Illinois Winter Laws: One More Thing Cold and Snow Ruin

Illinois Winter Laws: Let’s Add “Warm Car Dreams” to the List of Things Snow Ruins

There are many indignities winter forces on us: frostbitten fingers, the dreaded sidewalk ice shuffle, and losing an hour of your life trying to scrape Mount Everest off your windshield. But thanks to Illinois law, we can also add “fines for wanting a warm car” to this icy pile of frustration.

The Dream of the Warm Car, Crushed

In 2018, I bought my first car with remote start, and it instantly felt like joining an elite club of winter survivors. The ability to heat my car while I sipped coffee inside my warm home was nothing short of revolutionary—like putting a man on the moon but with heated seats. Then I learned that, for those without remote start, warming your car unattended could land you a $100-$250 fine because nothing says “Happy Holidays” like a ticket for avoiding hypothermia.

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Hypothetical or Too Real?

Imagine this: It’s 6 a.m. in February, and the temperature is approximately "Why Do I Live Here?" degrees. You dash out, start your car, and run back inside to avoid frostbite while it warms up. Five minutes later, you return to find Officer Cold Snap issuing you a ticket for leaving your car “unattended.” Your protests fall on frozen ears, and you’re left with a fine that could have paid for a heated blanket and some dignity.

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The Law That Protects...Your Car?

Illinois lawmakers insist this law is for our benefit, protecting cars from opportunistic thieves. So, to recap: my frozen toes are the price I pay to ensure a hypothetical criminal doesn’t cruise off in my rusted-out sedan. If thieves are desperate enough to steal a car that makes ominous clunking sounds when it turns left, maybe they deserve it?

From the Illinois General Assembly website.

(625 ILCS 5/11-1401) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 11-1401)
Sec. 11-1401. Unattended motor vehicles. Except for a law enforcement officer or an operator of an authorized emergency vehicle performing his or her official duties, no person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key from the ignition, effectively setting the brake thereon and, when standing upon any perceptible grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway. An unattended motor vehicle shall not include an unattended locked motor vehicle with the engine running after being started by a remote starter system.
(Source: P.A. 100-435, eff. 8-25-17.)

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