§ 4-107 — Stolen, converted, recovered and unclaimed vehicles

(a) Every Sheriff, Superintendent of police, Chief of police or other police officer in command of any Police department in any City, Village or Town of the State, shall, by the fastest means of communications available to his law enforcement agency, immediately report to the Illinois State Police, in Springfield, Illinois, the theft or recovery of any stolen or converted vehicle within his district or jurisdiction. The report shall give the date of theft, description of the vehicle including color, year of manufacture, manufacturer's trade name, manufacturer's series name, body style, vehicle identification number and license registration number, including the state in which the license was issued and the year of issuance, together with the name, residence address, business address, and telephone number of the owner. The report shall be routed by the originating law enforcement agency through the Illinois State Police District in which such agency is located. (b) A registered owner or a lienholder may report the theft by conversion of a vehicle, to the Illinois State Police, or any other police department or Sheriff's office. Such report will be accepted as a report of theft and processed only if a formal complaint is on file and a warrant issued. (c) An operator of a place of business for garaging, repairing, parking or storing vehicles for the public, in which a vehicle remains unclaimed, after being left for the purpose of garaging, repairing, parking or storage, for a period of 15 days, shall, within 5 days after the expiration of that period, report the vehicle as unclaimed to the municipal police when the vehicle is within the corporate limits of any City, Village or incorporated Town, or the County Sheriff, or State Police when the vehicle is outside the corporate limits of a City, Village or incorporated Town. This Section does not apply to any vehicle: (1) removed to a place of storage by a law enforcement agency having jurisdiction, in accordance with Sections 4-201 and 4-203 of this Act; or (2) left under a garaging, repairing, parking, or storage order signed by the owner, lessor, or other legally entitled person. Failure to comply with this Section will result in the forfeiture of storage fees for that vehicle involved. (d) The Illinois State Police shall keep a complete record of all reports filed under this Section of the Act. Upon receipt of such report, a careful search shall be made of the records of the office of the Illinois State Police, and where it is found that a vehicle reported recovered was stolen in a County, City, Village or Town other than the County, City, Village or Town in which it is recovered, the Illinois State Police shall immediately notify the Sheriff, Superintendent of police, Chief of police, or other police officer in command of the Sheriff's office or Police department of the County, City, Village or Town in which the vehicle was originally reported stolen, giving complete data as to the time and place of recovery. (e) Notification of the theft or conversion of a vehicle will be furnished to the Secretary of State by the Illinois State Police. The Secretary of State shall place the proper information in the license registration and title registration files to indicate the theft or conversion of a motor vehicle or other vehicle. Notification of the recovery of a vehicle previously reported as a theft or a conversion will be furnished to the Secretary of State by the Illinois State Police. The Secretary of State shall remove the proper information from the license registration and title registration files that has previously indicated the theft or conversion of a vehicle. The Secretary of State shall suspend the registration of a vehicle upon receipt of a report from the Illinois State Police that such vehicle was stolen or converted. (f) When the Secretary of State receives an application for a certificate of title or an application for registration of a vehicle and it is determined from the records of the office of the Secretary of State that such vehicle has been reported stolen or converted, the Secretary of State shall immediately notify the Illinois State Police or the Secretary of State Department of Police and shall give the Illinois State Police or the Secretary of State Department of Police the name and address of the person or firm titling or registering the vehicle, together with all other information contained in the application submitted by such person or firm. If the Secretary of State Department of Police receives notification under this subsection (f), it shall conduct an investigation concerning the identity of the registered owner of the stolen or converted vehicle. (g) During the usual course of business the manufacturer of any vehicle shall place an original manufacturer's vehicle identification number on all such vehicles manufactured and on any part of such vehicles requiring an identification number. (h) Except provided in subsection (h-1), if a manufacturer's vehicle identification number is missing or has been removed, changed or mutilated on any vehicle, or any part of such vehicle requiring an identification number, the Illinois State Police or the Secretary of State Department of Police shall restore, restamp or reaffix the vehicle identification number plate, or affix a new plate bearing the original manufacturer's vehicle identification number on each such vehicle and on all necessary parts of the vehicles. A vehicle identification number so affixed, restored, restamped, reaffixed or replaced is not falsified, altered or forged within the meaning of this Act. (h-1) A person engaged in the repair or servicing of vehicles may reaffix a manufacturer's identification number plate on the same damaged vehicle from which it was originally removed, if the person reaffixes the original manufacturer's identification number plate in place of the identification number plate affixed on a new dashboard that has been installed in the vehicle. The person must notify the Secretary of State each time the original manufacturer's identification number plate is reaffixed on a vehicle. The person must keep a record indicating that the identification number plate affixed on the new dashboard has been removed and has been replaced by the manufacturer's identification number plate originally affixed on the vehicle. The person also must keep a record regarding the status and location of the identification number plate removed from the replacement dashboard. The Secretary shall adopt rules for implementing this subsection (h-1). (h-2) The owner of a vehicle repaired under subsection (h-1) must, within 90 days of the date of the repairs, contact an officer of the Illinois State Police Vehicle Inspection Bureau and arrange for an inspection of the vehicle, by the officer or the officer's designee, at a mutually agreed upon date and location. (i) If a vehicle or part of any vehicle is found to have the manufacturer's identification number removed, altered, defaced or destroyed, the vehicle or part shall be seized by any law enforcement agency having jurisdiction and held for the purpose of identification. In the event that the manufacturer's identification number of a vehicle or part cannot be identified, the vehicle or part shall be considered contraband, and no right of property shall exist in any person owning, leasing or possessing such property, unless the person owning, leasing or possessing the vehicle or part acquired such without knowledge that the manufacturer's vehicle identification number has been removed, altered, defaced, falsified or destroyed. Either the seizing law enforcement agency or the State's Attorney of the county where the seizure occurred may make an application for an order of forfeiture to the circuit court in the county of seizure. The application for forfeiture shall be independent from any prosecution arising out of the seizure and is not subject to any final determination of such prosecution. The circuit court shall issue an order forfeiting the property to the seizing law enforcement agency if the court finds that the property did not at the time of seizure possess a valid manufacturer's identification number and that the original manufacturer's identification number cannot be ascertained. The seizing law enforcement agency may: (1) retain the forfeited property for official use; or (2) sell the forfeited property and distribute the proceeds in accordance with Section 4-211 of this Code, or dispose of the forfeited property in such manner as the law enforcement agency deems appropriate. (i-1) If a motorcycle is seized under subsection (i), the motorcycle must be returned within 45 days of the date of seizure to the person from whom it was seized, unless (i) criminal charges are pending against that person or (ii) an application for an order of forfeiture has been submitted to the circuit in the county of seizure or (iii) the circuit court in the county of seizure has received from the seizing law enforcement agency and has granted a petition to extend, for a single 30 day period, the 45 days allowed for return of the motorcycle. Except as provided in subsection (i-2), a motorcycle returned to the person from whom it was seized must be returned in essentially the same condition it was in at the time of seizure. (i-2) If any part or parts of a motorcycle seized under subsection (i) are found to be stolen and are removed, the seizing law enforcement agency is not required to replace the part or parts before returning the motorcycle to the person from whom it was seized. (j) The Illinois State Police or the Secretary of State Department of Police shall notify the Secretary of State each time a manufacturer's vehicle identification number is affixed, reaffixed, restored or restamped on any vehicle. The Secretary of State shall make the necessary changes or corrections in his records, after the proper applications and fees have been submitted, if applicable. (k) Any vessel, vehicle or aircraft used with knowledge and consent of the owner in the commission of, or in the attempt to commit as defined in Section 8-4 of the Criminal Code of 2012, an offense prohibited by Section 4-103 of this Chapter, including transporting of a stolen vehicle or stolen vehicle parts, shall be seized by any law enforcement agency. The seizing law enforcement agency may: (1) return the vehicle to its owner if such vehicle is stolen; or (2) confiscate the vehicle and retain it for any purpose which the law enforcement agency deems appropriate; or (3) sell the vehicle at a public sale or dispose of the vehicle in such other manner as the law enforcement agency deems appropriate. If the vehicle is sold at public sale, the proceeds of the sale shall be paid to the law enforcement agency. The law enforcement agency shall not retain, sell or dispose of a vehicle under paragraphs (2) or (3) of this subsection (k) except upon an order of forfeiture issued by the circuit court. The circuit court may issue such order of forfeiture upon application of the law enforcement agency or State's Attorney of the county where the law enforcement agency has jurisdiction, or in the case of the Illinois State Police or the Secretary of State, upon application of the Attorney General. The court shall issue the order if the owner of the vehicle has been convicted of transporting stolen vehicles or stolen vehicle parts and the evidence establishes that the owner's vehicle has been used in the commission of such offense. The provisions of subsection (k) of this Section shall not apply to any vessel, vehicle or aircraft, which has been leased, rented or loaned by its owner, if the owner did not have knowledge of and consent to the use of the vessel, vehicle or aircraft in the commission of, or in an attempt to commit, an offense prohibited by Section 4-103 of this Chapter.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21.)