piece of metal they attach to your tires, and it causes the driver to run out of whatever restaurant he/she was in, screaming OHHHH NOOOOO I WAS JUST GONE FOR A SECOND!

dont let that be you.

[glass_of_merlot]

Originally Posted by koctail

If you park in a permit only zone without a permit, what are the odds of being caught? And what is the penalty?

Well, every Thursday there is street cleaning on our street. If you have not moved your car at 7:10 you are almost always guaranteed a ticket. Last year we had 3 tickets, two for street cleaning, one for no front license plate ( we had just moved to IL ). The day after the deadline to buy zone parking permits, I saw many cars who had gotten tickets. I see parking reinforcement on our street and surrounding streets every single day. So in other words, your odds are sky high of getting a ticket.

[SalingerBananafish]

I've gotten away with it parking late at night and pulling out early in the morning, but I don't recommend doing it during the daytime.

I got a ticket for no front plate too, and it literally happened days after I switched to IL plates.