Selling a dead or junk car in Collinsville

What counts, and what the city must do first

Collinsville's definition is wide. It covers a car with the engine, wheels or any part removed or damaged so it cannot run, and also any car that "is otherwise incapable of being driven upon a street or highway in this state." Two exceptions apply: a car "kept within a completely enclosed building and out of the view of the public," and cars at businesses that repair, junk or wreck vehicles.

The city cannot simply haul the car off. The code says no car "shall be towed or removed without first giving the owner notice to remedy the violation." The city must also file a complaint asking a court to order the tow. The fine can reach "seven hundred fifty dollars" for each offense. The section also hooks into the state procedure for towing abandoned, lost and unclaimed vehicles in the Illinois Vehicle Code.

Tarps, lapsed plates and the right-of-way

A car does not have to be dead to be a nuisance on a Collinsville street. Section 10.08.130 lists, among others:

• "Any vehicle without valid Illinois registration," including one still showing plates or a sticker after the registration period ended
• "Any vehicle, operable or inoperable, covered with a tarp, blanket, sheet, cloth, or canvas for more than a twenty-four (24)-hour period"

Covering a dead car at the curb does not hide it from this rule. Under Section 10.12.020 the city can seize these cars and add a Level 2 administrative fee to the towing and storage. To get one back, Section 10.12.050 has you pay that fee, or post an equal bond, and pay the towing fees. A car nobody claims is handled as abandoned under state law. After that, age decides it under state law. A car seven model years old or less goes to auction if no one claims it 30 days after notice. An older one can be junked or salvaged once it is held ten days or more.

Two counties, one set of state rules

Collinsville sits in both Madison and St. Clair counties, and both are in the Metro-East emissions test area. You don't need to pass a test to sell the whole car as it sits.

Title and plates follow Illinois rules wherever the county line falls:

• Your plates leave with you, never with the car.
• On the title, complete the Assignment of Title: names printed and signed, mileage filled in. Nothing in the Secretary of State's seller steps calls for a notary.
• File the Notice of Sale (the title's bottom stub, or VSD 703 if it is missing) "immediately," addressed to "Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, Record Inquiry Division, 501 S. Second St., Room 629, Springfield, IL 62756."
• Keep a dated receipt showing the amount and the buyer.

Registration ran out while it sat? Illinois adds one $20 delinquent fee, and only if you renew over a month late.

Nearby

Measured in a straight line, Granite City and O'Fallon each sit 7.3 miles off, Edwardsville 7.9 and Belleville 11.2. The Illinois page has state rules.

Getting an offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008. Collinsville sellers can start with our offer form. A Collinsville pickup can be from a driveway on day ten of fourteen, a lot behind a Main Street business, or the curb.