A tighter clock than most towns give you
Arlington Heights gives a dead car about two days. The zoning code allows an inoperable or unlicensed vehicle to stay on residential property for 48 hours, and after that it has to be behind a closed garage door. The health and safety chapter backs that up by calling any inoperable vehicle outside an enclosed building a nuisance.
Picture a sedan that throws a rod on Monday evening: by Wednesday evening it is already a code problem if it is still on the driveway. Once the village sends notice, you have 7 days to deal with it before the village can step in and remove it.
Street parking won’t buy you time either
Moving the car to the curb doesn’t help. No one may park on an Arlington Heights street from 2 to 5 a.m., and once 2 inches of snow fall, every street is off limits until plows finish. A car that sits out there long enough to look abandoned picks up a tow notice and a certified letter, and after 10 days without a response it can be towed and eventually auctioned.
Selling to us skips all of that. Tell us the car’s year, make, model and problem, take the offer if it works for you, and we tow it at no charge. Payment happens at pickup, and same-day appointments are often available. If you’re weighing a repair first, our guide to selling a car that doesn’t run walks through the options.
Houses, condos and the downtown blocks
Arlington Heights is a mix. A little over half of its homes are detached houses, and about a third of units sit in buildings with five or more apartments or condos. Driveway pickups are simple. For a condo garage, ask the association whether a tow truck can get in and check the clearance, then pass that along when we schedule.
Bring whatever papers you have to the call: the title if you have it, or your registration card, proof of insurance or purchase paperwork plus your ID if you don’t. Which of those documents will work for a scrap sale is set by Illinois rules; we check yours while you’re on the phone.
Nearby northwest suburbs
Our trucks work the whole stretch along Northwest Highway and Route 53. We also tow from Rolling Meadows, Prospect Heights and Mount Prospect, and you can find the rest on our map of Chicago-area towns we serve.
Selling a car in Arlington Heights: common questions
How long can a broken car sit in my Arlington Heights driveway?
Under the village zoning code, 48 hours. After that, an inoperable or unlicensed vehicle on residential property has to be inside an enclosed garage. If the garage is full or you'd rather be done with it, call us and we'll arrange a free tow.
Can I put a sign in the window and sell my old car on the street?
Not in Arlington Heights. Section 18-205 makes it unlawful to park a vehicle on a public street to display it for sale. If the car doesn't run, selling it to a junk buyer avoids the street altogether: we take it straight from your driveway, lot or garage.
Do you pick up from condo buildings and apartment lots?
Yes. A large share of Arlington Heights homes are in buildings with five or more units, so many of our pickups start in a shared lot or garage. Check with building management about access for a tow truck and tell us the details when you call.