Selling a junk or dead car in Evans

The six-foot fence exception

Evans gives one way to keep a dead car outside. The rule does not apply to a parcel with one inoperable vehicle "that is being renovated or stored for the purpose of being renovated," as long as it is "screened with a fence of a minimum of six (6) feet in height." The fence must be standard privacy material that hides the car or its parts from the street and the neighbors. A cover or tarp is not mentioned.

Pulling the engine does not get a car out of the rule. The city defines a vehicle as any automobile, truck, tractor or motorcycle "that originally contained an engine, regardless of whether it contains an engine at any other time." Loose "motor vehicle bodies or parts" sitting outdoors count as junk under the same chapter.

Street parking: seven days, or 24 hours

Section 10.04.070 sets two limits on public streets:

• No one may leave a vehicle unattended on a street "for a period of seven (7) days or longer without moving or using such vehicle."
• A vehicle "not registered to a nearby address" is considered abandoned if it is not moved every twenty-four hours, and Evans may ticket it or tow it on the owner's dime.

A car that creates an immediate hazard can be towed with no notice, and the owner pays the actual towing and storage. If not, an officer can leave a parking violation notice on it, and then the city can have it towed and bill the owner. You have fifteen days from the notice to pay the fine or sign a written dispute with the Clerk of the Municipal Court.

Not in the trailer, either

Moving parts into a trailer is a short fix. Section 8.27.030 says no recreational vehicle, recreational equipment or utility trailer may be used to store junk "for a period of more than seven (7) consecutive days." The same section says utility trailers, recreational vehicles and recreational equipment "shall be operable and be current on all registrations."

Weld County title work

Evans owners take title work to Weld County. Colorado's county offices work under the elected clerk and recorder, and each picks its own hours and fees. For most services, another county's office cannot help.

For the title itself, an Evans seller signs and prints in the Seller spot on the reverse, spelled precisely the way the front shows the owner, and every co-owner named up front does the same. Fill in what the buyer paid and the sale date. Mileage goes in as well for 2011 and later models during their first two decades. Sellers will not see a notary on the DMV's step list. Hand the buyer a bill of sale, DR 2173 or one like it, which Colorado demands any time the title is missing a price.

Two state rules matter for a parts car. A vehicle sold on a bill of sale alone as "parts only" cannot be titled in Colorado, and a car that Colorado has classified junk will never carry a title again. Evans owners can get a lost title replaced for $8.20; see selling with no title.

Plates and the five-day report

Colorado says plates belong to the owner, so the Evans seller keeps them. You have 5 days to log the sale through "Report Release of Liability," online at myDMV or at a county counter. Bring your plate and VIN, or the registration card code. Once that's filed, whatever the buyer does with the Evans car is no longer on the seller.

Getting an offer

Send the form or dial (877) 421-6008: we ask for the car's year, make, model and miles, whether it cranks, and how the title reads. The truck goes to the car, up on blocks behind a fence near 37th Street or at a shop in Greeley. We offer free pickup anywhere in the US, Johnstown and Windsor included.