21 days to request a hearing
From the date of issue, you have 21 days to request a hearing or pay the citation. Three hearing options: by mail (written defence), in person at a DOAH location, or by phone. Skip the deadline and a default judgment is entered.
Strong grounds in Chicago
Common winning grounds: signage non-compliance with MCC §9-64, street-cleaning citations issued on the wrong day, snow-route citations issued outside snow-route hours, expired-meter citations where the meter was broken (photo the broken meter at the time), and disabled-placard exemption.
If you lose the hearing — circuit court
A DOAH decision can be reviewed in the Cook County Circuit Court under Illinois administrative-review law within 35 days. Filing requires the administrative record and a small court fee. Rare but available.