Deadline nears on Schaumburg ticket amnesty

Drivers with overdue parking tickets in Schaumburg have only until Tuesday to take advantage of a monthlong amnesty program for reduced payment.

Those eligible are people with a late parking ticket at the final determination stage with a fine of $120 or $200. Those who received a $250 ticket for parking in a handicap spot are not eligible.

Only through the end of March, the final determination late fee has been waived, meaning a reduction of fines up to 50 percent for some drivers if they pay up.

Payment must be received by Tuesday, however, either in person or through next-day mail sent Monday, police Sgt. John Nebl said.

At the end of the amnesty period, the number of delinquent tickets needed for a vehicle to be eligible for a Denver boot will drop from five to three.

As of Monday, 150 people had already taken advantage of the program, clearing up 526 overdue tickets. Of those, 15 people were already eligible for the Denver boot because of five or more violations.

Eighty people who had three or four violations would have become eligible for the Denver boot on April 1 had they not participated in the amnesty program, Nebl said.

When the program was announced, Schaumburg police said more than 800 vehicles had at least five outstanding tickets in the village.

To find out if a vehicle has any outstanding parking tickets, call (847) 882-3586 or visit villageofschaumburg.com. On the Web site, select "Pay Parking Ticket" and enter the license plate number.

To pay by mail, send checks or money orders to the Schaumburg Police Department, 1000 W. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg, IL 60194. Payments in person may be made from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, though only payments made Monday or Tuesday are eligible for the amnesty program.

Those paying by credit card must do so in person.