Selling a junk car in Montgomery

Hidden means hidden

Section 11-72 declares any inoperable vehicle on public or private property a public nuisance, "except when housed in a fully enclosed building and not visible from any point outside said building." A carport does not qualify. Neither does a garage with the door left open where the car shows from the street.

The rule reaches past cars. The code has a separate "inoperable nonmotorized vehicle" for a trailer, buggy or wagon that is partly taken apart, has flat or missing tires, or sits "on blocks or jack-stands" for at least seven days. A broken car trailer parked next to the broken car counts on its own.

The notice and the hearing

Section 11-74 makes it unlawful for whoever controls the property to let an inoperable vehicle stay "after receiving written notice from any officer of the village that a nuisance exists." Removing inoperable motor vehicles after notice is one of the violations Montgomery handles through its own administrative hearings (Section 1-11).

A few parts of that process matter for a car owner:

• If you cannot be found or served by first-class mail, the village may post notice "on the front door or in some other prominent place on the property."
• A defense at the hearing is that the violation "has been remedied or removed" by then. Selling the car before the hearing date is one way to remove it.
• "Each day a code provision is found to have been violated" can be a separate offense.
• Fines paid more than 21 days after the finding, but within 42 days, carry a $50 late penalty.

Streets, snow and the tow

Section 11-73 bars leaving "any partially dismantled, nonoperating, wrecked or junked vehicle on any street or highway within the village." Snow brings its own ban under Section 11-43. No parking on a public street or alley "during or after a snowfall in which there is an accumulation of two inches of snow or more," and it lasts until the curb lane has been plowed. Police can have a car that blocks plowing removed.

Cars the police tow under Section 11-45 are stored on village property or in a public garage or lot. They are returned after the owner pays "the expenses incurred by the village in removing and storing such vehicles."

Emissions, title and plates

Montgomery straddles two counties, and that matters for emissions. Kane County lies wholly inside the testing area, while Kendall County contributes just one township, Oswego. If a car keeps failing, it can get a repair waiver once $1,176 or more is spent on emissions work (the amount for applications from Jan. 1, 2026). Time the shop spends on diagnosis does not count toward it. Selling it whole is the other road. See failed emissions.

Selling day checklist: plates off and kept, because the buyer can't legally use them; title signed and dated; a written receipt showing what was paid and when; and VSD 703 posted to Springfield without delay.

Neighbors

Oswego is 2.8 miles away as the crow flies, Aurora 4.6, Yorkville 5.5 and Batavia 9.1. Statewide rules are on the Illinois page.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or start the form for your Montgomery car. Got a village notice with a hearing date? Mention it too. Loading can be done from a driveway, a closed garage or the street out front.