Q: Expired plate sticker in IL- literally didn't know and got a ticket. Trying to figure out if I have a chance to fight.
Got a ticket for expired registration in IL- if I plead guilty and take court supervision I have to pay the $120 as well. Cop told me if I went to the court date I probably wouldn't have to pay anything. I don't want to skip work if I don't have to but if I can get out of paying the $120 then I will. Any ideas?
A:
Hello Asker,
Assuming you go to court and provide proof that you fixed the sticker issue (showing proof of the renewed registration along with a photo of the license plate with the new sticker affixed), MOST prosecutors will dismiss the case against you and issue no fine. This however is not a guarantee. They may still request a fine and that fine will be more than $120 because there will be court fines. In practice, I have yet to see a prosecutor stick it to someone for an expired ticket if they fixed the issue but they TECHNICALLY can.
If you would rather not go to court (which I can understand), I do not recommend paying the additional amount for court supervision if there is a higher fine. This is because a conviction for this violation is functionally the same so long as you have an Illinois drivers license.
My recommendation would be to go to court, be polite to the prosecutor and apologize for not having the sticker, and showing them proof that you remedied the problem using the information I discussed above in addition to a receipt if you have it (not required though). I do recommend purchasing it at the DMV rather than a currency exchange because they time stamp the purchase at the DMV. As for court, it is unlikely that you will be there more than 3 hours in even the worst courtrooms and it may be as short as a half hour. As such, you may still be able to squeeze a few hours in at work after the court appearance.
Hope that helps and let us know if you have any additional questions.
Sincerely,
Jason A. Wilkins
Traffic Attorney
(630) 445-2293
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