The nightly side switch
Bellwood handles overnight parking with a twist. Rather than banning street parking outright, the village runs an alternate-side rule from 2 to 6 a.m. On odd-numbered days you park on the odd-address side; on even days, the even side. The date that counts is the one before midnight, so on the night of the 14th going into the 15th, even sides are the legal ones.
A car with a dead starter can’t make that switch. A car that can’t move gets a ticket every other night, and once an owner has 5 or more unpaid parking or compliance fines, the village can boot the car.
Better in the driveway, better yet sold
Most of Bellwood is single-family: about 74% of its homes are detached houses and nearly four in five are owner-occupied, per recent Census estimates. If you can push a dead car up the driveway, do it. If you can’t, an exception call to the police non-emergency line between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. can cover a night or two while you arrange the sale.
Then call us. We need the year, make, model, a description of what’s wrong, and where the car is parked. You get an offer, we tow at no charge, and you’re paid at pickup. If you’re still deciding whether to fix it, our page on what to do with a non-running car compares the options.
Papers to have on hand
The title in your name is the simplest path. Without it, describe the paperwork you can find, even an expired registration. Illinois rules control what, if anything, can be used for scrapping in its absence, and we confirm that on the phone before the truck heads out. One more local item: Bellwood stickers go on sale in January and must be displayed by May 1, so if the car is leaving this spring, check with Village Hall before buying a new one for it.
Where Bellwood sits
Bellwood is tucked between the Eisenhower to the south and the Proviso freight yards to the north. The Metra station at Frederick Avenue and Erie Street makes a handy landmark when giving our driver directions. We cover the villages around it too, including Maywood to the east and Hillside and Berkeley to the west. Browse every town on our locations page.
Selling a car in Bellwood: common questions
How does Bellwood's odd/even overnight parking work?
From 2 to 6 a.m., you park on the side matching the date: odd-address side on odd days, even side on even days. The date is the one before midnight. A car that won't start can't follow the switch, so move it to your driveway or call the police non-emergency line for an exception.
My dead car already has parking fines. Can I still sell it?
Yes, you can sell it, but the tickets stay with you, and Bellwood can boot a car whose owner has 5 or more unpaid fines. Selling ends new tickets; it doesn't erase old ones. Call us with the details and we'll schedule a free tow.
Do you pick up near the Bellwood Metra station?
We pick up anywhere in Bellwood, including the blocks around the Union Pacific West Line station on Frederick Avenue. Give us the exact address or parking spot and confirm the car is yours to sell.