Selling a junk or dead car in Blue Island

Fourteen days on a residential lot

Under Section 72.08, nobody may park or store "any inoperable motor vehicle on real property zoned for residential use." It means a vehicle "located on private property and in public view for at least 14 days" that "cannot be driven safely or legally" since its engine, wheels or other parts were removed. A car that is down for repairs gets a pass, but only if the repairs "are completed within 14 days."

Commercial property has its own version. A car that has been inoperable for 14 days or more, sits under a tarp longer than that, has no assigned space or is double parked is not allowed there either.

The property code's junked-vehicle test

Blue Island's version of the property maintenance code, Section 150.025, adds a broader test. A junked vehicle is "without a currently valid license plate or plates" and is "rusted, wrecked, discharged, dismantled, partly dismantled, inoperative, or abandoned." One category covers a car in such shape that "it is economically unsound to restore same to operating condition," judged against its age and market value.

The same section bans any car in "a state of major disassembly" or being stripped. On non-residential property, no more than two unregistered or uninspected vehicles are allowed.

On the street

Section 70.003 treats a car as abandoned if it is too broken to drive on a street or lot, or if it has sat "for a period of at least 24 hours" with no plates or valid registration. Some wrecks are classed as hazardous dilapidated vehicles. Under Section 70.091, police hold one for ten days to look for the owner or lienholder. After that, they "authorize the disposal of the vehicle as junk."

Seizures for offenses run on a tight schedule. Under Section 70.041 you can waive the hearing, pay the city's fees and the tow and storage charges, and take the car. A preliminary hearing happens only if you request it in writing "within 48 hours of the seizure." Notice of the main hearing goes out within ten days. Fees left unpaid long enough after the ruling make the car unclaimed, and it is disposed of under state law.

Junking certificates and the title

Blue Island's car records live with the Secretary of State rather than Cook County; the state takes applications by mail in Springfield and at its own facilities. A scrap-bound car usually travels on a junking certificate. The holder has 15 days to apply, and once it is issued that car never gets a title again. When no lender appears on the record, the owner keeps the paper title and gets the certificate anyway. Junking certificates can pass to any buyer. A salvage certificate is narrower: only a licensed rebuilder, a licensed parts recycler, a licensed scrap processor, or an out-of-state buyer of salvage cars, may take one.

For a normal sale, you sign the Assignment of Title section and keep your plates. A bill of sale lists the amount paid and the day. Right after the sale, mail your VSD 703 report (the Notice of Sale stub) to the state in Springfield. Our junk car guide covers the rest.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in Blue Island? Call (877) 421-6008 or start the offer form. The form handles the rest for Blue Island cars. We'll send the truck to the tarped car in the side yard, or to the repair shop that is holding it. Nearby towns with their own pages: Dolton, Oak Forest and Oak Lawn. Illinois has the statewide rules.