Lemont is one village spread over three counties, mostly Cook with pieces of DuPage and Will, and ten exclaves besides. It grew up along the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, with limestone quarries nearby. None of that changes how a junk car sale works, but the village code has two rules that change how long you can sit on a dead one. If you’re new to selling, see how Junk My Car Inc buys junk cars first.
Seven days in public view
Section 10.28.010 calls a vehicle inoperable when parts have been removed, or when it can’t move under its own power, for at least seven days, setting temporary repairs aside. Section 10.28.020 makes such a car a nuisance anywhere in public view, on public or private property, and police may remove it after seven days’ notice. If the dead car on your property belongs to someone else, our guide to an abandoned car on your land in Illinois explains the state’s removal routes. Cars kept in a building, historic vehicles over 25 years old and wrecking or junking businesses are exempt.
The expensive part comes after: a towed vehicle is released only once the towing and storage charges are paid (Section 10.28.030).
The zoning rule on open parking areas
Lemont’s zoning code adds a second layer. Section 17.10.020(D) says inoperable vehicles may not be parked or stored in unenclosed parking areas, and no repair or dismantling may happen in unenclosed spaces. Front-yard parking is only allowed on the driveway. A garage is the only place a dead car can legally wait.
Downtown nights
There’s no village-wide overnight ban, but downtown has its own. From 3 to 6 a.m. on Fridays, parking stops on Canal Street, Main Street between Fremont and Lockport, Stephen Street from Main to River Road, Talcott Avenue between Stephen and Holmes, and Ed Bossert Drive. Front Street has the same 3 to 6 a.m. ban every day. After a 2-inch snowfall, parking switches to odd and even sides, with each 24-hour period starting at 9 a.m.
Lemont roads, truck limits and cross streets
Lemont posts a 7-ton limit on village streets that aren’t designated truck routes, with higher limits on Main Street, State Street and part of 127th Street. Tell us about any weight-limit signs on your street when you call, and the driver will plan the approach.
I-355 has an interchange at 127th Street, and Archer Avenue (Route 171) runs through the area with a junction at State Street. The Metra Heritage Corridor stops at Lemont station, 101 Main Street. When we buy junk cars in Lemont, the street and the nearest cross street are all the driver needs.
Papers, and the towns over the Lemont line
If the title is lost, don’t assume the car can’t be sold. Tell us what you do have; Illinois rules decide which papers work for a scrap sale, and we’ll confirm on the call. Our guide to junk cars without a title explains the options. Get your offer here.
South of Lemont, Homer Glen bans outdoor storage of inoperable cars outright; see Homer Glen junk car pickup. West across the river is Romeoville, and to the northwest are Bolingbrook and Woodridge. Find the rest on the towns we cover.