Office of the Chicago City Clerk -- Claims

Claims

• Search for Your Claim:
This search feature confirms if your claim was received by the City Clerk's office and when it was introduced at a City Council meeting. If your name appears, that means the City Clerk's Office has submitted your claim to the City Council. Your next step is to contact the Committee on Finance.

After introduction at a Council meeting, your claim is referred to the Committee on Finance for further processing and determination of whether your claims should be paid or denied.

This database includes claims filed with City Clerk's office from Jan. to Dec. 2010. For claims filed after Dec. 2010, please use the advanced search in the legislative information center and search by topic/claims and your last name.

• Information
If you received an incorrect or excessive charge on your water bill, you may be able to recover those fees. If your vehicle or property is damaged because of actions or negligence by the City of Chicago, you may be eligible to recover all or part of the cost of repairs.
When damages occur, be sure to:

• File a police department damage report
• Take photos
• Get at least two estimates for repairs of damages
• Provide a copy of a paid bill

• Forms
Once you have compiled all supporting documentation, complete and submit one of the below forms.

• Damage To Vehicle:
   Use this form if your vehicle has been damaged as a result of city negligence.
• Damage To Property:
Use this form if your property has been damaged as a result of city negligence.
• Excessive Water Charges:
   Use this form if you have incurred excessive charges on your water bill.

If you would like to get a printed copy of any of these forms, stop by our City Council Division, located on the pedway level of Room 107 in City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle Street or call 312-744-4103.

• Filing
Once your claim form is returned to our office, along with copies of the Police Department damage report, photos, estimates, or copy of a paid repair bill, the City Clerk introduces it on your behalf at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the City Council (click here for the next meeting date).

• Review
When introduced, your claim will be sent to the City Council Committee on Finance, which will conduct an investigation of the claim and determine whether the claim should be paid or denied. Please know this process can take several months.

If you have any questions regarding the status of your claim after it has been submitted to the City Council, please call Florence Cullerton, Committee on Finance Director of Small Claims/Sewer & Refuse Rebate Division at 312-744-8861.

The City Clerk's office does not have information on the status of your claim beyond confirmation that the claim was filed with our office and the date it was introduced at a City Council meeting.