Selling a dead or junk car in Wheaton

The 14-day line and the eighth-day citation

Wheaton's definitions reach two more spots where dead cars end up. Wheaton's rule reaches a car on a street or public lot that is "in such a state of disrepair that it is incapable of being driven." On property in public view, it reaches a car that missing or broken parts such as the engine or wheels have kept from running on its own "for a period of at least 14 days."

Section 70-574 then makes it "unlawful for any person to keep" such a vehicle "on any real property in the city." Police can put a violation sticker on it. If the problem is still there "on the eighth day after a notice of violation was served," you can be cited and towed. Once cited, you have seven days to get the car out. Moving it before the tow still costs a $100.00 fine, due within 15 days, and missing that deadline means a mandatory court date. If the car is towed, the $100.00 fine is owed on top of towing and storage fees before release.

How a Wheaton tow notice works

For abandoned or inoperable cars, section 70-568 requires written notice at least seven days before the tow, by personal service or certified mail to the registered owner. A sticker goes on the car no later than the mailing day, showing "the earliest date upon which the tow may take place" and the police department's phone number. Section 70-569 gives you seven days after that notice to request a pre-tow hearing in writing. The same section lets you avoid the tow by moving the car to a lawful place and fixing what made it inoperable. Having it hauled away before the date does the job too.

Wheaton curb rules

A dead car at the curb has a second problem. Under Section 70-343, street parking is off limits from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. daily. The few exceptions cover doctors, emergency calls, and guests or construction that police approve. The city's fine schedule in 70-148 also lists separate fines for "Parking vehicle for sale on street" and "Parking on street while working on vehicle," so a for-sale sign in the windshield of a parked car is its own ticket.

Paperwork for a sale from Wheaton

Wheaton is the DuPage County seat, but Illinois titles do not go through the county. In Wheaton, titles are handled by the Illinois Secretary of State. Mail to Springfield or go in person to a facility. To sell:

• In the Assignment of Title on your Wheaton title, add your signature, the date, your printed name and the odometer reading. A Wheaton seller needs no notary stamp under Illinois rules.
• Remove your plates. You keep them, and the buyer may not legally use them.
• Send Springfield the Seller's Report of Sale with no delay. Wheaton sellers can file the Notice of Sale stub at the bottom of the title, or use form VSD 703. That ends your responsibility for the car, but ownership doesn't move with it.
• Make a bill of sale showing when it sold and for how much, and note who bought it and where they live.

Form VSD 190 replaces a lost title for $50. More in junk car with no title. DuPage is one of the counties in the Illinois emissions-test area, and if a test notice is why the car is going, failed emissions explains the options.

Getting an offer

Got a Wheaton car to sell? Call (877) 421-6008 or fill in the offer form online. Our truck goes wherever it sits, from a home driveway to a downtown lot or the shop that broke the bad news. If you live just over the line, see Glen Ellyn or Lombard, and the Illinois page for statewide rules.