Cash for your junk car in Hazel Crest

Hazel Crest starts just south of Markham, and the center of the village, at 175th Street and Kedzie Avenue, is about 3 road miles from us. The drive is south on Crawford Avenue (Pulaski Road) for two miles, then east on 175th. The drive takes about 6 minutes.

The village of Hazel Crest

About 13,400 people live in the village (2020 Census) on 3.4 square miles, mostly in Bremen Township, with the area south of 183rd Street in Rich Township and the part east of the interstate in Thornton. It was settled in 1870 as “South Harvey,” renamed Hazel Crest in 1900 and incorporated in 1912. Its neighbors are Markham to the north, Harvey to the northeast, East Hazel Crest to the east, Homewood to the southeast, Flossmoor to the south and Country Club Hills to the west. Mail uses 60429, shared with East Hazel Crest.

Driving into Hazel Crest

• 175th Street and Kedzie Avenue, both divided four-lane roads, meeting at the village center.
• 183rd Street (also four lanes), 167th Street, Pulaski Road, Wood Street, Dixie Highway and Governors Highway.
• I-80 joins the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) inside the village.

Subdivisions and landmarks

Hazel Crest is a village of named subdivisions, mostly built from the 1950s to the 1980s, and giving us the subdivision name helps:

• Hazel Crest Proper, the oldest part.
• Highlands (northwest of 175th and Kedzie) and Pottawatomie Hills / Twin Creeks (northeast).
• Pacesetter / Stonebridge / Carriage Hills (southeast of 175th and Kedzie).
• Chateaux / Versailles (northwest of 183rd and Kedzie) and Dynasty Lakes / Village West (southwest).

Landmarks people use:

• Advocate South Suburban Hospital at 17800 Kedzie Avenue.
• The Hazel Crest Metra Electric station at Park Avenue and 170th Street.
• Palmer Lake Corporate Business Park at 175th and Governors Highway.
• The Grande Prairie Public Library at 3479 W. 183rd Street.
• The Martin J. Kauchak Municipal Center, the village hall.
• Schools such as Mae Jemison, Highlands and Chateaux elementary schools. High school students go to Hillcrest, Homewood-Flossmoor or Thornwood, all outside the village.

Homes, condos and pickups in Hazel Crest

About 77% of homes are single-family houses and 9% are townhomes or other attached homes, with condo complexes such as English Valley, Stonebridge, Gingko, Ironwood and Water’s Edge. Three in four homes are owner-occupied. So a Hazel Crest pickup is usually a driveway, and sometimes a townhome or condo lot.

For condo and townhome lots, check with the association first. An association may have its own rules about inoperable cars and towing, and the driver needs to know where the car is parked and how to get in.

Hazel Crest’s code has a few rules worth knowing:

• No parking on grass or any unpaved surface.
• Snow: after 2 inches, no street parking until removal is done, on all streets except Hazel Crest Proper. On streets and subdivisions listed in Sec. 19-109(a), parking is limited to a few minutes while snow is falling. East of I-294, an odd/even system applies from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Permit zones on 168th Street, Charleston Street, 169th Street (north side), Page Avenue and Paulina Avenue, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Heavy vehicles: Sec. 19-111 bars tow trucks and similar vehicles from parking in single-family zones. A tow truck there to load your car and leave is a different thing, but don’t expect it to wait on the street.

Inoperable vehicles in Hazel Crest

The village’s resident responsibilities page says inoperable vehicles may not be left on village streets or in driveways, and that owners face warnings, citations, towing and, in some cases, arrest. The code backs that up: § 20-132 (amended in March 2026) declares abandoned vehicles, and inoperable or dismantled vehicles, or vehicles without a current license, stored outdoors, to be public nuisances. Before an abandoned vehicle is towed, the village gives notice, and the owner has 7 days to ask for a hearing in writing.

That’s firmer than the “7 days in public view” rule used in some neighboring towns. If you have a notice, our guide to inoperable car notices in the south suburbs explains your options.

Village sticker

Every vehicle registered to a Hazel Crest address needs a current village sticker. They go on sale December 1 and must be displayed by January 31. If you sell your junk car before then, skip the sticker and file the state’s Seller’s Report of Sale instead. What happens after you sell has the rest of the checklist.

Next to Hazel Crest

We also pick up in Country Club Hills to the west, Homewood to the southeast and Markham to the north. A car hit in a crash? See wrecked cars.