Highland's five-day sticker, and a free tow before it runs out

How fast do I need to move a junk car in Highland once it gets a sticker?

Within 5 days. Highland's code lets police or code enforcement sticker a junk car in public view and tow it once that time is up. Cash For Junk Cars Junk My Car Inc can remove it first: the tow is free, it isn't deducted from your offer, and you're paid at pickup, often on the day you call.

A sticker on the windshield

In Highland the warning for a junk car usually arrives as a sticker. Police or code enforcement place a 5-day sticker on it, and when the 5 days are up the car can be towed, even from private property, as long as the public can see it (§ 9.60.010). A tarp or fitted cover doesn’t count as hiding it. A car that is leaking fluids or creating a hazard can be removed at once. Licensed junkyards are the only exception.

The definition is wide. A car qualifies if it has no current plates or no current insurance, can’t run safely under its own power, is missing major parts or is badly damaged, has flat tires, won’t start, or can’t move forward and back. One left on a right-of-way where it causes a traffic hazard counts as well. The police department also acts as the town’s “public agency” for abandoned vehicles under state law (§ 9.60.020).

Which papers Indiana needs

Before we can buy a junk car in Indiana, the seller must have one of three documents: the title, a duplicate title from the BMV, or a BMV certificate of authority. Age makes no difference to that rule. A sale without the title works only for a car 15 model years old or older, and the seller still needs the certificate of authority. Anything newer with neither paper is off limits, because Indiana makes the purchase a Level 6 felony for the buyer. Tell us what you have and we’ll explain the options on the call; there is more in our no-title guide.

Getting the truck to your street

Highland sits just south of the Borman Expressway. Indianapolis Boulevard (US 41) is the main north to south road, running from the Hammond line to Main Street, and Cline Avenue (SR 912) also passes through town. Kennedy Avenue comes down from Hammond, Ridge Road links Cline Avenue to the Munster line, and 45th Avenue runs from the Griffith line to Munster. The small downtown sits around Highway Avenue near Kennedy, and the Erie Lackawanna Trail cuts across town on a diagonal, so a car can be a short walk away and still on the other side of the trail. Addresses use Hammond’s numbering; give us the house number and a cross street.

Alleys, apartment lots and the snow rule

About seven in ten homes (69.9%) are detached houses, and 20.3% are in buildings of five or more units. Alley pickups work too: under § 10.20.080 a car parked in an alley has to leave 10 feet open and can’t block a driveway, which is also the space the truck needs to load. Some streets are signed for residents and visitors only (§ 10.20.280).

Winter is strict. After 2 inches or more of snow, no car may park on any street until it has been cleared, and owners are expected to move off-street or onto stretches already plowed (§ 10.20.220). Cars left out are ticketed and then towed at the owner’s cost.

Low ground near the Little Calumet

Highland has a history of flooding along the Little Calumet River, mostly in spring and away from Ridge Road, which is the highest ground in town. Floods in 2006, 2007 and 2008 were significant. A car that sat in that water often has a hydrolocked engine or ruined wiring, and the repair can cost more than the car is worth. Our guide to deciding whether to fix or junk an old car walks through the numbers to weigh.

Highland’s neighbours on our map

Munster lies directly west and Griffith to the east, and Hammond and Gary also share borders with Highland. Past Munster, the state line leads into Lansing and Lynwood. Schererville, to the south, is off our map. See the Indiana list for every town we cover, and start with the free quote form.

Questions we hear in Highland