Private-property tows · Harvey, IL

Car towed from private property in Harvey

Your car got towed from a lot or apartment complex in Harvey. Here is what Illinois law actually requires before that is allowed.

The short version

What Illinois law says

In Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will and Winnebago counties, a tow from private property is not the same thing as a police tow or a village impound. It is a relocation under the Illinois Commercial Relocation of Trespassing Vehicles Law, 625 ILCS 5/18a, and it may only be performed by a commercial vehicle relocator licensed by the Illinois Commerce Commission. That licence comes with rules the relocator has to follow, and several of them are worth real money to you if they were broken. The law does not apply to vehicles on public streets, to disabled vehicles, to repossessions, or to police-directed towing.

Step by step

How it works in Harvey

  1. 1
    Confirm it was a relocation, not a city or village tow

    If the vehicle was on a public street, this is not it. Private-property relocations only cover vehicles taken from private property by a licensed relocator at the property owner's direction.

  2. 2
    Look at the sign

    Under 18a-302 the sign must be posted conspicuously in the affected area, be at least 24 inches high by 36 inches wide, sit at least 4 feet from the ground but less than 8, be illuminated or painted with reflective paint or both, and carry the relocator's name, address and telephone number plus the amount of the towing charges. No compliant sign, and the removal was unlawful.

  3. 3
    Check the distance

    A relocator may not take the vehicle more than 15 air miles from its location when towed from an unincorporated area of a county, or more than 10 air miles from anywhere else.

  4. 4
    Ask whether police were notified

    The relocator has to notify law enforcement in the jurisdiction where the vehicle was removed within one hour of the removal. That call is also how you find your car.

  5. 5
    Use the one-hour phone rule

    If after a reasonable effort you cannot make telephone contact with the relocator for a period of one hour from your first attempt, during a time the relocator is required to answer, all fees for towing, storage or otherwise are to be waived. Keep a log of your attempts with times.

  6. 6
    Complain to the Commission

    You are entitled to a complete Relocation Towing Invoice as a receipt, and the complaint form is on the back of it. Send the completed form to the Illinois Commerce Commission, 9511 W. Harrison Street, Des Plaines, Illinois 60016, or call (847) 294-4326.

Harvey context

What this looks like around Harvey

Orland Square, the Tinley Park amphitheatre lots and the Bridgeview stadium lots all run private-property enforcement, and event parking is where most disputes start. A relocator may not remove your vehicle if you arrive before the removal is complete and you are willing and able to move it yourself.

Harvey runs its own impound. The rights matter more here than the rate: Illinois law requires notice within 10 days, an initial hearing convened no later than 45 days after that notice is mailed, and a refund of administrative fees if the hearing officer finds the vehicle was stolen or hijacked when it was impounded. A suburban impound is not the City of Chicago pound and does not use Chicago's published rates. Illinois law (625 ILCS 5/11-208.7) requires a municipal administrative fee to be reasonable and related to the municipality's actual administrative and processing costs, and it sets no dollar cap, which is why these figures vary so widely from village to village. What it does guarantee is procedure: notice within 10 days, an initial hearing convened no later than 45 days after that notice is mailed, and a refund of administrative fees if the hearing officer finds the vehicle was stolen or hijacked at the time it was impounded. Call the department that ordered the tow and ask for its administrative fee and daily storage rate.

Harvey holds 20,324 residents with a median household income of $32,635 and a median family income of $45,729, the lowest figures anywhere in this coverage area. Halsted Street, Illinois Route 1, runs through the east side, Sibley Boulevard crosses it, and I-57 and I-294 are both close. Two Metra Electric stations on the University Park line serve the city, one at Sibley Boulevard and Clinton Street and one at Park Avenue and 154th Street. The Grand Trunk Western line, graded through Thornton, is what drove the city's industrial development in the first place, and the Dixie Square Mall site is the best-known piece of what came after. A towing site owes a place like Harvey something more useful than a sales pitch. The two things that actually matter to a driver here are, first, that an abandoned or long-parked vehicle can be removed and what the process is, and second, that when a municipality impounds a vehicle, Illinois law gives the owner real rights: notice within ten days, an initial hearing convened no later than forty-five days after that notice is mailed, and a refund of administrative fees if the hearing officer finds the vehicle was stolen or hijacked when it was impounded. Those rights are worth more than a coupon. Operators cover Halsted, Sibley, both Metra stations and the industrial corridor.

Harvey impound FAQs

Common Harvey questions

Is it legal to tow my car from a parking lot in Harvey?

Yes, when it is done by a relocator licensed by the Illinois Commerce Commission and the property meets the sign requirements in 625 ILCS 5/18a-302. Removing a vehicle from a property that lacks those signs is unlawful under 18a-300(10).

Does a lot have to post a sign before towing in Harvey?

Yes, and the statute is specific. At least 24 inches high by 36 inches wide, at least 4 feet off the ground but less than 8, illuminated or painted with reflective paint or both, posted conspicuously in the affected area, and carrying the relocator's name, address and telephone number along with the towing charge. Residential property clearly reserved for residents and their vehicles is the one exception.

What if I show up before the tow truck leaves in Harvey?

Under 18a-300(9) a relocator may not remove your vehicle if you are present before the removal is complete and you are willing and able to move it immediately. For a vehicle that needs a commercial driver's licence there is a narrow exception allowing a service fee of not more than half the posted rate per tow vehicle on the scene, up to two tow vehicles.

Does Quick Tow Chicago do private-property tows in Harvey?

We are not an Illinois Commerce Commission licensed relocator and we do not pretend to be. What we do is connect property managers with relocators who hold that licence and follow the law, and help drivers work out what actually happened to their vehicle. Call (773) 830-6930.

Nearby

Private-property tows in the rest of the South & Southwest Suburbs area

Serving Harvey

Need your car towed once it's released in Harvey?

We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.