Why 79% of Chicago No-City-Sticker Challenges Win

One specific defense wins nearly two-thirds of all not-liable rulings — and 23% of losses happen before the facts even matter.

Built from Chicago’s own hearing records, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Last updated August 20, 2026.

About 79% of mailed challenges to Chicago no-city-sticker tickets end with the driver found not liable. That is the highest success rate of almost any ticket type in the city — and most of those wins come from one specific defense.

These numbers cover 26,253 decided mail-in challenges to tickets written as "NO CITY STICKER VEHICLE UNDER/EQUAL TO 16,000 LBS." or "NO CITY STICKER VEHICLE OVER 16,000 LBS." issued between 2023 and 2025.

What wins

When a hearing officer rules not liable, the reason is almost always one of two things:

Affirmative Compliance Defense — 12,795 cases, 62% of all wins — is the standout. This is what hearing officers record when a driver proves they actually had a valid city sticker at the time of the ticket, or got one shortly after, in a way the ordinance specifically allows. If your sticker was current, or you had just purchased one and can show the paperwork, this is almost certainly the defense that applies to you.

Violation is Factually Inconsistent — 6,928 cases, 33% of wins — covers situations where the facts on the ticket simply don't hold up. The vehicle description is wrong, the plate doesn't match, or something else the officer recorded can't be squared with the documents you submit.

Together these two reasons account for nearly all not-liable rulings on these tickets.

What loses

The most important loss reason to understand is "Failed to Select one of the Codified Defenses" — 1,236 cases, 23% of all losses. Those drivers did not lose on the facts. They lost because their letter never named one of the defenses the ordinance actually recognises. The hearing officer had nothing to evaluate and ruled liable by default.

That is a paperwork loss, not a facts loss. The sticker situation may have been exactly the same as someone who won — but the letter was structured wrong.

What this means if you are holding this ticket

The city's mail-in hearing form asks you to select a specific, codified defense from a list. Skipping that step — or just writing a paragraph explaining your situation without naming a defense — is how 1,236 drivers lost cases they might have won.

If your sticker was valid when you were ticketed, or you bought one shortly after, the defense you want is Affirmative Compliance. You need to name it explicitly and attach proof: the sticker purchase receipt, a photo of the sticker on the windshield, or renewal confirmation from the city. A bare statement that you had a sticker is weaker than the document that shows it.

If something about the ticket is factually wrong — wrong plate, wrong vehicle, wrong address — gather anything that shows the inconsistency and attach it. Name "Violation is Factually Inconsistent" as your defense.

Do this before the deadline on your ticket. Under the city ordinance, an unpaid ticket doubles 25 days after the city decides you're liable. The deadline matters more than almost anything else about the letter you write.

SELECT disposition, COUNT(*) AS cases FROM hearings WHERE violation_code IN ('0964125B', '0964125C')
      AND contest_method = 'Mail'
      AND CAST(substr(issue_datetime,
  instr(issue_datetime, '/') + 1
  + instr(substr(issue_datetime, instr(issue_datetime,'/')+1), '/'), 4) AS INTEGER) BETWEEN 2023 AND 2025
      AND disposition IN ('Not Liable', 'Liable') GROUP BY 1sql

SELECT reason, COUNT(*) AS cases
    FROM hearings
    WHERE violation_code IN ('0964125B', '0964125C')
      AND contest_method = 'Mail'
      AND CAST(substr(issue_datetime,
  instr(issue_datetime, '/') + 1
  + instr(substr(issue_datetime, instr(issue_datetime,'/')+1), '/'), 4) AS INTEGER) BETWEEN 2023 AND 2025
      AND disposition = 'Not Liable'
    GROUP BY 1 ORDER BY cases DESCsql

SELECT reason, COUNT(*) AS cases
    FROM hearings
    WHERE violation_code IN ('0964125B', '0964125C')
      AND contest_method = 'Mail'
      AND CAST(substr(issue_datetime,
  instr(issue_datetime, '/') + 1
  + instr(substr(issue_datetime, instr(issue_datetime,'/')+1), '/'), 4) AS INTEGER) BETWEEN 2023 AND 2025
      AND disposition = 'Liable'
    GROUP BY 1 ORDER BY cases DESCsql