Did I Park Right
Snow-covered cars parked along a city street

Photo by Katt Yukawa on Unsplash

Chicago winter overnight parking ban: is your street on it?

Chicago’s winter overnight parking ban starts Tuesday, December 1, 2026, at 3 AM — in 30 days. Until April 1, no parking from 3 to 7 AM every night on 20 stretches of main streets (98.1 miles), snow or no snow. Check your street below.

City of Chicago Data Portal · winter ban + snow routes · Read Oct 30, 2026

Every street on the winter overnight ban

20 stretches, 98.1 miles, longest first, from the City of Chicago’s data. The city’s own announcements say about 107 miles; we show the miles in its published data and link the source.

When the ban applies

December 1 – April 1

3–7 AM, every night

StreetFromToMiles
79th StS Cicero AveS South Shore Dr12.78
N Kedzie AveW North AveW 87th St12.07
Archer AveS State StS Harlem Ave10.36
N Milwaukee AveW Foster AveW Kinzie St8.79
Central AveW Harrison StW Bryn Mawr Ave7.59
W Division StN Austin BlvdN La Salle Dr7.35
103rd StS Torrence AveS Kedzie Ave7.32
W Madison StAustin BlvdDes Plaines6.73
S Cottage Grove AveE Midway PlaisanceE 103rd St5.58
S Dr Martin Luther King Jr DrE Cermak RdE Garfield Blvd5.50
W Foster AveN CentralN Clark St5.18
E 103rd StS Torrence AveS State Line Rd1.81
S State StCongress PkwyCermak Rd1.57
E Midway PlaisanceS Cottage Grove AveS Dorchester Ave1.50
N Clark StW Devon AveW Howard St1.50
N Kedzie AveW Moffat StN Milwaukee Ave1.01
E Rainey DrS Elsworth DrS Cottage Grove Ave0.51
E Cermak RdS State StS Dr Martin Luther King Dr0.43
S Torrence AveE 103rd StE 106th St0.37
W Garfield BlvdS Elsworth DrS Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr0.13

Source: City of Chicago — Winter Overnight Parking Restrictions, read October 30, 2026. Chicago Municipal Code 9-64-060.

The 2-inch snow route ban

This is a different rule on different streets. When 2 inches of snow or more falls, the city can switch on the snow route ban: no parking on 144 snow-route segments — 609.7 miles in the city’s data — at any hour, until the plows have cleared them. It can happen in any month with snow, not just December to April.

The street checker above searches both lists at once. A street can be on one, both or neither.

How to tell on the street

Winter overnight ban streets have signs reading “No parking 3 AM to 7 AM Dec. 1 – April 1”. Snow routes have signs reading “Tow zone, no parking on this street when there are 2 inches of snow on street”. The signs are the final word — our lists come from the city’s data and can lag a new sign.

NO PARKING3 AM TO 7 AMDEC. 1 – APRIL 1
TOW ZONENO PARKING ON THIS STREET WHEN THERE ARE 2 INCHES OF SNOW ON STREET

The wording to look for. Not photos of real signs.

If you’ve been towed

Look the car up on the City of Chicago’s towed-vehicle search with your plate number, then go to the pound shown there. Fees grow every day the car stays.

A Chicago street in winter with cars parked under the elevated train tracks
Photo by Nathyn Masters on Unsplash
App screen: 300 m away, about 4 min walk, Walk there button

Moved off a ban street? Save the new spot.

At 2 AM it’s easy to forget where you left the car. Where Did I Park saves the spot with one tap and walks you back in the morning. Free on iPhone. About the app

Download on the App Store

Quick answers

When does the Chicago winter parking ban start and end?

Every year from December 1 to April 1. On the listed streets you can’t park between 3 AM and 7 AM, every night, whether or not it snows.

What happens if I park on a winter ban street?

Your car can be ticketed and towed. Towing plus storage fees add up quickly, so move the car before 3 AM.

What is the 2-inch snow ban?

A separate rule on 144 snow-route segments (609.7 miles in the city’s data). When the city declares it after 2 inches of snow, parking is banned on those streets at any time of day, any month — until the snow is cleared.

Is my side street included?

Almost certainly not. The overnight ban covers main arterial streets; residential side streets are not on either list. Signs on the street are the final word.

Sources: Winter overnight parking restrictions · Snow route parking restrictions · How we check

Reviewed : ban and snow-route streets re-read from the City of Chicago Data Portal · how we check · report an error