Inoperable car rules in the southwest suburbs, village by village

Every village on this page has its own rule for a car that no longer runs, and the time limits run from 72 hours to 14 days. If a dead car is sitting in your driveway, find your village in the table, then read its note. We serve all eight, and we tow junk cars out of them for free.

The rules side by side

Village	What the code says about a dead car on private property	Time trigger	Code
Oak Lawn	An abandoned vehicle on the owner’s own property is a nuisance. “Abandoned” includes undrivable, or no current annual license, or unmoved 7 days and apparently deserted	7 consecutive days	11-10-1, 11-10-2
Evergreen Park	Inoperable = on private property in public view and can’t be driven safely or legally because the engine, wheels or other parts are removed	14 days; repairs done within 14 days exempt	13-276, 13-279
Burbank	A record owner may not park or store any inoperable vehicle on residentially zoned property	Definition uses 14 days in public view	15-38(a)(i), 15-51
Bridgeview	Zoning bars keeping an unlicensed vehicle as outdoor storage in any zoning class, unless it’s an antique	None stated	Zoning Ord. Art. XIII 13.1
Hometown	Unlawful to park, maintain or store an inoperable vehicle on any real property	Definition uses 14 days in public view	14.201, 14.210
Justice	Abandonment in public view is unlawful except on the owner’s or bailee’s property; police chief may order removal from private property	7 days or more	6-41, 6-42
Summit	Rusted, wrecked, junked, partly dismantled, inoperative or abandoned vehicle, licensed or not, is a nuisance unless fully enclosed in a building	More than 72 hours	6-5-1
Stickney	Unlawful to abandon or store an inoperable vehicle on private or public property except the owner’s or bailee’s own	Removal from private property after 5 days	14-272, 14-276

A few things the table can’t show are in the notes below.

Village notes

Oak Lawn. The 7-day rule in Chapter 10 does something most people don’t expect: it applies to your own driveway. An abandoned vehicle on the owner’s private property is declared a nuisance, and the code adds any unlicensed car, or one without its current year’s license, that hasn’t moved for 7 straight days. A separate nuisance section, 8-1-3, lists inoperable or abandoned vehicles on public or private property, when not in a garage.

Evergreen Park. The definition sits in section 13-276, adopted in late 2023. A car that hasn’t moved for 14 days is presumed inoperable if it’s under a cover or tarp, or lacks a current village motor vehicle license. That second prong is a leftover: the village board dropped vehicle stickers in February 2024. The tarp prong still bites. Police can remove the car after a notice (a window sticker plus a certified letter), and you have 7 days after the letter to request a hearing.

Burbank. The flattest rule on the list. Section 15-38 makes it unlawful for the property owner to park or store, or allow, any inoperable vehicle on residential property. It borrows the definition from 15-51, which, like Evergreen Park’s, presumes a covered car or one without a current city license is inoperable after 14 days unmoved. Burbank’s code still requires a city vehicle sticker, so that prong is live.

Bridgeview. We couldn’t find the village’s municipal code online. The village FAQ points residents to a phone line for ordinance questions. What is published is the zoning ordinance: it defines a “junker” as a vehicle that can’t run under its own power and needs major repairs, and bars keeping any unlicensed vehicle as outdoor storage unless it’s an antique. A separate inoperable-vehicle section in the municipal code: not confirmed.

Hometown. Article 19, amended in 2025, is short and strict: no inoperable vehicle parked, maintained or stored on any real property. The presumption in 14.210 includes a car without a current Hometown vehicle sticker. One useful detail in the removal section: the deadline can be extended up to 30 days if the car is being held for sale or quick repair. If you’ve already called a buyer, say so.

Justice. Sections 6-41 and 6-42 are written around abandonment: a vehicle in disrepair and incapable of being driven, or unmoved 7 days or more and apparently deserted. Leaving one in public view is unlawful except on the owner’s or bailee’s property, and the chief of police can order removal from private property after 7 days. A separate inoperable-vehicle nuisance rule: not confirmed in the code we searched. Plenty of Justice residents live in apartment buildings, so the car is often on someone else’s lot, which is exactly where this rule applies.

Summit. The shortest clock of the eight. Village Code 6-5-1 covers licensed and unlicensed vehicles alike, after 72 hours. The duty falls on the vehicle’s owner and on the property owner, tenant or whoever’s in possession. The only outs are a fully enclosed building, or storage in an area set up lawfully under zoning.

Stickney. Section 14-272 lets you keep an inoperable vehicle on your own property but not on anyone else’s. Off your property, the chief of police can order removal after 5 days. On the street it’s tougher: a posted notice and certified letter, then the car is treated as abandoned if it isn’t moved in 5 consecutive days and towed on the sixth, with a $750 administrative penalty on top of towing and storage.

What this means if your car is already dead

If you live in Burbank or Hometown, there’s no grace period to wait out. In Summit, three days. Everywhere else, a week or two, and a tarp doesn’t buy you time in three of these villages.

Masters Cash for Junk Cars buys cars that don’t run where they sit, including driveways, apartment lots and repair-shop yards when you arrange access. The tow is free, same-day pickup is often possible, and we pay at pickup by Zelle, cash or Cash App. Tell us what papers you have, and we’ll confirm on the call whether they work for a scrap sale under Illinois rules.

Get a cash offer or call (708) 838-5553 before the notice goes on the windshield.