Selling a junk car in Danville

Plates or a garage, in residential zones

Section 76.014 is the rule most Danville owners of a dead car run into. On any property zoned R-1, R-2, R-3 or R-4, no one may park, store or keep a motor vehicle or trailer "which does not have displayed thereon a current registration (i.e., license plates)" unless it is in an enclosed garage, building or other structure.

The same section sets a short clock for a car being worked on. No such vehicle may be "in any state of major disassembly, disrepair, or be in the process of being stripped, dismantled, or overhauled for a period of more than 5 days." Five days is not long for a parts car.

Vacant property and wrecking yards

If the car sits at a vacant house, Section 169.04 says the owner "shall not store or otherwise allow inoperable, abandoned or junked vehicles on the premises." Section 92.14 also bars keeping junk, used car parts or auto wrecks in a way that is a fire risk, and requires an 8-foot fence around any motor vehicle wrecking lot or yard.

Older cars the police impound

Section 76.010 covers cars more than seven years old that are impounded and abandoned. Danville keeps them "for a minimum of 10 days" to find and contact the owner or lienholder. If no word comes back, "the police will authorize the disposal of the vehicle as junk or salvage." Where no owner can be identified, a car seven years old or newer may be sold without notice.

Renewing plates just to keep a car

Some owners renew registration only to satisfy 76.014. Renew over a month late and Illinois adds one $20 delinquent fee. The statute has no back fees stacked by year. That is still money spent on a car you plan to get rid of. Our page on a registration hold covers cases where renewal is blocked.

Title and plates from Danville

Vermilion County has no title counter. The Secretary of State issues Illinois titles. Mail to Springfield or visit a state facility.

As the seller:

• On a Danville sale, the Assignment of Title needs your signature plus the day's date. Danville sellers need no notary per the state guide.
• Note the buyer's name and address, and give them a bill of sale listing price and date.
• Unscrew the plates. They stay with you.
• To stop owning the Danville car on paper, mail in the title's tear-off stub or a Seller's Report of Sale (VSD 703) right away.

A car bound for scrap can get a junking certificate. Its owner turns the title in within 15 days, except when no lienholder exists. Vermilion County is outside the state emissions area, so no test is involved.

The nearest pages

Danville is a long way from other towns we cover. Urbana is 31.1 miles away as the crow flies, Champaign 35.1 and Kankakee 67.6. The Illinois page covers the statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Send the make, model year, odometer reading and title situation online or at (877) 421-6008, and say whether the engine still runs. We send the truck to wherever it died, a yard in town or a shop lot along Main Street.