How pickup works on each side of the city
Chicago splits into the North, West and South Sides, and the address grid makes any of them easy to find: State Street and Madison Street are the zero lines, so “4800 West, 2400 North” tells a driver exactly where to go.
North and Northwest Sides. The Kennedy and the Edens serve these neighborhoods. If the car is on a permit-only block (the city has close to 2,000 active zones) or behind a garage, give us the exact spot and say whether we should come in from the alley.
West Side. The Eisenhower runs straight through. If the car is parked behind the building, an alley pickup works; the code only allows alley stops for quick loading with 10 feet kept open, so the truck loads and leaves.
South and Southwest Sides. This is roughly 60% of the city’s land, served by the Dan Ryan, the Stevenson and, on the Far Southeast Side, the Bishop Ford. Tell us if the car is in a side drive or a backyard, and how the truck gets back there.
Only about a quarter of Chicago’s homes are single-family detached houses, and seven in ten units are in buildings with two or more apartments. Parking is often shared, so a car that doesn’t run can end up holding a spot someone else needs.
The city rules that turn a dead car into a ticket
Chicago doesn’t wait long. A vehicle on the public way that can’t be driven, or that hasn’t moved for a week and looks deserted, can be ticketed every day and towed. Neighbors report these through 311: the city logged more than 31,000 abandoned-vehicle requests in each of 2018 and 2019.
Private property isn’t a full shelter either. A “hazardous dilapidated” car left in public view, even on your own lot, can be ticketed and towed right away. Keeping it inside a garage is the main exception.
Winter adds two more layers. The overnight ban on 107 miles of arterials applies every night from December 1 until April 1, and roughly 500 more miles of snow routes close to parking once 2 inches of snow is down. A car that won’t start can’t be moved off either one. Our guide to Chicago’s abandoned vehicle rules covers what happens after a tow, and if your car is already gone, call the city first.
Paperwork for a Chicago sale
Have the title ready if you can. If it’s lost, tell us what you do have, such as registration, an insurance card or an old bill of sale, plus your ID. Illinois law sets which documents can transfer a vehicle for scrap, and we confirm what works for your car on the call before anyone drives out.
Take the plates off, empty the glovebox and trunk, and pull any I-PASS transponder from the windshield.
Neighborhood and suburb pages
Some areas have their own pages with local detail, like Jefferson Park on the Northwest Side and Mount Greenwood on the far Southwest Side. Just over the city line, Evanston has its own wheel tax and snow rules. The full list is on our areas we serve page.
Selling a car in Chicago: common questions
A neighbor called 311 about my dead car. How long do I have?
Chicago counts a car as abandoned once it has sat unmoved for 7 consecutive days and looks deserted, or as soon as it can't be driven, and each day can bring a new ticket. If the city tows it, the last registered owner owes the tow and storage. Selling it before that happens is usually the cheaper exit.
Can you pick up a car that's parked on a winter overnight ban street?
Yes, but timing matters. From December 1 to April 1 those 107 miles of main streets are tow zones from 3 to 7 a.m. even without snow. Tell us the block and we plan the pickup outside those hours, or move the car to a side street first if it still rolls.
What happens to my City Sticker when the car is junked?
Chicago requires the wheel tax license for each vehicle a resident uses on city streets. Once the junk car is sold, ask the City Clerk whether your sticker can be refunded or moved to another vehicle before you buy a new one, and keep the sale paperwork as proof of the date.