Whenever an abandoned, lost, stolen, or unclaimed motor vehicle or other type of vehicle that is seven (7) years old or newer remains unclaimed by the registered owner or other person legally entitled to its possession for a period of thirty (30) days, and the owner or legal possessor has been given notice, the Police Department having possession of the vehicle shall cause it to be sold by private or public sale.
Notice of the time and place of the sale shall be posted in a conspicuous place for at least ten (10) days before the sale at the premises where the vehicle has been impounded. At least ten (10) days before the sale, the Police Department, shall cause a notice of the time and place of the sale to be sent by certified mail to the registered owner or to any other person known by the Police Department or towing service to be legally entitled to possession of the vehicle. Such notice shall contain a complete description of the vehicle to be sold and what steps must be taken by any legally entitled person to reclaim the vehicle.
In those instances where the certified mail notice has been returned to the Police Department because of the addressee having moved, because the mail was unclaimed or refused, or if a forwarding address is unknown, the sending of a second notice by certified mail is not required.
When a motor vehicle that is more than seven (7) years old is impounded as specified in this chapter, it will be kept in custody for a minimum of ten (10) days for the purpose of determining ownership, contacting the registered owner by U.S. mail or in person to determine disposition, and examining the Illinois State Police stolen motor vehicle files for evidence of theft and other information. At the expiration of the ten-day period, without the benefit of disposition information or directions received from the registered owner, the Chief of Police may authorize the disposal of the vehicle as a junk vehicle. (Ord. 2013-8, 2-11-2014)