Not a typical suburb of houses
Indian Head Park looks different from its neighbors once you check the housing numbers. Fewer than three in ten homes are detached houses. About as many are townhomes and other attached units, and more than a quarter are in buildings of 20 or more units. Most residents own their homes, but many of those homes share walls, driveways, garages and parking lots.
For a junk car, that means the pickup usually involves an association lot, a shared drive, or an attached garage. When you call, tell us which building or unit, where the car is parked, and how a truck gets in. If the car is in a garage under a building, mention the clearance.
The garage rule and the seven-day notice
The village is strict about where a dead car can be. Its code says an inoperable or abandoned vehicle is a nuisance even on the owner’s own property unless it is kept inside an enclosed building, with an exception only while it’s actually being repaired. A car counts as inoperable once it has been unable to move under its own power, or missing parts, for seven days.
If the village finds one, it puts a sticker on the windshield and delivers or mails a notice. Seven days later the car can be towed. That leaves time for a sale, but not much for second thoughts.
Street parking won’t help either:
- From 2 to 6 a.m., no car may park on any village street, any day of the year.
- In winter, 62 named streets, including Acacia Drive, Flagg Creek Drive and 72nd Street, become snow emergency routes after 2 inches of snow.
Getting it done
A title in your name makes the sale simple. If it’s missing, list your other papers on the call, such as registration, an insurance card and your ID. Illinois law decides what a scrap sale can accept, and we confirm your situation before sending a truck. For the bigger picture of your options with a dead car, read our guide on selling a car that doesn’t run.
There’s no towing fee, payment comes at pickup, and we can often collect the same day. The village sits just north of the I-55 and I-294 interchange, near Joliet Road, so we also cover Western Springs, Countryside and Burr Ridge. The complete list is on our locations page.
Selling a car in Indian Head Park: common questions
Can a non-running car sit in my townhome driveway in Indian Head Park?
Not for long. Section 36-220(d) treats an inoperable or abandoned vehicle on your own property as a nuisance unless it stays in an enclosed building, apart from time spent on an actual repair. If it won't fit in the garage, schedule the pickup before a notice is issued.
My condo association lot has rules about tow trucks. Is that a problem?
Usually not. Tell us the building, the lot entrance, any gate code, and whether management wants advance notice, and we will plan the pickup around it. The car just needs to be reachable by a tow truck.