City address or unincorporated? Check before you call
Des Plaines has an address quirk that can confuse anyone looking for a house, and it can also change which rules apply to your junk car. Inside city limits, addresses use Des Plaines’ own numbering system. Devon Avenue, for example, is 3200 South in Des Plaines but 6400 North in Chicago.
Outside the city, things flip. Big unincorporated stretches of Maine Township, mostly around O’Hare and east of the Tri-State, carry Des Plaines mailing addresses but use Chicago-style numbers. Golf Road is 9600 North out there and 0 North/South once it enters the city. When land gets annexed, the address changes too: a property at 9661 West Golf Road became 2323 East Golf Road in 2003.
So when you request a quote, give us the exact address as it appears on your mail, including “East” or “West”. It tells us where to send the truck, and it tells you whether city ordinances or Cook County rules govern the car while it waits.
Snow routes and the city’s nuisance rule
Des Plaines plows roughly 140 lane miles. For any snowfall over two inches, the city wants cars parked away from its designated snow routes, a long list that includes stretches of Algonquin Road, Everett Avenue, Forest Avenue and Des Plaines River Road, until snow removal is done. A car with a dead battery sitting on one of those streets is stuck there while the plows try to work around it.
Off the street, the city’s Nuisances Code names inoperable motor vehicles as a violation, alongside things like tall weeds and dumping. Code enforcement handles complaints, and fines follow. If the car isn’t going to be repaired, selling it before a complaint is cheaper than paying a fine and still owning the car.
Flooded, rusted or just dead
The Des Plaines River runs through the city just east of downtown, and it floods. The city’s old McDonald’s museum was torn down in 2018 after repeated flooding, and the city runs a flood rebate program for homeowners. Cars parked low on a flooded street or in a basement garage often end up with water in the engine, electronics and interior. We buy those cars in whatever state they’re in.
Not sure what yours is worth after water, rust or a blown engine? Our guide to how much a junk car is worth explains how weight, parts and condition set an offer, without inventing price tables.
Pickup across Des Plaines
Close to 60% of homes here are detached houses, so the car is often in a driveway or garage, but more than a quarter of the housing stock is apartment buildings with five or more homes. For a building lot, tell us the space and any gate code. Near the Des Plaines and Cumberland Metra stations, commuter lots aren’t a place to leave a dead car; move it to private property if you can.
Paperwork: bring the title if you have it. If not, tell us which documents you can find (registration, insurance card, a prior bill of sale) and your ID. Illinois law decides which of those can transfer a car for scrap, and we confirm before the truck rolls.
We also tow in Park Ridge, east of the city, and Rosemont, on the O’Hare side. Every other town is on our service area list.
Selling a car in Des Plaines: common questions
Do you buy junk cars at unincorporated Des Plaines addresses?
Yes. Large unincorporated areas near O'Hare and east of the Tri-State have Des Plaines mailing addresses but sit in Maine Township, under Cook County rather than city rules. They're inside our Cook County service area, and towing is free there too. Give us the full street address, including the direction.
Can my dead car wait on a Des Plaines snow route until you arrive?
Not after a real snowfall. Once more than two inches falls, the city wants vehicles off its snow routes until plowing is finished, and a car that won't start can't be moved. Tell us it's on a snow route when you call, and push it onto a side street or driveway if you safely can.
Will you buy a car that was damaged in a Des Plaines River flood?
Yes. Water-damaged cars are bought in any condition, running or not. If your insurer paid it out as a total loss, ask them who holds the title now, since that changes who can sell it. Then tell us what paperwork you have.
Which Des Plaines ZIP codes do you pick up in?
All of them. Most homes are in 60016 or 60018, and 60018 is also used by Rosemont. ZIP 60017 is for P.O. boxes, so for pickup we need the street address of the car, not a box number.