The arrival of winter in Chicago means the holidays aren't far behind, but colder weather also ushers in that time of the year when you should really double-check before you park your car on the street overnight. Today marks the beginning of Chicago's winter overnight parking ban, which seeks to ensure access to the city's main street in the event that a blizzard drops a couple inches of fresh powder in the wee hours of the morning.
Regardless of whether or not there's snow on the roads, the winter parking ban is enforced on 107 miles of streets throughout the city from 3 to 7am each night. The ban lasts through April 1, 2018, at which point you'll only need to worry about the usual parking restrictions.
Vehicles left on streets that are affected by the winter parking ban will be towed and owners will be charged a $150 towing fee, a $60 ticket and a storage fee of $20 per day.
While signs have been posted along streets that fall under the ban, the city hasn't released an updated map of the affected streets. Thankfully, the majority of the information provided on last year's map still applies and a new map should be posted on the city's website very soon.
Spread the word to friends and loved ones within Chicago, because nobody wants to take an early-morning trip to the car pound and fork over a couple hundred bucks to get their wheels back.