This Major US City Overcharged On Millions Of Parking Tickets, Judge Says

No one likes getting a parking ticket. Not only can they lead to legal proceedings, but they can also get quite expensive. For some drivers, the fines can be higher than usual and, as it turns out, actually illegal. In February 2026, an Illinois judge ruled that the city of Chicago — the U.S. city found to have the worst traffic in 2025 — had been overcharging on millions of tickets dished out to motorists for their parking infractions. This had apparently been the case for about a decade, and the city must now set things right with impacted drivers.

As reported by outlets such as CBS News, Judge William Sullivan of Illinois' Cook County concluded that Chicago had "systematically overcharged" motorists beyond the limitations of state law. Despite the $250 cap for a single violation in the city, individuals such as Kyle Garchar, a plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit, were charged hundreds more for city sticker violations. 

The city raised sticker violation fines in 2012, from $100 to $200, with a $200 late fee, and Garchar claimed that the city made the process of obtaining said stickers difficult and "maybe ... intentionally more confusing." In the wake of this ruling, there's hope that the city of Chicago will remedy the situation. Ideally, refunds will be on the way for those affected by this illegal practice, but there's no guarantee of that yet.

Speaking to CBS News, attorney Jacie Zolna highlighted that Chicago's overcharging for tickets went beyond simply being illegal. "This practice has harmed the most vulnerable people in this city, end of story, and it has spanned now three different administrations, and not a single one has done anything about it," she said, claiming that it's a systemic problem that has taken money from those with little to give. The attorneys behind this case noted that the city stopped inflating its ticket fees once it was filed in 2023, but there could be more justice on the way.

Per Judge Sullivan's ruling, the city will have to issue refunds to drivers for any excess charges beyond the $250 cap. Roughly a million tickets were affected by this practice over the past decade. Zola claimed that the total comes out to around $163 million, and hopes that affected drivers will receive refunds sooner or later. At the time of this writing, however, Chicago officials are looking into challenging the ruling, with no refund process announced so far.

While drivers in New York City face steeper traffic ticket fines in 2026, their Chicago counterparts seem to have a traffic fine-related win on their hands. Still, there's a long way to go as the city tries to combat this ruling, so Chicago residents will have to keep a close eye on the situation as it develops.