Selling a junk or dead car in Erie

The one-car allowance, in full

The section starts by making it unlawful to park or store anywhere in town an inoperable vehicle or an unsafe vehicle, "unless stored in a completely enclosed permanent structure." Then it carves out one exception per lot or parcel. To use it, all of these must hold:

• the car is owned by the owner or occupant of that property
• it is under a car cover or opaque tarp, fastened at all times
• it stays in line with subsection 5-1-6G of the code

A see-through sheet does not meet "opaque," and a cover that blows loose does not meet "at all times."

What a nuisance case can cost

Breaking the rule makes the car "a public nuisance," and the town may go to court for abatement. The court then assesses "all costs incurred by the town in securing the abatement, including impoundment and storage expenses, and reasonable attorney fees" against the person responsible.

Long trucks on residential streets

Section 6-11-16 bars parking any motor vehicle over 25 feet long on a roadway, right-of-way or residential property in town. The exception is a vehicle "being used to render services to property located within 200 feet of where the vehicle is parked."

Colorado's baseline on abandoned cars

The quoted town code points to its own abandoned-vehicle listing, which we did not review, so here is the state version. Colorado calls a car abandoned after a day or more on private land without the landowner agreeing, unless a city sets a different period, and after 48 hours on public property. In Erie, a restoration project may stay on private land if its owner pays the annual specific ownership tax and displays the form DR 2910 decal. It can't be driven on roads until it passes a certified inspection and gets registered.

Boulder or Weld: two counties, two offices

Erie sits in both Boulder and Weld counties, and for most services you use the office in the county where you live. Boulder-side residents can go to 1750 33rd Street in Boulder, 303-413-7710, an office we checked, roughly 11 miles west of central Erie as the crow flies. Weld-side residents file in Weld County. Each county sets its own hours and local fees.

An Erie seller fills in the back of the title like this. You sign and print in the Seller space, identical to the owner name on the front, and a co-owner listed on the front signs as well. Then the price and date, plus mileage for any 2011 or newer model younger than 20. The DMV checklist for Erie sellers lists no notary. Write up a bill of sale too; DR 2173 is the state's form, and you cannot skip it if the title has no price on it. If the title went missing, DR 2539A and $8.20 buy a duplicate.

Plates and the five-day report

Erie sellers take their plates home; Colorado says they belong to the owner. Next, submit "Report Release of Liability" within 5 days on myDMV or at a county office, giving the plate and VIN or the code on the registration card. Regular plates go back to the county or to a metal recycler.

Selling an Erie car over 7 model years old to someone living in a Denver-metro or North Front Range emissions county? You owe them a passing emissions result. When the car does not run, the DMV says to phone 303-205-5603.

Getting an offer

Phone (877) 421-6008 or send the online form. Name the car, its miles, its running state, and any title wrinkles from Boulder or Weld. Pickup comes to the car, tarp and all, in an Erie side yard or a lot in Lafayette or Firestone. We buy whole non-running and junk cars with free pickup anywhere in the US.