Illinois Private Parking Enforcement Laws: Relocator Towing, Chicago Rules, and Citations

In Illinois, the Commercial Relocation of Trespassing Vehicles Law (625 ILCS 5/18a) requires that towing unauthorized cars from private lots in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will, and Winnebago counties be done by a relocator licensed by the Illinois Commerce Commission. For those tows, the law and ICC rules require a sign at least 24 by 36 inches, a police notice within one hour, and fees no higher than both the ICC rate and the posted amount. Outside those counties, towing is a local matter. Chicago licenses private booting companies and caps boot removal at $170, and its Municipal Code permits booting only in certain wards. We found no Illinois statute on private parking citations.

Summary

Illinois splits the state in two for towing. The Chicago region has a detailed private towing regime run by a state utility regulator. Downstate, the rules are whatever each city or county has adopted. Booting and citations sit mostly outside state law.

Private parking citations and invoices

No Illinois statute we found addresses private parking citations, and the ICC’s relocation law covers towing only. A private notice is a bill for breaking the posted terms of the lot. Operators pursue unpaid notices as civil claims, through reminders, collections, or small claims. A private notice carries no points and no government penalty, and it is not a City of Chicago ticket.

In Chicago, the city-licensed alternative to towing is booting, which is why it gets its own section below. Some operators use citation programs instead, especially at residential and mixed-use properties where booting is unpopular or not permitted. For the contract theory behind private notices, see can private companies issue parking tickets, and for how drivers usually respond, see how to contest a private parking ticket.

What signs must say

In the five ICC counties, the rules bar a relocator from removing a vehicle from property without the required signs. The ICC’s consumer guide sets the size at least 24 inches high and 36 inches wide, and 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710.51 sets the content. Under that rule, the warning that unauthorized vehicles will be relocated must be in characters at least 3 inches high, and everything else at least 1 inch high, all in colors that contrast with the background. Section 1710.51 requires each sign to include:

• A warning that unauthorized vehicles will be relocated.
• The relocator’s full legal name as licensed, its address and phone, and the address and phone of the storage lot if different.
• The maximum fee to reclaim the vehicle and any limits on forms of payment.
• The hours when vehicles can be reclaimed, including holiday closures.

The rules require signs visible from each entrance and exit, day and night. Where a lot has no defined entrances, they require a sign within 100 feet of every space subject to towing. Under the rule, a sign may name only one storage location, and a sign that lists no hours counts as a promise that the car can be reclaimed any time. Outside the ICC counties, local codes govern signs. Our guide to parking lot signage for enforcement covers wording for citation lots.

Towing from private property

The ICC licenses relocation towing companies, tow truck operators, and dispatchers for two-year terms, after checking criminal and driving records. The law does not cover police-directed tows, repossessions, disabled vehicles, or vehicles on public streets. If a property is outside Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will, and Winnebago counties, the ICC directs people to local authorities for licensing and complaints.

Under 1710.80, the relocator must notify the police agency where the vehicle was taken from within one hour of the tow, and confirm in writing within 24 hours, with its license number, the vehicle’s description and VIN, the time, and both addresses. The rule requires a vehicle unclaimed for 15 days to be reported within five more days.

The ICC guide lists the driver’s core rights. According to the guide, if the driver is present before the tow and offers to move the car, the relocator must let them do it immediately. Tows are limited to 10 air miles in incorporated areas and 15 air miles in unincorporated areas. The driver gets a complete Relocation Towing Invoice as a receipt, with complaint instructions on the back.

Booting

Illinois has no statewide private booting statute. Chicago fills the gap with a licensing scheme run by the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection under Section 4-6-230 of the Municipal Code. According to the city’s license page, a booting company pays a $1,000 license fee (for a two-year license), a one-time $100 registration fee for each lot, and $40 per fingerprinted owner. The page says it must boot only under a written agreement with the property owner, post signs with the lot’s terms at least 14 days before booting starts, keep an employee on site, run a toll-free 24-hour complaint line, and tell the Chicago Police Department about any booted car still there after 24 hours.

The city’s private booting FAQ adds the driver-facing rules: at least two signs per lot showing the terms of use, the removal fee, and a 24-hour phone number; no booting of occupied cars or cars parked within the terms; a Consumer Bill of Rights on the windshield; free removal if the driver returns before the boot is fully attached; and a $170 maximum removal fee, payable by credit card. There is no grace period. Location is the big limit. Section 4-6-230 lists the areas where booting is permitted, and the City Council amends it ward by ward. In January 2024, for example, it barred private booting in the 33rd and 49th Wards. Outside Chicago, booting rules are set by each municipality. See booting vs. towing for how a boot fits an enforcement ladder.

Fees, caps, and driver remedies

The ICC sets maximum relocation tow rates for light, medium, and heavy duty tows. We did not find the current dollar figures published on the ICC pages we reviewed, so we do not list them here. Under 1710.122, a relocator may charge only the lesser of the ICC rate and the rate posted on its sign, and nothing at all if its signs do not comply. The rule requires it to accept cash, money orders, cashier’s and certified checks, travelers checks, and major credit and debit cards, and bars storage charges for days or hours it is closed to the public.

The ICC guide adds that no storage fee applies if the car is claimed within 24 hours with ID and payment, and that card payments cannot carry extra fees. Relocation towing complaints go to the ICC, and its consumer guide lists the ICC Police Department as the contact. In Chicago, booting complaints go to BACP through 311. Small claims court is another route drivers use for disputes over overcharges or damage.

Local ordinances to check

Chicago is the main one, because its booting license and ward map determine where a boot is permitted at all. Suburban municipalities in the five ICC counties may also have their own licensing or towing rules on top of the state program. Downstate cities such as Springfield, Peoria, and Champaign are outside the ICC program entirely, so their codes are the whole story for towing and booting. Whether a city requires its own tow or boot license is a question for that city’s code.

Questions to raise with your attorney

Illinois rules vary by county and city, so these are questions an operator may want to bring to an attorney licensed in Illinois:

• Is our property in one of the five ICC counties, and if not, which local ordinance governs towing there?
• Is our relocator licensed by the ICC, and do its signs meet 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710.51’s size, lettering, and content rules at every entrance and exit, day and night?
• Does the fee on the sign match our relocation contract, given that 1710.122 limits the charge to the lesser of the ICC rate and the posted rate?
• How does our relocator handle a driver who is present before the tow and offers to move the car, as the ICC guide describes?
• If we boot in Chicago, does Section 4-6-230 permit booting in our ward, and does our vendor hold a BACP license and lot registration for this location?
• How are our private notices worded so they are not mistaken for City of Chicago tickets, and how are unpaid notices pursued under Illinois law?

Lotably handles the citation side: plate checks against permits and paid sessions, photo evidence, and online payment or appeal for drivers. Booting and towing records start switched off in Lotably and are turned on when the operator asks. Lotably does not check whether booting or towing is allowed where an operator enforces; the operator is responsible for following the law and assumes all risk of using them. For other states, see the hub on private parking enforcement laws by state.