One village, two counties
Tinley Park straddles a county line. Most of it lies in Cook County’s Bremen, Orland and Rich townships, and a section sits in Will County’s Frankfort Township. It’s a big place, 16.19 square miles with close to 56,000 residents in 2020, crossed east to west by I-80 and north to south by Harlem Avenue. We handle both sides of the line the same way: free towing and payment at pickup.
The nightly 2 to 5 a.m. ban
Tinley Park keeps every street clear of parked cars from 2 to 5 a.m., on any day of the year, snow or no snow. If you need an exception, the village has an online request form for one vehicle per date, up to three nights in a row. When more than an inch of snow covers the street, parking shrinks to brief stops while it falls and for eight hours afterward.
The street isn’t a sales lot either. § 73.10 rules out using the street to advertise a car for sale, and § 73.12 limits street parking to passenger cars, station wagons and privately owned pickups or panel trucks of 3/4 ton or less, unless signs say otherwise. A heavy work truck that dies at the curb is already out of bounds.
When a dead car becomes a nuisance
The village’s nuisance chapter names “non-functioning and unlicensed motor vehicles” among things that can’t be collected or left anywhere in Tinley Park except as the code allows. On a public way, the village can tow a broken, undrivable car, or one parked for seven days that appears abandoned, after a pre-tow notice; the owner then gets seven days to ask for a hearing.
If you’re torn between fixing it, selling it yourself and junking it, our guide that compares a junk sale, private sale and donation runs through the tradeoffs.
Paperwork and nearby towns
Payment is made at pickup. A title in your name keeps things simple; if it’s gone, tell us which papers remain and we’ll check them against Illinois rules for a scrap sale while we’re on the phone.
Rock Island District trains stop at the Oak Park Avenue station and at 80th Avenue. Around the village we also buy cars in Oak Forest to the northeast, Orland Hills to the west and Frankfort to the southwest. The areas we serve page lists every other town.
Selling a car in Tinley Park: common questions
Can I park my junk car on a Tinley Park street with a for-sale sign?
No. § 73.10 bars parking on a street to display a vehicle for sale. Add the nightly 2 to 5 a.m. ban and there's little room to sell a dead car from the curb, so it's worth comparing a private sale with junking before deciding.
Do I need a Tinley Park vehicle sticker on a car I'm junking?
No. Since a 2023 amendment, the village vehicle license is free and optional, offered to residents every other year starting April 1, with no requirement to get or display one. Your state title and registration are what matter for the sale.