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Is my car being sold? Lien sales and auctions in Chicago
If a tow company or storage lot keeps a car and the bill is not paid, the car can be sold after the notices and waiting periods the law sets. The notice you get tells you which rules apply and how much time you have.
General information, not legal advice. Check your notice: the dates printed on it are the ones that count. Count calendar days unless the rule says business days.
How a towed car can be sold
Unclaimed cars at City of Chicago auto pounds
Who this covers: City of Chicago impounds (Municipal Code ch. 9-92; 625 ILCS 5/4-208(a) for cities over 500,000)
10 days after the impound
Notice of impoundment within 10 days
The City mails the owner a notice of impoundment within 10 days (certified mail if the car is registered). The OIG found the City mails the disposal notice the same day, in a separate letter.
Source: Mun. Code 9-92-070(a); OIG audit p. 14; Municipal Code ch. 9-92 (American Legal Publishing); OIG audit (PDF)
18 days after notice (21 for booted cars), plus one 15-day extension on request
18 days, with one 15-day extension
A car not claimed 18 days after the notice can be disposed of. The registered owner can ask Streets and Sanitation for one 15-day extension (312-746-4954), and the City may not dispose of the car during it. The City's page says cars are normally kept at least 21 days from the mailing; the OIG says booted cars get 21 days and that in practice the City holds cars over 30 days.
Source: Mun. Code 9-92-100(a); City Common Towing Questions; OIG audit p. 14; Common Towing Questions (City of Chicago); OIG audit (PDF)
Sale or scrap
State law says unclaimed cars in cities over 500,000 go to licensed parts recyclers, rebuilders or scrap processors under the City's purchasing law. In 2023 the City sold 12,260 cars to its pound contractor for 42% of their scrap value and auctioned 132 cars (those from Central and those valued over $10,000).
Source: 625 ILCS 5/4-208(a); OIG audit pp. 17-18; 625 ILCS 5/4-208 (Illinois General Assembly); OIG audit (PDF)
What is still owed
When a car is disposed of, the code allows only one day of storage to be charged, but the City says the owner still owes the fines and fees tied to the tow.
Source: Mun. Code 9-92-080(b); City Common Towing Questions; Municipal Code sec. 9-92-080 (American Legal Publishing); Common Towing Questions (City of Chicago)
Unclaimed cars at private relocators' lots
Who this covers: Private-property relocation tows in Cook County and the other covered counties (92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710; 625 ILCS 5/4-205 to 4-209; 770 ILCS 50)
How the two state routes (the unclaimed-vehicle disposal law and the storage lien act) fit together for Chicago relocators is not settled in the sources we read; the tool does not decide which one applies.
Report by day 20
Report to police after 15 days
A relocator holding a car unclaimed for 15 days must report it to the police within the next 5 days. To find and notify the owner it can search Secretary of State records, and it must also notify any lienholders of record.
Source: 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710.80(b); 625 ILCS 5/4-205(c); 92 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1710 (JCAR); 625 ILCS 5/4-205 (Illinois General Assembly)
18 days after notice (10 days for cars over 7 years old)
Disposal under the state unclaimed-vehicle law
The ICC's rule sends unclaimed relocated cars to the state disposal law. In a city over 500,000, that law allows disposal to a licensed recycler, rebuilder or scrap processor 18 days after notice, if an extra first-class notice was mailed. A car over 7 years old with no owner response may be disposed of after 10 days.
Source: 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1710.180; 625 ILCS 5/4-208(a), 4-209(b); 625 ILCS 5/4-208 (Illinois General Assembly); 625 ILCS 5/4-209 (Illinois General Assembly); 92 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1710 (JCAR)
90 days; 30-day notice before a sale
The relocator's storage lien (separate state law)
A relocator's charges are also a possessory lien under the Labor and Storage Lien (Small Amount) Act. That act allows a sale only after 90 days, with a newspaper notice and a certified letter at least 30 days before the sale; extra money is held 6 months and then sent to the county treasurer. Certain belongings cannot be held for the bill (see the January 2026 update).
Source: 625 ILCS 5/18a-501; 770 ILCS 50/2-4; 625 ILCS 5/18a-501 (Illinois General Assembly); 770 ILCS 50/2; 770 ILCS 50/3; 770 ILCS 50/4
Where sales happen
| Tow yard or lot | Sale day | Times | Address and phone | List of cars and notes | Sources | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Auto Pound (run by Streets and Sanitation) Service area Downtown (Central Business District) parking tows | No set auction day | Times not published. Call the lot. | 500 E. Wacker Dr. (Lower Level), Chicago, IL 312-746-4954 | Open 24 hours. Unclaimed cars from Central are sold at City auctions listed online (the City's listings are on PublicSurplus). The Auto Pound Office (312-746-4954, weekdays 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) takes requests for the one 15-day extension before disposal. | Common Towing Questions (City of Chicago); OIG audit, Program Finances (PDF); COFA auction proposal (PDF) | October 7, 2026 |
| Doty Auto Pound (pounds #2 and #3S, run by the City's contractor) Service area Mostly South Side tows; #3S is for abandoned cars | No set auction day | Times not published. Call the lot. | 10301 S. Doty Ave. (103rd St. and Doty Ave.), Chicago, IL 312-746-4954 | Most unclaimed cars here are sold to the City's pound contractor for a share of scrap value; the City auctions cars valued over $10,000 online. There is no published auction calendar. Sources disagree: The City's towing page gives the location as 103rd St. and Doty Ave.; the OIG audit gives 10301 Doty Ave. CPD's evidence pound #1S is also on this site. | Common Towing Questions (City of Chicago); OIG audit (PDF) | October 7, 2026 |
| Sacramento Auto Pound (pounds #3N and #6, run by the City's contractor) Service area Mostly North Side tows; #3N is for abandoned cars | No set auction day | Times not published. Call the lot. | 701 N. Sacramento Ave., Chicago, IL 312-746-4954 | Most unclaimed cars here are sold to the City's pound contractor for a share of scrap value; the City auctions cars valued over $10,000 online. There is no published auction calendar. | Common Towing Questions (City of Chicago); OIG audit (PDF) | October 7, 2026 |
| O'Hare Auto Pound (run by Streets and Sanitation) Service area Tows at O'Hare Airport | No set auction day | Times not published. Call the lot. | 10000 Bessie Coleman Dr., O'Hare International Airport 312-746-4954 | A small pound (about 50 impounds in 2023, per the OIG). Disposal follows the same City rules. Sources disagree: The City's towing page gives only 'Bessie Coleman Drive'; the OIG audit gives 10000 Bessie Coleman Dr. | Common Towing Questions (City of Chicago); OIG audit (PDF) | October 7, 2026 |
| Private relocator lots (private-property tows) Service area Tows ordered by private property owners and managers | No public schedule | Times not published. Call the lot. | The lot named on the relocator's sign The relocator's number on the sign | There is no public list or calendar. An unclaimed car must be reported to police after 15 days and is disposed of under state law (see the steps below). | 625 ILCS 5/4-208 (Illinois General Assembly); 92 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1710 (JCAR) | October 7, 2026 |
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