Per Illinois law, police have the right to tow a vehicle if it is abandoned or left unattended on a toll highway, interstate highway, or expressway for two hours or more. Private property owners can have their vehicle towed if it is trespassing. Either way, getting your car back can be expensive and time-consuming, so it’s important to know the rules.

Here to make sure you know all of your rights when it comes to towing laws is

Jerry

, the

super app

that saves car owners time and money when shopping for

car insurance

— no matter what their driving history looks like. We’ll go over who can tow your vehicle, the circumstances in which they can tow it, and how to get your vehicle back.

When can police tow a vehicle in Illinois?

To understand when the police can tow your vehicle in Illinois, we have to look at

Vehicle Code 625 ILCS 5

. If you don’t want to read the long, complicated law, here’s how it breaks down:

Police can tow your vehicle if and when it:

Has been abandoned or left unattended on a toll highway, interstate highway, or expressway for 2 hours or more

Has been abandoned on a highway in an urban district for 10 hours or more

Has been abandoned or left unattended on a highway other than a toll highway, interstate highway, or expressway, outside of an urban district for 24 hours or more

Has been abandoned, unattended, wrecked, burned, or partially dismantled and is creating a traffic hazard because of its position in relation to the highway or its physical appearance is causing the impeding of traffic

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How to get your car out of an impound lot in Illinois

If your vehicle ends up towed, it’ll get taken to an impound lot. If you are present when the vehicle is seized, you may be given the location of where your car is headed right away. If you’re not present, you’ll be notified by mail of the impoundment with a number to call for its location.

To retrieve a vehicle from impoundment, you must first pay several fines:

Bond/impound fee

Towing fee

Storage fee (usually per day)

Any fees associated with unpaid tickets

Keep in mind that these fees can add up quickly, so you should try to pay them as soon as possible to keep them from growing. Additionally, in some cities in Illinois, you must pay these fees entirely in cash.

Once your fees are paid, you can head to the impound lot to pick up your vehicle. You’ll need to provide proof of ownership, which may include proof of insurance.

Note that if a car is not collected or spoken for within 21 days, the vehicle may be resold at auction.

MORE: My car got towed. Now what?

When can private property owners tow a vehicle in California?

Believe it or not, the police aren’t the only people who can order your vehicle to be towed. Private property owners — think landlords and business owners — have the right to have your car towed in certain situations, as well.

According to

Illinois law code 625 ILCS 5/4-203

, private property owners can order a tow if your vehicle is trespassing. Trespassing occurs only after your vehicle receives a notice that it is not allowed to be parked there; however, the notice can come from a previously posted sign.

The law is quite specific about the sign's look, location, and content. Here are the rules:

A sign must be posted at each entrance that lets vehicles into the property

Signs must be within 5 feet of the public street

If there are no curbs or access barriers, then there must be signs posted not less than one sign every 100 feet of lot frontage

With 2-, 3-, or 4-family residences, the sign can be located at the perimeter of the parking lot, in a position where the notice is visible to the occupants of vehicles entering the lot

Signs must have reflective letters at least 2 inches high, on a contrasting background

The bottom of the sign must be at least 4 feet off the ground

The sign must state that unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the vehicle owner’s expense, and provide the name and phone number of the towing service that removes the vehicle

The property owner must also give written instructions to the towing company. If the law isn’t followed exactly, the property owner cannot legally tow your vehicle.

MORE:

How much does it cost to tow a car?

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When can your car be towed from a parking lot in Illinois?

Finally, per

Illinois Law Code: 9-92-030

, your vehicle can be towed from a public parking lot if it is left unattended and unlawfully parked so as to constitute a hazard or obstruction to the normal movement of traffic.

In other words, if you’re not properly parked in a singular, dedicated space, you could be at risk for a tow.

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What are my rights if my car is towed in Illinois?

To avoid predatory towing practices, it’s important to know your rights in the event that your vehicle is towed.

When a vehicle has been towed and impounded in Illinois, it must be released to its owner or custodian within one-half hour after requested (as long as you make the request during business hours). If you make the request after business hours, it must be granted within a two-hour period after the request has been made.

Additionally, if you believe that your vehicle was unlawfully towed — or towed in error — you can request a court hearing. You must do this within 15 days of the mailed impoundment notification, and you can still request a hearing even after you retrieve your car.

MORE: How to get car insurance with a bad driving record

How to save on car insurance in Illinois

Having your car towed usually accompanies some other sort of traffic violation, such as multiple parking tickets, or even something more severe like a DUI.

Traffic violations such as this can, unfortunately, raise your car insurance rates. But don’t worry — you’re not without options!

If you want to save money on your

Illinois car insurance cost

, the

Jerry

app is a good place to start. A licensed broker, Jerry does all the hard work of finding cheap quotes from the top name-brand insurance companies and buying new car insurance. Jerry will even help you cancel your old policy.

And to ensure you always have the lowest rate, Jerry will send you new quotes every time your policy comes up for renewal, so you’re always getting the coverage you want at the best price. This level of service is why Jerry earned a 4.7/5 rating on the App Store and made it the top insurance app in the country.

“My speeding ticket raised my insurance to $310/month.
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What is the maximum towing fee in Illinois?

There are a lot of factors that go into determining the maximum towing fee, as it depends on which city you’re in, the weight of your vehicle, and how long it is stored at an impound lot.

Can a landlord tow your car without notice in Illinois?

No. Prior notice must be provided; however, that notice can come in the form of a previously posted sign.

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