Parking Tickets

Where/how do I pay a parking ticket?

There are many ways you may pay parking tickets.

•	The ticket is self-addressed and may be mailed to the City of St. Charles.
•	You may drop the ticket in the City Utility Drop Box located in the parking lot between the Fire Department and the Police Department, or in a drop box in the lobby of the Police Department (2 State Ave.) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
•	You may pay the ticket in person at the Utility Billing office between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Acceptable forms of payment include cash, personal check or money order. The amount of the fine is identified on the parking ticket and varies depending upon the violation and number of previous tickets incurred in the last 12 months. If you are paying with cash and do not have exact change, please pay at the Utility Billing office, as the Police Department cannot make change. If you are paying by check, please make it out to City of St. Charles.

If you believe that a parking ticket was issued improperly, the first step is to contact the Police Department and ask for the Traffic Unit Supervisor.  Either phone the non-emergency number (630-377-4435) or come in to the front desk Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.  Our front desk personnel will locate the Traffic Unit Supervisor for you. 

If the Traffic Unit Supervisor determines that the ticket was improperly issued or issued in error, the ticket will be voided.  If the facts presented to the Traffic Unit Supervisor causes the ticket to remain in effect, the second step to dispute the ticket is to request a hearing at the administrative adjudication proceeding.

Administrative Adjudication is a proceeding in front of a hearing officer who listens to evidence presented by the City of St. Charles and by the accused who then makes a determination of liability or non-liability.  Such hearings can be utilized for non-criminal offenses that are punishable only by fine. The hearing officer is an attorney licensed by the State of Illinois.  Illinois statutes allow for an appeal of the hearing officer's determination in the circuit court.

Such hearings allow the accused to present their case in a less formal atmosphere where the strict rules of evidence in the circuit court do not necessarily apply.  The hearings are scheduled for the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, making these hearings much more accessible than the circuit court.  These hearings are designed for a fair and efficient disposition of an alleged ordinance violation. All unpaid tickets will be sent through this process.