Chicago Ridge junk car removal for renters, owners and repair shops

I rent in Chicago Ridge. Can my junk car still be towed away for free?

Yes. Renting doesn't change anything for Cash For Junk Cars Junk My Car Inc. If the car is yours, we tow it free from your Chicago Ridge apartment lot, street or garage once the landlord knows a truck is coming, and we pay you at pickup by Zelle, Cash App, cash or another digital payment.

Ridges of railroad dirt

Chicago Ridge is named after piles of earth. While the 1893 Columbian Exposition was being built, the Wabash Railroad dumped dirt here in ridges, and the name stuck. Railroads shaped the rest of the village too: the Wabash line came through in 1879 and was later crossed mid-village by the Chicago and Calumet Terminal Railway, which set up rail yards. Today Chicago Ridge has 14,433 people (2020 Census) on 2.27 square miles, a Metra SouthWest Service station, and The Park at Chicago Ridge, a 135-acre industrial park with rail service off Southwest Highway at 103rd Street.

Half the village rents

The split between owners and renters is almost even: 50.1% of occupied homes are owner-occupied and 49.9% are rented. Only 36.0% of housing units are single-unit buildings, while 59.9% are in buildings of five or more. So a typical pickup here is from an apartment lot rather than a driveway.

If you rent and the car is yours, you can sell it. Let the landlord or property manager know a flatbed is coming, find out whether the space is assigned, and send us the building and the spot. Leaving the keys helps but isn’t required. If a neighbour in the same building has a dead car too, one visit can take both.

The 7-day rule reaches your own driveway

Chapter 28 of the village code, “Abandoned and Junk Vehicles”, is broader than many owners expect. Sec. 28-1 defines an abandoned motor vehicle as one that lacks an unexpired plate or, for residents, a current village vehicle licence, and is wrecked, dismantled or partially dismantled, inoperative, and apparently abandoned or discarded. Sec. 28-149(a) makes leaving one on a street, or on public or private property in public view, unlawful and a public nuisance, and that includes the owner’s own property. Removal can be authorised after a 7-day wait, or at once if the car counts as a “hazardous dilapidated motor vehicle” under 65 ILCS 5/11-40-3.1 (Sec. 28-149(b)).

The plain reading: don’t let an unplated wreck sit where people can see it. Get an offer and we call back within 15 minutes.

Ridgeland Avenue and the shop lots

Ridgeland Avenue is the spine of the village, with Chicago Ridge Mall at 95th Street, Chicago Ridge Commons at 99th and the municipal complex at 104th. In front of businesses on Ridgeland, parking is limited to 30 minutes (Sec. 50-174(b)(13)), so a car that dies there can’t wait long. Southwest Highway, 103rd Street and 111th Street are the other main streets, and the Tri-State runs through the village.

Repair shops produce plenty of junk cars: the owner hears the estimate and decides not to pay it. Village code treats an abandoned car left in open view at a repair shop or dealer for 45 days or more as a nuisance (Sec. 28-149(c)), so a car left at a shop shouldn’t sit for months. We load from shop lots once the shop agrees to release the car. Our step-by-step guide to a sale shows what happens on the day.

Permit blocks and night bans

102nd Place, from Southwest Highway east to Fireside Drive, is resident-permit-only from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Oxford Avenue south of 105th Street is permit-only on weekdays (Sec. 50-174(b)(10), (15)). If your car is on one of those blocks, mention it, since the driver will need to stop somewhere legal while loading. Other streets have posted night hours, covered in the FAQ below.

Next to Chicago Ridge

Oak Lawn wraps around the north and east sides, Bridgeview and Palos Hills are to the west, and Worth is to the south. Past Worth, Harlem Avenue leads on to Palos Heights, and Hickory Hills lies beyond Palos Hills and Bridgeview. See our Cook County page and the areas we serve.

Questions we hear in Chicago Ridge