Olympia Fields grew up around a golf club. Olympia Fields Country Club opened in 1915, and the village of about 4,700 people still feels built around it, tucked between Vollmer Road and US-30 with I-57 two miles west. Nearly 89% of homes are owner-occupied and over 91% are single-unit houses, so pickups here are almost all from private driveways and garages.
The fully enclosed garage rule
Olympia Fields doesn’t give a dead car a grace period in the driveway. The code bars parking any abandoned, unlicensed or inoperable vehicle on any property, street or highway in the village. The only exception is a vehicle inside a fully enclosed garage that can’t be seen from the street or neighboring properties.
The definitions are broad. “Unlicensed” means no current state registration. “Inoperable” covers a car that can’t be driven under its own power, one in major disassembly or disrepair, or one being stripped or dismantled. So a car with expired registration violates the rule in the driveway even if it starts.
There’s also a surface rule: any vehicle on public or private property has to be on a hard-surfaced driveway, so the lawn is out.
Village streets at night and in snow
From 2 to 6 a.m., no parking is allowed on village streets on any day unless the police department gives permission. After a snowfall of three inches or more, cars that would interfere with snow removal can’t park on the street for 12 hours.
Trucks are kept off posted village roads unless they’re making a delivery or pickup by the shortest route. A tow truck collecting your car is a pickup, so it comes straight to your address and leaves the same way.
Choosing how to get rid of it
Before calling a junk buyer, it’s worth knowing the other routes. Our comparison of junking versus selling or donating a car covers private sales, trade-ins and IRS donation rules. For a car that can’t legally stay in your driveway, a scrap sale is usually the quickest.
Have your title ready. If it’s missing, tell us what you have, a registration card, proof of insurance, a bill of sale or your ID; Illinois law sets which papers support a scrap sale, and we confirm what applies to you on the call. The truck tows it away free, and you’re paid right at pickup.
We also buy in Flossmoor, Matteson and Park Forest, plus every town on our locations page.
Selling a car in Olympia Fields: common questions
My unregistered project car is in the garage. Is that allowed?
Yes, if the garage is fully enclosed and the car can't be seen from the street or neighboring property. That's the exception in § 14-39(h). Once it sits in the driveway or an open carport, it's a violation, whether or not it runs.
Should I junk, sell or donate my old car?
It depends on the car's condition, your timeline and whether a tax deduction matters to you. A private sale can bring more for a running car, donation has IRS rules, and junking is fastest for a dead one. Our comparison guide covers each option.