Bungalow lots, rear garages and the alley rule
Berwyn is bungalow country. Wikipedia calls the city’s collection of Chicago-style bungalows one of the most significant anywhere, and the north side around Roosevelt and Cermak Roads is mostly smaller bungalow-type homes. Where the garage sits at the back of the lot, as it does behind many of them, the truck comes up the alley and the car comes out of the garage.
One catch. Berwyn’s code doesn’t let anyone leave an unattended vehicle in an alley, even for a short wait. Owners sometimes push a dead car out of the garage the night before “to make it easy.” Please don’t. Leave it inside or on the concrete pad next to the garage, and we’ll pull it from there.
Two-flats are common too (about 28% of Berwyn’s homes are in buildings with two to four units), so the car may share a pad with a neighbor’s. Tell us which one is yours.
When Berwyn treats a car as abandoned
The city’s definition is wide. A car counts as abandoned if it is in too much disrepair to drive, or if it hasn’t moved for seven straight days and looks deserted. On the public way, the city sends a certified-mail notice before towing, and the owner gets a short window to ask for a hearing. On private property in public view, removal is possible after seven days.
Street parking at night adds its own pressure. Between 3 and 6 a.m., only cars displaying a Berwyn on-street license or a visitor pass may park on the street, and a car registered at the cheaper off-street rate gets fined if it is out there anyway. In winter, parking on Roosevelt Road ends once 2 inches of snow pile up, and on the other snow routes (Cermak, Harlem, Ogden, Oak Park Avenue and more) at 6 inches. A car that won’t start can’t move when the plows come.
Title questions and nearby towns
The title makes everything simpler. Missing it? Tell us on the call which documents you can find, such as registration, a bill of sale, an insurance card or your ID. Illinois sets the rules on what a scrap buyer can accept, and we confirm what works for your car before the truck heads out. Our guide to selling a junk car without a title in Illinois walks through the options, including a duplicate title.
Towing costs you nothing, you are paid when the car is loaded, and same-day pickup is often possible. We cover Berwyn’s neighbors as well, including Cicero to the east and Riverside to the west. Every town we serve is listed on our locations page.
Selling a car in Berwyn: common questions
Can I roll my dead car into the alley so the tow truck can reach it?
Better not. Berwyn's § 480.04 bars leaving an unattended vehicle anywhere in an alley, so a car parked there to wait for us can be ticketed. Leave it in the garage or on the pad, leave the garage open or the key handy, and tell us the alley access when you call.
My junk car has the cheaper off-street Berwyn license. Can I park it on the street until pickup?
Not overnight. Berwyn charges less for a vehicle kept off the street from 3 to 6 a.m., and § 484.08 fines a car on that rate if it is parked on the street during those hours. Keep it on your property until we arrive.