[ Search ] [ PDF text ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
[ House Amendment 001 ] | [ House Amendment 002 ] |
92_HB0475 LRB9204423DHmb 1 AN ACT in relation to vehicles. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by 5 changing Section 11-208.3 as follows: 6 (625 ILCS 5/11-208.3) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 11-208.3) 7 Sec. 11-208.3. Administrative adjudication of violations 8 of traffic regulations concerning the standing, parking, or 9 condition of vehicles. 10 (a) Any municipality may provide by ordinance for a 11 system of administrative adjudication of vehicular standing 12 and parking violations and vehicle compliance violations as 13 defined in this subsection. The administrative system shall 14 have as its purpose the fair and efficient enforcement of 15 municipal regulations through the administrative adjudication 16 of violations of municipal ordinances regulating the standing 17 and parking of vehicles, the condition and use of vehicle 18 equipment, and the display of municipal wheel tax licenses 19 within the municipality's borders. The administrative system 20 shallonlyhave authority only to adjudicate civil offenses 21 carrying fines not in excess of $250 that occur after the 22 effective date of the ordinance adopting such a system under 23 this Section. For purposes of this Section, "compliance 24 violation" means a violation of a municipal regulation 25 governing the condition or use of equipment on a vehicle or 26 governing the display of a municipal wheel tax license. 27 (b) Any ordinance establishing a system of 28 administrative adjudication under this Section shall provide 29 for: 30 (1) A traffic compliance administrator authorized 31 to adopt, distribute and process parking and compliance -2- LRB9204423DHmb 1 violation notices and other notices required by this 2 Section, collect money paid as fines and penalties for 3 violation of parking and compliance ordinances, and 4 operate an administrative adjudication system. The 5 traffic compliance administrator also may make a 6 certified report to the Secretary of State under Section 7 6-306.5. 8 (2) A parking, standing, or compliance violation 9 notice that shall specify the date, time, and place of 10 violation of a parking, standing, or compliance 11 regulation; the particular regulation violated; the fine 12 and any penalty that may be assessed for late payment, 13 when so provided by ordinance; the vehicle make and state 14 registration number; and the identification number of the 15 person issuing the notice. With regard to municipalities 16 with a population of 1 million or more, it shall be 17 grounds for dismissal of a parking violation if the State 18 registration number or vehicle make specified is 19 incorrect. The violation notice shall state that the 20 payment of the indicated fine, and of any applicable 21 penalty for late payment, shall operate as a final 22 disposition of the violation. The notice also shall 23 contain information as to the availability of a hearing 24 in which the violation may be contested on its merits. 25 The violation notice shall specify the time and manner in 26 which a hearing may be had. 27 (3) Service of the parking, standing, or compliance 28 violation notice by affixing the original or a facsimile 29 of the notice to an unlawfully parked vehicle or by 30 handing the notice to the operator of a vehicle if he or 31 she is present. A person authorized by ordinance to 32 issue and serve parking, standing, and compliance 33 violation notices shall certify as to the correctness of 34 the facts entered on the violation notice by signing his -3- LRB9204423DHmb 1 or her name to the notice at the time of service or in 2 the case of a notice produced by a computerized device, 3 by signing a single certificate to be kept by the traffic 4 compliance administrator attesting to the correctness of 5 all notices produced by the device while it was under his 6 or her control. The original or a facsimile of the 7 violation notice shall be retained by the traffic 8 compliance administrator, and shall be a record kept in 9 the ordinary course of business. A parking, standing, or 10 compliance violation notice issued, signed and served in 11 accordance with this Section, or a copy of the notice, 12 shall be prima facie correct and shall be prima facie 13 evidence of the correctness of the facts shown on the 14 notice. The notice or copy shall be admissible in any 15 subsequent administrative or legal proceedings. 16 (4) An opportunity for a hearing for the registered 17 owner of the vehicle cited in the parking, standing, or 18 compliance violation notice in which the owner may 19 contest the merits of the alleged violation, and during 20 which formal or technical rules of evidence shall not 21 apply; provided, however, that under Section 11-1306 of 22 this Code the lessee of a vehicle cited in the violation 23 notice likewise shall be provided an opportunity for a 24 hearing of the same kind afforded the registered owner. 25 The hearings shall be recorded, and the person conducting 26 the hearing on behalf of the traffic compliance 27 administrator shall be empowered to administer oaths and 28 to secure by subpoena both the attendance and testimony 29 of witnesses and the production of relevant books and 30 papers. Persons appearing at a hearing under this 31 Section may be represented by counsel at their expense. 32 The ordinance may also provide for internal 33 administrative review following the decision of the 34 hearing officer. -4- LRB9204423DHmb 1 (5) Service of additional notices, sent by first 2 class United States mail, postage prepaid, to the address 3 of the registered owner of the cited vehicle as recorded 4 with the Secretary of State or, under Section 11-1306 of 5 this Code, to the lessee of the cited vehicle at the last 6 address known to the lessor of the cited vehicle at the 7 time of lease. The service shall be deemed complete as 8 of the date of deposit in the United States mail. The 9 notices shall be in the following sequence and shall 10 include but not be limited to the information specified 11 herein: 12 (i) A second notice of violation. This notice 13 shall specify the date and location of the violation 14 cited in the parking, standing, or compliance 15 violation notice, the particular regulation 16 violated, the vehicle make and state registration 17 number, the fine and any penalty that may be 18 assessed for late payment when so provided by 19 ordinance, the availability of a hearing in which 20 the violation may be contested on its merits, and 21 the time and manner in which the hearing may be had. 22 The notice of violation shall also state that 23 failure either to pay the indicated fine and any 24 applicable penalty, or to appear at a hearing on the 25 merits in the time and manner specified, will result 26 in a final determination of violation liability for 27 the cited violation in the amount of the fine or 28 penalty indicated, and that, upon the occurrence of 29 a final determination of violation liability for the 30 failure, and the exhaustion of, or failure to 31 exhaust, available administrative or judicial 32 procedures for review, any unpaid fine or penalty 33 will constitute a debt due and owing the 34 municipality. -5- LRB9204423DHmb 1 (ii) A notice of final determination of 2 parking, standing, or compliance violation 3 liability. This notice shall be sent following a 4 final determination of parking, standing, or 5 compliance violation liability and the conclusion of 6 judicial review procedures taken under this Section. 7 The notice shall state that the unpaid fine or 8 penalty is a debt due and owing the municipality. 9 The notice shall contain warnings that failure to 10 pay any fine or penalty due and owing the 11 municipality within the time specified may result in 12 the municipality's filing of a petition in the 13 Circuit Court to have the unpaid fine or penalty 14 rendered a judgment as provided by this Section, or 15 may result in suspension of the person's drivers 16 license for failure to pay fines or penalties for 10 17 or more parking violations under Section 6-306.5. 18 (6) A Notice of impending drivers license 19 suspension. This notice shall be sent to the person 20 liable for any fine or penalty that remains due and owing 21 on 10 or more parking violations. The notice shall state 22 that failure to pay the fine or penalty owing within 45 23 days of the notice's date will result in the municipality 24 notifying the Secretary of State that the person is 25 eligible for initiation of suspension proceedings under 26 Section 6-306.5 of this Code. The notice shall also state 27 that the person may obtain a photostatic copy of an 28 original ticket imposing a fine or penalty by sending a 29 self addressed, stamped envelope to the municipality 30 along with a request for the photostatic copy. The 31 notice of impending drivers license suspension shall be 32 sent by first class United States mail, postage prepaid, 33 to the address recorded with the Secretary of State. 34 (7) Final determinations of violation liability. A -6- LRB9204423DHmb 1 final determination of violation liability shall occur 2 following failure to pay the fine or penalty after a 3 hearing officer's determination of violation liability 4 and the exhaustion of or failure to exhaust any 5 administrative review procedures provided by ordinance. 6 Where a person fails to appear at a hearing to contest 7 the alleged violation in the time and manner specified in 8 a prior mailed notice, the hearing officer's 9 determination of violation liability shall become final: 10 (A) upon denial of a timely petition to set aside that 11 determination, or (B) upon expiration of the period for 12 filing the petition without a filing having been made. 13 (8) A petition to set aside a determination of 14 parking, standing, or compliance violation liability that 15 may be filed by a person owing an unpaid fine or penalty. 16 The petition shall be filed with and ruled upon by the 17 traffic compliance administrator in the manner and within 18 the time specified by ordinance. The grounds for the 19 petition may be limited to: (A) the person not having 20 been the owner or lessee of the cited vehicle on the date 21 the violation notice was issued, (B) the person having 22 already paid the fine or penalty for the violation in 23 question, and (C) excusable failure to appear at or 24 request a new date for a hearing. With regard to 25 municipalities with a population of 1 million or more, it 26 shall be grounds for dismissal of a parking violation if 27 the State registration number or vehicle make specified 28 is incorrect. After the determination of parking, 29 standing, or compliance violation liability has been set 30 aside upon a showing of just cause, the registered owner 31 shall be provided with a hearing on the merits for that 32 violation. 33 (9) Procedures for non-residents. Procedures by 34 which persons who are not residents of the municipality -7- LRB9204423DHmb 1 may contest the merits of the alleged violation without 2 attending a hearing. 3 (10) A schedule of civil fines for violations of 4 vehicular standing, parking, and compliance regulations 5 enacted by ordinance pursuant to this Section, and a 6 schedule of penalties for late payment of the fines, 7 provided, however, that the total amount of the fine and 8 penalty for any one violation shall not exceed $250. 9 (11) Other provisions as are necessary and proper 10 to carry into effect the powers granted and purposes 11 stated in this Section. 12 (c) Any municipality establishing vehicular standing, 13 parking, and compliance regulations under this Section may 14 also provide by ordinance for a program of vehicle 15 immobilization for the purpose of facilitating enforcement of 16 those regulations. The program of vehicle immobilization 17 shall provide for immobilizing any eligible vehicle upon the 18 public way by presence of a restraint in a manner to prevent 19 operation of the vehicle. Any ordinance establishing a 20 program of vehicle immobilization under this Section shall 21 provide: 22 (1) Criteria for the designation of vehicles 23 eligible for immobilization. A vehicle shall be eligible 24 for immobilization when the registered owner of the 25 vehicle has accumulated the number of unpaid final 26 determinations of parking, standing, or compliance 27 violation liability as determined by ordinance. 28 (2) A notice of impending vehicle immobilization 29 and a right to a hearing to challenge the validity of the 30 notice by disproving liability for the unpaid final 31 determinations of parking, standing, or compliance 32 violation liability listed on the notice. 33 (3) The right to a prompt hearing after a vehicle 34 has been immobilized or subsequently towed without -8- LRB9204423DHmb 1 payment of the outstanding fines and penalties on 2 parking, standing, or compliance violations for which 3 final determinations have been issued. An order issued 4 after the hearing is a final administrative decision 5 within the meaning of Section 3-101 of the Code of Civil 6 Procedure. 7 (4) A post immobilization and post-towing notice 8 advising the registered owner of the vehicle of the right 9 to a hearing to challenge the validity of the 10 impoundment. 11 (d) Judicial review of final determinations of parking, 12 standing, and compliance violations and final administrative 13 decisions issued after hearings regarding vehicle 14 immobilization and impoundment made under this Section shall 15 be subject to the provisions of the Administrative Review 16 Law. 17 (e) Any fine, penalty, or part of any fine or any 18 penalty remaining unpaid after the exhaustion of, or the 19 failure to exhaust, administrative remedies created under 20 this Section and the conclusion of any judicial review 21 procedures shall be a debt due and owing the municipality 22 and, as such, may be collected in accordance with applicable 23 law. Payment in full of any fine or penalty resulting from a 24 standing, parking, or compliance violation shall constitute a 25 final disposition of that violation. 26 (f) After the expiration of the period within which 27 judicial review may be sought for a final determination of 28 parking, standing, or compliance violation, the municipality 29 may commence a proceeding in the Circuit Court for purposes 30 of obtaining a judgment on the final determination of 31 violation. Nothing in this Section shall prevent a 32 municipality from consolidating multiple final determinations 33 of parking, standing, or compliance violation against a 34 person in a proceeding. Upon commencement of the action, the -9- LRB9204423DHmb 1 municipality shall file a certified copy of the final 2 determination of parking, standing, or compliance violation, 3 which shall be accompanied by a certification that recites 4 facts sufficient to show that the final determination of 5 violation was issued in accordance with this Section and the 6 applicable municipal ordinance. Service of the summons and a 7 copy of the petition may be by any method provided by Section 8 2-203 of the Code of Civil Procedure or by certified mail, 9 return receipt requested, provided that the total amount of 10 fines and penalties for final determinations of parking, 11 standing, or compliance violations does not exceed $2500. If 12 the court is satisfied that the final determination of 13 parking, standing, or compliance violation was entered in 14 accordance with the requirements of this Section and the 15 applicable municipal ordinance, and that the registered owner 16 or the lessee, as the case may be, had an opportunity for an 17 administrative hearing and for judicial review as provided in 18 this Section, the court shall render judgment in favor of the 19 municipality and against the registered owner or the lessee 20 for the amount indicated in the final determination of 21 parking, standing, or compliance violation, plus costs. The 22 judgment shall have the same effect and may be enforced in 23 the same manner as other judgments for the recovery of money. 24 (Source: P.A. 88-415; 88-437; 88-670, eff. 12-2-94; 89-190, 25 eff. 1-1-96.)