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Towed in Chicago: City tow or private relocation?
Chicago has two main kinds of tows. The City tows to its own auto pounds and follows the Municipal Code. Private-property owners hire licensed relocators, which follow state rules from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and Chicago's own relocation ordinance.
General information, not legal advice. The papers you got from the police, the tow company, the storage lot or a state agency control your dates. Agencies change phone numbers and steps, so check the agency's own page too.
1. Check the City first
Call 311 or use the City's online vehicle search. The search shows only cars the City towed or relocated. The City sometimes moves cars to clear a street for work, so it suggests calling 311 before reporting a car stolen.
Sources: Common Towing Questions (City of Chicago); Vehicle Search (City of Chicago)
2. If a private relocator took it
A relocator must notify the police within one hour under state rules, and within 30 minutes under Chicago's ordinance, so the police can tell you where the car is. The sign at the lot must name the relocator, its phone number, its maximum fee and its hours.
- The most a relocator may charge for a light-duty vehicle is $238.20 plus a $2.50 invoice fee, or the lower amount on its sign.
- No storage may be charged for the first 24 hours.
Sources: ICC Police (Illinois Commerce Commission); 92 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1710 (JCAR)
3. Who takes questions and complaints
City tows: the Auto Pound Office (312-746-4954) and the Department of Administrative Hearings. Private relocations: the ICC Police (847-294-4326). The ICC does not handle police tows, street tows or damage claims.
Sources: Common Towing Questions (City of Chicago); ICC Police (Illinois Commerce Commission)
Check what the tow company or the City had to do
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