Selling a dead or junk car in Hoffman Estates

What the Village calls inoperable

Two parts of the code define it. Section 7-10-2 covers a vehicle "in a state of disrepair rendering the vehicle incapable of being driven in its condition or unable to be operated legally on a public road." That second half matters: a car that runs but cannot legally be driven can still count. The building code adopted in section 11-1-2 lists cars that are "derelict, wrecked, partially or fully dismantled or substantially damaged," including "vehicles on blocks." It also says "inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicles shall not be parked, kept or stored on any premises." Neither passage sets a waiting period before a car qualifies.

The ten-day notice

If the Hoffman Estates Chief of Police finds a violation, both the car's owner and the property's owner or occupant get notice. A car on Hoffman Estates public property or a right-of-way has to go "within ten days from the date on the notice." Any hearing request must come in before that window closes. If a hearing is requested in time, any removal order has to describe the vehicle and its identification number.

There is also a written-permission route: within ten days, the owner or occupant can authorize the Village to remove the junked vehicle at the owner's or occupant's expense. Selling it to us instead means the car leaves without a Village removal bill.

Do not strip it in the driveway

Section 11-1-2 says vehicles shall not "at any time be in a state of major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled." So pulling the engine or parting the car out in front of the house is its own violation. If you were weighing that, part it out or sell it whole compares the two.

Title, plates and emissions in Hoffman Estates

Titles don't come from Cook County. Hoffman Estates owners apply with the Secretary of State by mailing it to Springfield or visiting a facility. At handover, fill in and sign the Assignment of Title on the title itself. Illinois asks no extra transfer form of a Hoffman Estates seller, and its seller steps say nothing about a notary. You keep the plates. Next, a Hoffman Estates seller should promptly send Springfield the "Seller's Report of Sale" (form VSD 703). Filing it frees you from the Hoffman Estates car.

A Hoffman Estates junk car owner has 15 days to file for a junking certificate. If there's no lienholder, the title stays with you. Lost your Hoffman Estates title? For a Hoffman Estates owner, Form VSD 190 costs $50, and it can't be filed in the 15 days after an original or the 30 days after a duplicate.

Cook County is in the emissions-test area, where gasoline cars from 1996 on are tested once they are four years old. To earn a repair waiver in Hoffman Estates, an owner must spend at least $1,176 on emissions repairs, not counting diagnostic labor. That's why many owners sell after a failed test. See failed emissions.

Getting an offer

Use the form or ring (877) 421-6008. Give us the Hoffman Estates car's details through the form. In Hoffman Estates we collect from your home, your workplace or a repair shop. Nearby pages: Schaumburg, Streamwood, and Illinois for state rules.