One ZIP code, two sets of rules
Elmwood Park incorporated in 1914 so that Chicago couldn’t annex it. More than a century later the line still matters. Chicago neighborhoods wrap around its north and east sides (Dunning, Montclare and Austin), and ZIP 60707 runs across the border: the post office treats “Chicago” as an acceptable name for it, and the ZIP holds far more people than the village does.
So before worrying about tickets, find out which government your block answers to. A dead car on the Chicago side falls under city rules; on the village side, Elmwood Park’s own code applies. Our walkthrough on how to junk a car in Chicago covers the city steps. For the pickup itself we don’t care which side you’re on: the tow is free either way.
Bungalows, two-flats and Snow Days
Elmwood Park is compact, under 2 square miles, and densely built. Census data show about half its homes are detached houses and close to a third are in buildings of two to four units, mostly two-flats and three-flats. When the garage is full or there isn’t one, a dead car ends up at the curb.
The curb gets tricky in winter. When 2 inches cover the streets, the village calls a Snow Day and parking flips by date: odd-numbered sides are off limits on odd dates and even sides on even dates, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A car that won’t start can’t switch sides, and violators are towed at the owner’s expense. Only the big arterials, Harlem, Belmont, Grand and North, are exempt.
Selling it: what to have ready
Call with the year, make, model and what’s wrong, and tell us if the car is in a garage, at the curb or on an alley pad. We quote, you decide, and the truck comes when it suits you. You’re paid at pickup.
On paperwork, the title is best. Without it, it depends what’s left in your files. On either side of the 60707 line, the same Illinois rules decide whether a registration, insurance card or bill of sale can be used to scrap a car, and we confirm that over the phone before the tow is booked.
Next door to Elmwood Park
West of the village, River Grove is on the same routes along Grand Avenue, and to the southeast we work throughout Oak Park. For any other suburb, browse our list of towns we serve.
Selling a car in Elmwood Park: common questions
My address says Chicago 60707. Do you treat it as Elmwood Park?
We pick up on both sides of the line, so it makes no difference to the tow. It does matter for local rules: if your home is inside Chicago city limits, Chicago's parking, sticker and abandoned-vehicle rules apply rather than the village's. Give us the street address and we will schedule it either way.
Where should my dead car be on a Snow Day in Elmwood Park?
Off the restricted side. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on a Snow Day, odd-numbered sides are closed on odd dates and even sides on even dates, and towing is at the owner's cost. A driveway, garage or the legal side of the street keeps it safe until we arrive.