Can your car be towed without warning in Illinois? When it can be legally hauled away
While some parking errors may cost you a ticket, others will result in your car being towed. But when can a police officer lawfully have your vehicle hauled away in Illinois?
In the Land of Lincoln, state law and local ordinances regulate towing rules and impound fees. The rules generally vary based on where and for how long a vehicle is left, as well as whether the vehicle is wrecked.
Here’s what to know about towing regulations statewide and in Belleville.
What does Illinois state law say about towing?
Under Illinois state law, the time limit for how long a vehicle can be abandoned before towing is warranted depends on where it’s left.
“When a vehicle is abandoned, or left unattended, on a toll highway, interstate highway, or expressway for 2 hours or more, its removal by a towing service may be authorized by a law enforcement agency having jurisdiction,” the relevant state law says, in part.
The limit is 10 hours when a vehicle is abandoned on a highway in an urban district and 24 hours for a highway that doesn’t meet any of the above descriptions.
If a vehicle is abandoned, wrecked, burned or partially dismantled and creates a traffic hazard, it can lawfully be immediately towed.
A law enforcement officer in Illinois can have a car towed without first issuing a warning, Illinois State Police sergeant Melissa Albert-Lopez confirmed in a Jan. 10 email to the News-Democrat.
How does towing work in Belleville?
Along with the state law, local ordinances regulate towing in many Illinois municipalities.
Belleville’s city ordinance on towing says a police officer can authorize a vehicle to be towed if it has been parked “in the same vicinity on any public street or other public place” for 72 consecutive hours, or if the vehicle is parked in any no-parking area for any length of time.
The Belleville Police Department had 902 vehicles towed in 2023 and 1,016 towed in 2024, administrative supervisor Sarah Herzing wrote in a Jan. 15 email to the BND.
The city uses three towing companies: Johnston Towing, Classic Auto Body & Towing and Paule Towing, and the company rotates every three weeks, Herzing said.
Herzing said the city does not have contact information posted in tow away zones, but city officials send a letter to anyone whose vehicle has been towed within three business days.
Towing fees in Belleville are the same for all three companies, but vary based on the type of vehicle and the situation in question.
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This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
