Matteson is one of the few south suburbs with no village vehicle sticker at all. Voters approved home rule in June 2022, and the sticker program ended on January 1, 2023. That removes one chore when a car is junked, but the village’s rules on dead cars are among the tightest around.
Seventy-two hours, then a notice
Matteson’s ordinance names the whole list: abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, inoperative, rusted or junked vehicles. None of them may be parked or stored on public or private property for more than 72 hours, and doing so is a public nuisance. A “junked” vehicle in the code is one without an unexpired license plate that is also wrecked, dismantled, inoperative or abandoned.
Before the village hauls a car away, police give the owner or occupant at least 10 days’ notice, posted on the property and sent by registered mail, and the owner or occupant is liable for removal costs. Vehicles inside a building are exempt. Matteson’s Property Maintenance Inspector handles inoperable-vehicle complaints, and cars with no plates, expired tags or visible disrepair are on the village’s list of reportable violations.
Parking surfaces and snow
The village’s residential guide is strict about surfaces: every vehicle must be on an approved surface, never on grass, and vehicles over 1.5 tons aren’t permitted on residential property. One recreational vehicle is allowed, behind the front building line on asphalt or concrete.
Snow brings a street ban too. After a three-inch snowfall, no parking is allowed on village streets, and violators are ticketed and towed.
Selling the car and writing it up
Matteson spans US-30 (Lincoln Highway), Cicero Avenue (IL-50), Harlem Avenue at the west corner, and I-57, with the former Lincoln Mall site at Cicero and US-30 as a landmark. Give us your address and a cross street.
Have your title if you can. If it’s missing, tell us which other papers you have, perhaps the registration card, your insurance card, a purchase bill of sale and photo identification; we’ll confirm on the call which of them Illinois rules accept for a scrap sale. Keep a signed bill of sale for your records; our guide to the Illinois bill of sale for junk cars shows what to put in it. Free towing, paid at pickup.
We buy in neighboring Richton Park, Olympia Fields and Park Forest. See the full town list for the rest.
Selling a car in Matteson: common questions
Do I need to cancel a Matteson vehicle sticker when I junk my car?
No. Matteson dropped its village vehicle sticker effective January 1, 2023, so there's nothing local to cancel. You'll still handle your Illinois plates and registration, and we'll cover the ownership paperwork for the sale on the call.
Can I keep the dead car on the grass beside the driveway?
No. Matteson's property-maintenance guide requires every vehicle to park on an approved surface, never on grass. Leave it on the driveway or another paved spot, and tell us exactly where so the tow goes smoothly.