How long can a broken-down car sit in my Melrose Park driveway?

If it's visible from the street and can't be driven, the village treats it as inoperable after 5 days of disrepair, and an inoperable vehicle on private or public property is a nuisance. Police can tow it and notify you afterward.

Can I keep my old pickup parked on the street overnight?

Noncommercial trucks of one ton or less are banned from residential-zone streets from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and a truck parked on residential private property can't be in disrepair or carry major collision damage.

Is Melrose Park a junkyard town? Do I need to drive my car to a yard?

You don't need to drive anywhere. We pick the car up where it sits. Our guide on junkyards versus junk car buyers explains the difference.

Sell a junk car in Melrose Park

Who buys junk cars in Melrose Park, Illinois?

Cash For Junk Cars Westside Chicago LLC buys junk cars, trucks and vans in Melrose Park, about 11.6 road miles from our base on Chicago Avenue by way of the Eisenhower and 1st Avenue. We tow at no charge from streets, driveways and lots and pay you at pickup in cash, by Zelle or by Cash App.

ZIP codes: 60160, 60164
From 2727 W Chicago Ave: About 11.6 road miles, 22 min
Pickup: Free tow, paid at pickup

Melrose Park is the farthest point on our map, and it has a strong industrial side. The village grew up beside the Proviso freight yards, and it still has a mix of factories, two-flats, bungalows and apartment blocks. People often search for a junkyard here; what most of them need is someone to take a dead car away, which is what we do.

Route and roads

From 2727 W Chicago Ave it’s about 11.6 road miles and 22 minutes: Sacramento Boulevard to the Eisenhower, about 6.6 miles west, north on 1st Avenue (IL-171), then west on Lake Street toward Broadway Avenue. 1st Avenue runs the length of the village and meets North Avenue (IL-64) at the old Kiddieland site, now a Costco. Mannheim Road (US-12/US-45) crosses North Avenue on the west side, and Lake Street (US-20) runs along the south.

Melrose Park borders Maywood to the east and south, River Grove and Franklin Park to the north, and Bellwood, Hillside and Westchester to the west and southwest. River Forest is just across the Des Plaines River.

ZIP codes

ZIP-codes.com lists 60160 as the main Melrose Park ZIP and 60164 as one it shares with Northlake. 60161 is for P.O. boxes only. We pick up in both street ZIPs.

Landmarks

Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, inside the village.
Melrose Park Metra station, Union Pacific West Line, at 1801 W Main St.
North Avenue and 1st Avenue, the Costco on the former Kiddieland Amusement Park site.

Housing

Half of the village’s homes are in buildings with two or more units, about 41% are single-family detached, and 6.5% are mobile homes, according to ACS data. If your car is in a mobile home park or a shared apartment lot, tell us the entrance and any gate code arrangement so the driver can get in.

Melrose Park’s rules on junk cars

The village moves faster than most:

Five days. Under § 10.52.010, a vehicle is inoperable if it can’t be driven on a public way, or if it’s off the street but visible from it and has been in undrivable disrepair for 5 days. Any inoperable vehicle on private or public property is a nuisance.
24 hours. The same section treats a vehicle unmoved for 24 or more hours that looks abandoned as an abandoned vehicle, and separately covers cars missing valid plates, a registration sticker or the village sticker.
Tow first, notice after. Police can have nuisance vehicles towed to a pound and then notify the owner in writing; unclaimed vehicles go to auction after 30 days. Fines run $10 to $500 per offense.

Trucks and vans

Chapter 10.44 treats trucks differently. Noncommercial pickups and vans of one ton or less can’t park on residential-zone streets from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and those parked on residential private property can’t be in disrepair or carry major collision damage. Large commercial trucks, tow trucks and moving trucks are off all village streets from 2 to 6 a.m. If you have a work truck or an old van to sell, see junk trucks, vans and SUVs.

The code also bans parking on a street to display a car for sale or to repair it, and stopping within the 14-foot right-of-way of an alley. Snowbound cars left 24 hours or more aren’t allowed on streets or alleys either.

Ready to sell

For a car that won’t start, read non-running cars. If you were about to tow it to a yard yourself, read junkyard vs junk car buyer first; it may save you the trip.

Map of Melrose Park, Illinois

Map of Melrose Park, IllinoisOpen in Google Maps

Melrose Park questions

How long can a broken-down car sit in my Melrose Park driveway?: If it's visible from the street and can't be driven, the village treats it as inoperable after 5 days of disrepair, and an inoperable vehicle on private or public property is a nuisance. Police can tow it and notify you afterward.
Can I keep my old pickup parked on the street overnight?: Noncommercial trucks of one ton or less are banned from residential-zone streets from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and a truck parked on residential private property can't be in disrepair or carry major collision damage.
Is Melrose Park a junkyard town? Do I need to drive my car to a yard?: You don't need to drive anywhere. We pick the car up where it sits. Our guide on junkyards versus junk car buyers explains the difference.

Next door, also covered

What we can take off your hands

Cash For Junk Cars Westside Chicago LLC picks up across the West Side and the near west suburbs. See every neighborhood we cover.