Ann Arbor Tire Chalking $1 Per Ticket Settlement

Individuals who received a parking ticket in Ann Arbor, Michigan, between April 3, 2017, and April 23, 2019, because city parking enforcement placed chalk marks placed on their vehicle’s tires may qualify to claim $1 per qualifying ticket from a class action settlement.

The City of Ann Arbor agreed to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging its practice of marking vehicle tires with chalk to enforce parking ordinances violated the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Who are the class members?

Class members must meet all of the following criteria:

• Ann Arbor parking enforcement officers placed a chalk mark on one or more tires of their vehicle.
• The officers used the chalk mark to gather information to justify issuing a parking ticket.
• The incident occurred within the city limits of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• The chalking took place between April 3, 2017, and April 23, 2019.

There are two groups within the class:

• General class: All persons and entities who had their tires chalked as described above
• Payment subclass: All persons and entities who received a parking ticket for “over the legal time limit” or “parked over legal time limit” violations following tire chalking during the relevant period

How much can class members get?

The settlement provides two types of relief, depending on the group:

• General class: Receives a declaratory judgment and an injunction prohibiting future warrantless tire chalking by the City of Ann Arbor
• Payment subclass: Eligible to claim $1 for each qualifying parking ticket issued as a result of tire chalking during the specified period

How to claim a class action rebate

Eligible class members in the payment subclass must submit a claim to receive the $1 per ticket award. They can file an online claim form or download, print and complete the PDF claim form (Page 49) then deliver or mail it to the Ann Arbor city clerk’s office.

Class members must submit or postmark the claim form by the deadline, which the settlement administrator will set after the court gives final approval to the settlement. The claim period will last six months from the effective date of the settlement.

Settlement administrator’s mailing address: City of Ann Arbor, Attn: Parking Referees, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104

What information is required to submit a claim?

Claimants must provide:

• License plate number and state/country
• Ticket number(s)

Settlement fund breakdown

• Settlement administration costs: To be determined
• Attorneys’ fees and expenses: To be determined after a separate motion
• Service awards to class representatives: $1,000
• Payments to eligible class members: To be determined

Important dates

• Fairness hearing: Oct. 17, 2025

When is the Yannotti v City of Ann Arbor payout date?

The City of Ann Arbor will make payments after the court grants final approval of the settlement and resolves any appeals.

Why was there a class action settlement?

The class action lawsuit alleged the City of Ann Arbor’s practice of marking tires with chalk to enforce parking rules violated the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches.

The parties negotiated a settlement to resolve the claims without further litigation. The city agreed to stop the practice and provide compensation for affected individuals.

Sources

1. Settlement website
2. Online claim form
3. Settlement agreement