Selling a junk car in North Chicago

What counts as abandoned

Section 10-9-1 sets two tests. The first reaches "all motor vehicles or other vehicles upon public or private property in a state of disrepair rendering the vehicle incapable of being driven in its condition." The second is the seven-day, unlicensed test above.

The same section offers ways out. A car is not abandoned if the owner has the city's permission to keep it on their own property, if it is "stored within a garage or building when not in use," or if the owner can show it runs and is licensed, or that a license application is pending. Of those, a garage is the simplest.

Streets and city lots at night

Overnight street parking is capped hard here. Section 10-5-11 bars parking on any street "for a period of time longer than thirty (30) minutes" during the early morning hours from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Exceptions are signed disabled spaces and a stretch of Hervey Avenue between 14th and 16th Streets, where residents use a city sticker.

City lots run on the same window. Under Section 10-5-8, the listed lots close to parking from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., including one on Sheridan Road south of 17th Street, and "any vehicle parked during said period shall be towed at the owner's expense." A dead battery at 1:45 a.m. leaves no way to move the car in time.

Towing and getting it back

Section 10-5-5 authorizes police to tow an illegally parked car that causes a hazard, blocks a hydrant or might get in the way of emergency vehicles. North Chicago holds towed cars on city property or at a public garage or lot. Under its towing contract, the owner gets the car back "after payment of the charges imposed by the towing company." An owner may ask for a post-deprivation hearing under Section 10-11-3.

Junking it under Illinois law

A car going to scrap in Illinois leaves the title system through a junking certificate. Within 15 days, the person holding the junk car turns in its title with the application. That surrender is waived when no lienholder exists, or when the owner has a lien release and matches the state's title record. With the certificate, the holder may keep, haul or hand off the car; a title is never reissued; and the certificate may go to anyone.

There is also a shortcut for licensed junk vehicles: a junking manifest lets them reach a scrap processor before the certificate comes through. North Chicago sellers can hand a manifest to a licensed scrap processor and nobody else.

Selling with a title

Selling on a regular title instead? Sign and date the assignment section and hold on to the plates. Next, a North Chicago seller mails the title's bottom sale stub (or form VSD 703) to Springfield. Lake County does not issue titles; the Secretary of State does. The state's emissions testing area includes Lake County. If the registration lapsed years ago, see car sitting for years.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008. For a North Chicago car, the offer form or a call gets things started. North Chicago pickups work from driveways, Sheridan Road lots, or repair shops. Waukegan, Gurnee and Libertyville are close, and Illinois has the state rules.