Selling a dead car in Highland Park

The city's two tests

Chapter 95 splits problem cars into two groups.

Abandoned. Any vehicle that "has not been moved or used for seven consecutive days or more and is apparently deserted," or that is unlicensed as quoted above. A car is not abandoned if the city has given its owner permission to store it on their own property.

Inoperable. A car whose parts have been "altered, damaged, or otherwise so treated" for at least seven days that it is "incapable of being driven under its own motor power."

The inoperable test has carve-outs: a car "kept within a building when not in use," "historic vehicles over 25 years of age," and cars at a "place of business engaged in the wrecking or junking of motor vehicles." A car laid up briefly for a repair is excluded as well.

Seven days after the letter

Under Section 95.110, both kinds count as a nuisance "whether on public or private property and in view of the general public." A car in a shut garage isn't covered. One sitting on the driveway is.

When the police find one, Section 95.120 has them tell the owner in writing that the car "must be removed and/or disposed of within seven days after receipt of such notice." If it is still there after that, the police may remove it, "and the owner shall be responsible for any costs incurred."

Winter nights and towed cars

Moving a dead car to the curb is no fix from December through March. Section 72.015 bars parking for more than 15 minutes "upon any street or any public parking lot" between 2 and 6 a.m. in those months.

A car parked against city rules on a street is a nuisance under Section 72.005 and can be towed. To reclaim it, bring the police chief your ID and proof you own it, plus a towing and storage receipt, then sign for the car. If the city cannot tell who owns a towed car, it must publish a notice in a local paper within five days. Cars that stay unclaimed past 30 days can be sold after a published notice. Our towed or impounded guide covers the choice between paying and walking away.

Illinois paperwork for the sale

Lake County has no title counter to visit, because Illinois issues titles from the Secretary of State. Applications reach it by post in Springfield or at its own offices.

Start with the title: your signature and the day's date belong in its Assignment of Title. Nowhere in its seller instructions does the state ask for a notary. Buyer and seller each print a name and sign beside it, and the mileage is certified there too. Give your Highland Park buyer a brief bill of sale showing date and amount, and note who they are and where they live. You take the plates, because a buyer can't drive on someone else's plates. Finally, mail the Secretary of State your Notice of Sale "immediately." After that, you're no longer on the hook for the Highland Park car. The title changes hands only once the buyer applies.

Lake County is inside Illinois's emissions-test area. A car parked this long often has a lapsed sticker as well; see car sitting for years.

Getting an offer

Highland Park sellers, phone (877) 421-6008 or use the form on this page. Pickup works from a driveway near Ravinia, a garage downtown, or the spot where it quit. Northbrook is about 3.9 miles away, Wheeling 6.7, Glenview 6.8 and Buffalo Grove 7.8. Statewide rules are on the Illinois page.