Olmsted’s curves and a pickup plan
Riverside isn’t laid out on a grid. Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted planned it in 1869 with streets that curve along the land and the Des Plaines River, plus 41 small triangular parks where roads meet. The core of the village has been a National Historic Landmark since 1970.
That plan is beautiful and a little confusing for drivers. Give us your exact address and the nearest main road when you call. Through truck traffic over 8,000 pounds is limited to First Avenue, Harlem Avenue, Ogden Avenue, 26th Street and 31st Street, with exceptions for deliveries and service by the shortest route.
Most Riverside homes are detached houses (about three in four), so cars usually wait on a driveway or in a garage. They can’t wait on a parkway, in a public alley, or beside one of the triangle parks: the village bans parking in all three.
Riverside’s rules for a car that can’t run
Riverside is strict about the street. An inoperable car may not be left on any street for any length of time. On private or public property the limit is 30 days, after which the car is a nuisance; police can remove it after at least seven days, with written notice attempted to the owner, who pays towing and storage. A car kept inside a building is excluded.
The definition is wider than “won’t start.” A car also counts as inoperable if it can’t legally be driven under the Illinois Vehicle Code, so it isn’t only about the engine.
Overnight, every street is closed to parking from 2 to 6 a.m. The code does offer one useful exception: police can waive the rule for a disabled vehicle if the department is told beforehand.
River floods, stickers and paperwork
The Des Plaines runs right through the village, and its Riverside gauge sets the local flood warnings. At 10.5 feet, homes between the river and 39th Street are threatened; the highest crest on record there is 11.28 feet, on April 18, 2013. If insurance totaled your flooded car, our guide to totaled cars in Illinois explains what happens to the title.
Riverside’s vehicle sticker year runs October 1 to September 30. For the sale itself, bring the title if you have it; if not, tell us what papers you can show, and we’ll confirm what Illinois rules accept for a scrap sale. We don’t charge for towing, and payment happens on pickup day.
We also buy cars in North Riverside, Brookfield and Lyons, and across our service area.
Selling a car in Riverside: common questions
My car broke down on a Riverside street at night. What should I do?
Call the police department. Riverside bans parking on any street from 2 to 6 a.m., but its code lets police waive that rule for a disabled vehicle when they are told in advance. Then book a pickup quickly, because an inoperable car may not stay on the street at all.
Can I leave a dead car on the parkway or by one of Riverside's little triangle parks?
No. Riverside's 9-1-5 bans standing or parking on any public park, public alley or parkway. Keep the car on your driveway or in the garage, and we'll collect it from there.