The I-57 and I-80 interchange sits inside the city, which makes it easy to reach and easy to describe. I-57’s 167th Street exit leads to Cicero Avenue, although Cicero itself passes under both interstates without a ramp. Inside the city, 175th Street, 183rd Street and Pulaski Road do most of the work: the police department is on 175th, Hillcrest High School stands at 175th and Pulaski, and the first town hall was at Cicero and 183rd. Give us one of those as a reference, and Junk My Car Inc will find the car.
Forty-eight hours, by the code
Section 6.2.03 of the city code is strict. A vehicle counts as abandoned if it sits outside an enclosed garage without current state plates, if it stays unmoved for 48 hours in a row on any property, public or private, or if it’s illegally parked on a street for 48 hours. A vehicle is inoperable if parts are removed or visibly damaged for 48 consecutive hours, or if it simply can’t move under its own power. Cars inside a building, registered antiques at least 25 years old and repair or wrecking businesses are left out.
Leaving either kind on a street, or allowing one on your property, is a public nuisance under part (D). Part (E) adds that a tarp or an open-sided shelter doesn’t cure the problem, and it allows 30 days after notice when the owner is selling the car. A police notice fixed to the vehicle demands removal within 48 hours under part (G). Either way, the sensible move is to start your offer as soon as the car stops running.
When the city clears its streets
Every street in the city, state highways under city jurisdiction included, is closed to parking from 3 to 6 a.m. under Section 6.2.02(A). There are a few exceptions: a disabled vehicle can stay up to 24 hours if police are told, police can allow three nights in a row, and owners may park in front of their own house overnight on three days in any 30-day period. On residential streets nothing may park once 2 inches of snow is down, and a car left there can be towed without prior notice. Two smaller rules: keep 15 feet from a mailbox, and don’t park a car on the street to advertise it for sale.
The sticker on a car that doesn’t move
The city’s vehicle license applies to residents and to cars registered with the Secretary of State at a local address, unless they carry another Illinois town’s sticker (Section 8.1.02). It goes in the lower right corner of the windshield, the license year runs July 1 to June 30, and buying late doubles the price. Paying that every year for a car that sits in the garage is one more reason to let it go.
Houses, forest preserves and neighbours
Nine in ten homes here are single-unit houses (ACS 2020 to 2024), so the car is usually on a driveway or in a garage. The west side of the city backs onto Cook County forest preserves, with Tinley Park beyond them. Hazel Crest lies east, Flossmoor south and Oak Forest northwest. We buy junk cars in Country Club Hills and in all four neighbours, Hazel Crest, Flossmoor, Oak Forest and Tinley Park, and the areas page shows the rest. Still torn between fixing the car and letting it go? Our guide on whether to keep, scrap or sell a junk car lays out the choices.