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Computer Outage Forces City To Extend City Sticker Deadline

(CBS) -- The Chicago City Clerk's office is extending the deadline for city vehicle stickers after computer outages Tuesday night.

The $60 late fee on sticker purchases will be waived until midnight on Wednesday and sticker patrols will not be writing $200 tickets for failure to display a vehicle sticker on Wednesday.

Major outages with the city's computer system led to long delays at currency exchanges throughout the city as Chicagoans raced to meet the original deadline of midnight Tuesday.

A spokesman for the city clerk's office says the system got backed and there were so many orders coming in the system essentially shut down.

"It probably felt like a major glitch and an inconvenience to folks," said City Clerk Susana Mendoza.

It turns out, it's not the only snag. Some tell CBS 2 they paid on-time, but their sticker never showed. At City Hall, people whose stickers were still missing could sign a form and the city would take them at their word.

"Just signed the affidavit," said Jonathan Edelman. "It was pretty easy actually, so far. I haven't gotten the sticker yet but I'm supposedly waiting for it."

This year's vehicle stickers mark the start of a year-round renewal program. Instead of all vehicle stickers expiring June 30 as they have for years, expiration dates will be offset six months from the same car's license plate renewal date, so you don't have to pay both at the same time.

Starting in 2016, the 15-day grace period for buying a city sticker will end.

The year-round renewal system should prevent the huge lines motorists often run into at City Hall in June when every driver in the city must buy a city sticker during the same small timeframe in early summer.

If your car will be safely tucked away in a garage for the next week, you can purchase a sticker online through the City of Chicago's website. This page also includes a link to the Zone Look-up App, which helps determine if you live in a Residential Parking Zone.

When you head out to the Office of the Clerk, Department of Finance location or one of the 350+ community vendors, remember to bring your 2014 Chicago City Vehicle Sticker Renewal Form or your State Vehicle Registration ID Card. Your State Vehicle Registration ID Card has your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and license plate information.

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