A homeowner town with tight street rules
Streamwood is a village of owners. Close to 9 in 10 occupied homes are owner-occupied, and about 90% are single-unit houses, detached or attached, per recent Census estimates. So a junk car here is far more likely to be on a driveway or beside a garage than in an apartment lot.
The street isn’t much help. Overnight parking from 1 to 5 a.m. requires a permit, and each household gets just five a year, each covering up to three nights. Police can tow any car left on a street for 24 consecutive hours, and after 2 inches of snow the streets have to be empty for at least a day.
How quickly a junk notice can move
Streamwood’s junk rules are short. The code defines “junk” to include worn-out, wrecked or abandoned cars, trucks and parts, and storing junk where zoning doesn’t allow it is a nuisance. A notice from police or a building or health inspector can give anywhere from 2 to 10 days to remove it. Keeping any inoperable vehicle outside a closed building can also count as a nuisance when it affects neighbors.
So if the car in your driveway hasn’t run in months, the window between a complaint and a deadline can be days, not weeks.
Booking the free tow
Call or send the form with the car’s details, and mention flat tires, missing wheels or a car boxed in by another vehicle. We make an offer; if you accept, the tow is on us and you’re paid when the car is loaded. Same-day appointments are often possible. Our step-by-step guide to junking a car covers plates, insurance and personal items before pickup day.
On paperwork: the title in your name is best. Without it, look for a registration card or insurance card that shows the VIN; Illinois rules decide whether papers like those can be used for scrapping, and that’s the first thing we check when you call. There’s no village sticker to deal with; Streamwood repealed its vehicle license in 2005.
The Tri-Village area
Streamwood, Bartlett and Hanover Park are known together as the Tri-Village area. We cover Bartlett to the south and Hanover Park to the southeast, along with the rest of our service towns.
Selling a car in Streamwood: common questions
How many nights can my dead car stay on a Streamwood street?
Very few. Overnight parking from 1 to 5 a.m. needs a permit, and each home gets five permits a year, up to 3 nights apiece. Separately, police can tow any car left on a street for 24 hours straight. The driveway is the safer spot until pickup.
Can I park my junk car on the gravel beside my garage?
Only if it's a lawful surface. Streamwood allows parking only on improved surfaces, meaning paved or approved crushed stone, and keeping a non-running car outside a closed building can be a nuisance. If it's not going back on the road, a free tow takes care of it.