Skokie, IL Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 42-40 defines an 'abandoned vehicle' as any motor vehicle or other vehicle in a state of disrepair that renders it incapable of being driven, or one that has not been moved or used for 7 consecutive days or more and appears deserted. A separate definition covers an 'inoperable motor vehicle,' meaning one from which the engine, wheels, or other parts have been removed, altered, or damaged for a period of 14 days so that it cannot be driven under its own power, though the section carves out vehicles temporarily down for ordinary service or repair.

Subsection (b) treats the three situations differently. Abandoning a vehicle on any street, highway, or Village-owned public property is unlawful and a nuisance outright. Abandoning one on private property is unlawful unless it belongs to the property owner or a bailee, and even an owner's own abandoned vehicle on someone else's private land can only be removed with the written consent of the property owner and only after 14 days have passed. Any inoperable vehicle visible to the general public, on public or private property alike, is likewise a declared nuisance, with exceptions for a vehicle kept inside a building when not in use, an operable historic vehicle over 25 years old, or a vehicle on the premises of a licensed vehicle wrecking or junking business.

, while an inoperable vehicle is removed under both that statute and 65 ILCS 5/11-40-3. Once the Police Department takes custody of a towed vehicle, Sec. 42-40(d) requires the owner to pay all towing and storage charges before it can be reclaimed.