City of Chicago Automated Enforcement Violation Review Program

If you recently received an old ticket violation notice in the mail from the City of Chicago, you may have also received a letter allowing you an opportunity to contest certain red light/speed camera violations. This notice is sent whether you paid or had an unpaid ticket referenced in the mailing notice.

Our mailed notice referenced a speed camera violation ticket from 3 years ago that was paid and not originally contested. The notice included a website link to review recorded evidence of your violation. Do you really have anything to lose contesting a paid ticket? The letter indicates you can request a written or in-person administrative hearing by the deadline mentioned on your ticket violation notice.

Dear Camera Violation Ticket Recipient:

This letter is to inform you that you have an additional opportunity to contest certain red light camera violation and/or speed camera violation ticket(s) issues to you by the City of Chicago. The specific ticket(s) that you may contest are listed on the enclosed Camera Violation Review Notice. You may contest these ticket(s) by requesting either a written or in-person administrative hearing by following the instructions on the Notice and submitting your request by the Response Deadline listed on the Notice….

If you request a hearing as provided for on the Camera Violation Review Notice and a hearing officer finds that you are not liable for the ticket(s), any money that you previously paid as a fine, penalty, or collection fee for the ticket(s) will be refunded to you, or any debt you owe for the ticket(s) will be canceled.

If the hearing officer finds that you you are liable for the ticke(s) – or if you do not request a hearing as provided for on the Camera Violation Review Notice – all fines, penalties, and collection fees previously imposed by the City for the ticket(s) will be confirmed against you. This means that you will continue to be liable for those amounts if you have not previously paid them. If you previously paid the amounts, your liability to the City is already satisfied and you do not need to pay anything more to the City for those ticket(s).

If you do not dispute your liability for the amount of paid and unpaid fines, penalties, and fees listed on the enclosed Notice, you do not need to respond to the notice. If you do not respond by the Response Deadline, the liabilities listed on the notice will be deemed confirmed, and you will remain liable for any unpaid amounts.

If you have any questions about this letter or how to respond to the enclosed Notice, you may call the Department of Finances at (312) 744-7275 from Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (TTY service for the hearing impaired is available at (312) 744-7277.)

So why all of a sudden for the letter and the “violation review program”? We aren’t sure but we think it might have something to do with the pending red light lawsuit against the city of Chicago.

*Update* - The city is sending these review notices from any violations issued between May 23 2010 - May 14 2015 because the city forgot to send second notices. Over 1 million violations were snail mailed.