Broomfield junk cars: the rules, the title office and selling

Inside, or not at all

The core sentence is short: "It shall be unlawful for any person to store or keep any junk vehicle or parts thereof on any premises, or within any zoning district, or anywhere within the city unless in a fully enclosed structure." That covers driveways, side yards, back lots and the street. There is no screened-yard option for an ordinary car.

The section carves out two groups:

• Collector's items. A car registered as a collector's item with the state under 42-15-101 and 102, C.R.S., if it is not a health, safety or fire hazard and is "effectively screened from ordinary public view by means of a solid fence, trees, shrubbery, or other appropriate means."
• Businesses. Vehicles a lawful business needs, as long as any dismantled or wrecked ones are in a fully enclosed structure or an approved junkyard.

The parking-surface rule

Even a running car has limits at home. Section 17-32-080 says vehicles must be parked in off-street spaces, which on most residential lots means asphalt or concrete, and no more than 20% of a residential lot may be used for parking. A car may sit somewhere else on the lot "for purposes of maintenance" only for up to one hour. A project car left on the lawn for a month breaks both the paved-space rule and the one-hour maintenance limit.

If Broomfield impounds the car

Under Section 10-27-170, an owner can petition the Broomfield Municipal Court for a hearing when the city attorney does not submit a probable-cause affidavit or the court finds no probable cause. The only question at that hearing is whether there was "probable cause to impound." Until then, the car stays put until the towing, storage and administrative fees are paid, either to the city or straight to its designated tow company.

A car someone left on your land

If the dead car is not yours, state law sets the clock. State law calls a vehicle abandoned after it sits on another person's private land without consent for a full day or longer. A Broomfield ordinance might set a different time. Property owners are told by the DMV to phone a licensed tow operator, not police and not the DMV. The tow operator must mail certified letters to the owner and any lienholder within 10 days of the tow. The car can be sold 30 to 60 days after they are sent. See car abandoned on your property.

The title, in a city that is also a county

Broomfield is its own county, so its motor vehicle office handles residents' title work. We checked the office at One DesCombes Dr., Broomfield (303-464-5888), roughly 2 miles southwest of central Broomfield as the crow flies.

Two Colorado rules matter for a junk car. Once the state has classed a vehicle as junk, Colorado never titles it again. A sale on a bill of sale reading "parts only" leaves the car untitleable too. That means signing over the actual Broomfield title. In Broomfield, every owner shown on the front signs and prints in the Seller section the same way, then you add the price, date and mileage. Broomfield sellers will find no notary in the DMV's seller steps list. Title lost? Colorado charges $8.20 for a replacement; see junk car with no title.

Keep the plates, which are yours. Drop standard plates at Broomfield's motor vehicle office or any metal recycler. Next, use "Report Release of Liability" on myDMV within 5 days.

Getting an offer

Got a Broomfield car to sell? Call (877) 421-6008 or use our form. The truck can load the car from a garage, an apartment lot or a business lot near Arista Place. Lafayette is about 4 miles away and Louisville about 5; for statewide rules, see Colorado.