Wheel tax payments for vehicles registered in Evanston due by Sept. 30
Cars drive down an Evanston street. The wheel tax for a standard passenger vehicle is $90, and the payment remains valid until September 30, 2024.
September 22, 2021
Residents must pay a 2022 wheel tax for each vehicle registered with an Evanston address by Sept. 30, according to a city news release.
The cost of the tax for a regular passenger vehicle is $85, with potential penalties added to applications received or postmarked after the registration due date. Renewal notices were mailed to residents in August with an online renewal ID and further instructions, but residents can call 311 if they did not receive a letter.
The city encourages residents to pay wheel taxes and parking permits online through the city’s customer portal. Residents who signed up for auto-renewal will have their payments automatically processed on Sept. 23 and can check the portal for their payment status and information.
Residents can also print wheel tax or residential permit applications and mail them to the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Avenue, along with a copy of their vehicle registration and checks made payable to The City of Evanston. Applications can also be left in the drop box in the parking lot of the center.
However, the Civic Center will not process in-person payments. Residents can only complete in-person payments at the following locations, and should bring their vehicle registration or a renewal letter with them:
- Robert Crown Community Center, 1801 Main St., Evanston, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- For wheel tax payments only:
- Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- People’s Currency Exchange, 1605 Maple Ave., Evanston
- Jarvis & Greenview Currency Exchange, 7358 N Greenview Ave., Chicago
The city checks compliance with the wheel tax through license plate recognition technology, rather than physical wheel tax stickers. Drivers who fail to pay may receive parking tickets.
Other vehicular taxes in Evanston have been declining as a source of revenue recently, with parking meter taxes currently below the predicted level for 2021, according to Evanston Chief Financial Officer Hitesh Desai. At a recent session of City Council, Desai recommended the city begin to phase out vehicle-related taxes as a reliable revenue source in the next few decades.
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