I am seeing any increase in potential bankruptcy clients who have parking tickets owed to the city of Chicago on their creditors list. It seems that it’s hard to live in the city of Chicago and not be subject to the wrath of parking tickets. And when you don’t pay those tickets on time, the dollar amounts double. Eventually, you can be subject to a boot on your vehicle as well as a suspension of your driver’s license.
Chapter 13 bankruptcy will undo the suspension, take you off of the boot list, and allow you to repay a portion of your parking ticket debt over a three to five-year period. This debt for parking tickets which is non-dischargeable in a chapter 7 bankruptcy case, can be paid less than in full and discharged in a chapter 13 bankruptcy case. For this reason, many Chicago residents who have parking ticket debt elect to file a chapter 13 bankruptcy. Surprisingly, many chapter 13 bankruptcy clients who are reorganizing the debt owed to parking tickets, continue to receive post-petition parking tickets as the case is progressing. This is simply a fact of life in the city of Chicago. Parking is at a premium and there are just so many ways to get hit with a parking ticket.
If you are unable to pay your parking tickets in full, and you do not file chapter 13 bankruptcy, you may be able to work a payment plan with the city. However, you will not receive the benefit of compromising the debt and paying less than what’s truly owed as you can under chapter 13 law. For more information on bankruptcy as it relates to the city of Chicago and your parking tickets, contact my office at 847-520-8100. For over 23 years I’ve been helping people eliminate debt or reorganize debt under federal bankruptcy laws. If you have parking tickets that you cannot afford to pay and you’re worried about a boot or worried about a driver’s license suspension, you should contact me immediately to learn your rights.
