Abandoned Vehicles in Chicago: The Rules, the 311 Report and the Pound

People end up on this page for one of two reasons. There’s a car on the block that hasn’t moved since the last street sweeping, or it’s their own car, it died, and a warning notice just showed up on the windshield. Both situations run through the same city ordinance, so start there.

What counts as an abandoned vehicle in Chicago

The core rule is Municipal Code 9-80-110. It is unlawful to abandon a motor vehicle on any public way in the city, and a vehicle is “deemed to have been abandoned” if it:

• is in such a state of disrepair that it can’t be driven in its present condition, or
• has not been moved or used for more than seven consecutive days and is apparently deserted.

The Streets and Sanitation abandoned vehicle page lists two more ways a car qualifies: it sits on the public way without state registration or a temporary registration placard for two or more days, or it’s a “hazardous dilapidated” vehicle left in full view of the public, on public or private property.

That last category is the one homeowners miss. Chapter 9-4 of the code defines a hazardous dilapidated motor vehicle as one with a substantial number of essential parts damaged, removed or altered so it can’t run under its own power, or one whose general deterioration threatens public health and safety. A car that is temporarily out of commission for ordinary service or repairs doesn’t count.

Situation	Abandoned under Chicago rules?	Where it comes from
Can’t be driven, parked on the street	Yes	9-80-110(a)(1)
Unmoved more than 7 days and apparently deserted	Yes	9-80-110(a)(2)
No state registration or temp placard for 2+ days, on the public way	Yes	DSS criteria
Stripped or decaying car in plain view, even in a yard	Yes, “hazardous dilapidated”	9-80-110(b)
Dead car stored inside a garage	No, 9-80-110(b) exempts vehicles kept within a building	9-80-110(b)
Inoperable historic vehicle over 25 years old	Exempt from 9-80-110(b)	9-80-110(b)

State law lines up with the city. The Illinois Vehicle Code defines an abandoned vehicle with the same seven-day test, and 625 ILCS 5/4-201 makes it unlawful to abandon a vehicle on public or private property in view of the general public, “except on property of the owner.” Chicago’s hazardous dilapidated rule still reaches visible wrecks on private lots.

How to report an abandoned vehicle in Chicago

1. Write down the details. Plate, make, color, the exact address or nearest intersection, and roughly how long it has been there.
2. File an Abandoned Vehicle Complaint with 311. Call 3-1-1, use 311.chicago.gov or the CHI311 app. Add an email or cell number to get a tracking number.
3. Let Streets and Sanitation investigate. According to 311, the department checks the vehicle and places a warning notice if necessary before towing.
4. Follow the request with your tracking number. If the car is towed and not redeemed, it may be sold for scrap.

The city has used private contractors for these tows since 1989, and Streets and Sanitation says more than 500,000 abandoned vehicles have been towed and impounded since that program began. The complaint type doesn’t apply to bicycles.

What happens after an abandoned car is towed

The city’s Common Towing Questions page says abandoned vehicles are impounded at 103rd Street and Doty Avenue (Auto Pound 2) and at 701 N. Sacramento Avenue (Auto Pound 6). Owners can locate a towed car by calling 311 or searching findyourvehicle.cityofchicago.org.

From there, the code sets the clock:

• Notice within 10 days. Under 9-92-070, police or Streets and Sanitation look up the owner and any lienholder through the Secretary of State and mail a notice, by certified mail if the car is currently registered, or first class to the last registered address if it isn’t.
• Disposal after 18 days. Under 9-92-100(a), if the vehicle stays unclaimed 18 days after that notice, and a second notice has gone out in that period, the city can dispose of it. The registered owner can ask for one 15-day extension, and the city takes extension requests at 312-746-4954.
• Who gets it. Unclaimed vehicles go to businesses holding state licenses as automotive parts recyclers, rebuilders or scrap processors. Only a car worth substantially more than scrap goes to public auction, and that auction is limited to the same kinds of businesses.

The city’s FAQ puts it plainly: vehicles are normally stored no more than 21 days from the date the city mails the notification, and “even if the vehicle is disposed of, the owner is still responsible for any fines or fees.”

How much does it cost to get a car out of impound in Chicago?

Under Chicago Municipal Code 9-92-080, the city charges $250 to tow a vehicle under 8,000 pounds plus $50 for each day of storage, and $350 plus $100 a day for vehicles of 8,000 pounds or more. Before release you also pay any outstanding final parking, compliance and camera-ticket debt.

Charge (9-92-080)	Under 8,000 lbs	8,000 lbs or more
Tow fee	$250	$350
Storage, per day	$50	$100
Storage cap, most cases	$1,500	$1,500
Storage if the city disposes of the car	One day’s fee	One day’s fee
Abandoned vehicle fine (9-100-020)	$75 per offense	$75 per offense

Run the numbers on a regular car: ten days in the pound is $500 of storage on top of the $250 tow, before tickets. The abandoned vehicle fine in 9-100-020 is $75, and 9-80-110 counts every day the car stays abandoned as a separate offense.

To get the car back, the city’s FAQ says you need valid photo ID and proof of ownership (a title, current registration card, or a bill of sale not more than 30 days old). The vehicle has to have current state plates and a Chicago city sticker if one is required, and whoever drives it out needs a valid license. A representative needs an original notarized letter from the owner. You can contest the tow at a post-tow hearing, requested when you redeem the car or within 15 days after release.

Your own dead car: street, driveway or garage

Here’s how the rules land on a car that simply died.

On the street, you have about a week before it looks abandoned under the seven-day test, and less if the registration has lapsed. Winter tightens it: signed streets ban parking 3:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. from December 1 to March 31 under 9-64-060, and parked cars must clear signed snow routes once snow tops two inches under 9-64-070, each with a $60 fine. A car that won’t start can’t move for the plow.

In a driveway or yard, the question is whether it reads as hazardous dilapidated in full view. Missing wheels, a gutted engine bay or a car slowly rotting under a tarp is exactly what 9-80-110(b) describes, and that subsection lets police and Streets and Sanitation authorize immediate removal from private property.

In a garage, the ordinance’s own exemption for a vehicle “kept within a building” applies.

If the car isn’t worth fixing, the simplest exit is usually selling it before any of this starts. We buy non-running cars across the city, including tight alley garages in Jefferson Park and residential blocks on the far Southwest Side in Mount Greenwood. Towing is free, payment comes at pickup, and pickup can often happen the same day. Our Chicago pickup page lists more neighborhoods, the home page explains how cash for junk cars in Chicago works with us, and you can send the car’s details here.

Before the truck comes, run through the step-by-step guide to junking a car in Chicago. If the car doesn’t start at all, our guide to selling a car that doesn’t run covers the options, and the city sticker guide explains why to peel the sticker first.

If someone keeps reporting a car you still use

It happens on blocks where parking is tight. The test is “not moved or used” plus “apparently deserted,” so the strongest defenses are the boring ones: current registration (the two-day rule is the easiest violation to prove), a current city sticker, inflated tires, and a car that actually moves. Streets and Sanitation decides what “apparently deserted” looks like, and the warning notice is your cue to act before the tow.