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Ordinance Violations Lawyer Illinois
Ordinance Violations Lawyer Illinois. Much like state laws create state crimes and federal laws create federal crimes, cities, municipalities, and villages in Illinois, as well as other states throughout the Midwest, create laws. These laws, sometimes referred to as city laws, are called municipal ordinances.
While the possible penalties may seem relatively minor at first, it is a good idea to speak to an ordinance violations lawyer at Drummond Law today. Depending on the police officer and prosecutor, our team may be able to work out a diversion or deferral program. We have over 45 years of experience successfully working with our clients in Illinois, Missouri, and throughout the Midwest. Call us immediately to find out at 800-842-0426 or contact us online for a free and confidential consultation to discuss how we can keep your record clean and make sure that an ordinance violation doesn’t appear or resurface on a background check.
Ordinance Violations Lawyer Illinois: What Exactly Constitutes an Ordinance Violation?
Because of the unknown nature of ordinances — cities, counties, villages, towns, municipalities have the power to pass and enforce their own laws that apply to their own jurisdictions — in many cases an individual may unknowingly violate a rule because they did not even know the activity was illegal. While common sense goes a long way, some ordinances fall short of sensical. According to the Illinois State Bar Association, there have been steps taken to assure a more uniform approach to prosecuting ordinance violations, including allowing courts to issue arrest warrants or default judgements for non-appearances.
While they certainly vary from city to city, some common examples our Illinois ordinance violations lawyer has seen are:
- Shoplifting
- Littering
- Noise violations
- Underage drinking
- Drug offenses
- Domestic violence
- Municipal traffic violations
- Trucking violation at weigh station
- Building code violations
- Health code violations
- Street and sanitation violations
- Construction and zoning violations
- Animal control violations
- Unlawful burning
- Overgrown grass
The above scenarios are just examples. Every local government in Illinois has different laws or ordinances governing certain actions or behaviors. You may inadvertently commit an ordinance violation in a neighboring Illinois city or county that may not have been a violation in your home city or county. The experienced and skilled ordinance violations lawyer at Drummond Law in Southern Illinois can help you build a strong defense. If you were given a citation for an ordinance violation, call us immediately at 800-842-0426 or contact us.
Ordinance Violations Lawyer Illinois: Common Penalties
A citation for a municipal ordinance violation is not quite as serious as a misdemeanor or felony charge, but you can still face stiff penalties. Violations can result in fines, a driver’s license suspension, or the loss of a building permit or business license. Under certain circumstances, a violation can be upgraded to a criminal misdemeanor charge. Your Drummond Law ordinance violations lawyer will make sure it doesn’t reach that stage. Call us today at 800-842-0426 or contact us online.
The common penalties for ordinance violations, according to Illinois statute, 65 ILCS 5/, are:
- Complete an education program, except that a holder of a valid commercial driver’s license who commits a vehicle weight or size restriction violation shall not be required to complete an education program.
- Perform some reasonable public service work such as but not limited to the picking up of litter in public parks or along public highways or the maintenance of public facilities.
The statute dictates that fines and penalties are routine, however, “no fine or penalty, except civil penalties provided for failure to make returns or to pay any taxes levied by the municipality shall exceed $750 and no imprisonment authorized in Section 1-2-9 for failure to pay any fine, penalty or cost shall exceed 6 months.”
Ordinance Violations Lawyer Illinois | Drummond Law
Our ordinance violations lawyer team in Illinois has the hands-on knowledge to get a successful resolution to your case. Most importantly, our staff knows the importance of keeping it off your record. Even though an ordinance violation isn’t considered a criminal case, a prospective employer or landlord could deny you employment or housing if they find a violation in a background search. That’s the main reason why you need an Illinois ordinance violations lawyer from Drummond Law — you need to keep your record clean. You don’t want what should be a minor ordinance violation to cost you a job or an apartment. Let’s get that off your record, and keep it off.
Call us now at 800-842-0426 or contact us online for a risk-free conversation with our Illinois ordinance violations lawyer.