Selling a dead or junk car in Fountain

Fountain's start-on-request test

Under Section 8.20.020, an inoperable vehicle is one "incapable of being started upon request of the enforcement officer or lawfully or mechanically operated on public roadways." That second half catches a car that runs fine but cannot legally be driven.

A cover is no hiding place. When a lot holds more screened cars than it is allowed, the enforcement officer may inspect them to sort out which are inoperable. Even a permitted car outdoors has to stay clear of becoming "a health hazard, safety hazard, or a fire hazard."

The removal bill and the lien

Unfixed violations let the enforcement officer send a private contractor to take the car, under Section 8.20.110. The property's record owner gets the bill. Leave it unpaid "within 15 business days after billing" and "a lien may be assessed against the property." Business days skip Saturdays, Sundays and city holidays, and a half-day holiday counts as a whole one.

Fountain streets and tows

Fountain's Section 10.12.010 calls a car unattended once it stays put on public ground "continuously for a period of 72 hours" in the same place. Police or a designated code officer may remove "any unlicensed or inoperable vehicle left unattended on a public right-of-way or property," and cars parked with expired plates or an invalid permit too.

Section 10.12.030 then requires a certified letter or personal service to the registered owner within five working days of the impound. Per that notice, the car can be sold "unless claimed within 30 calendar days from the date the notice was sent." To ask for a hearing, write to the municipal court within ten days of the postmark or service. Our towed or impounded guide covers what to do next.

The El Paso County office

Fountain residents title cars through El Paso County. We checked its Motor Vehicle Department on West Garden of the Gods Road in Colorado Springs (number 1675, ZIP 80907; phone 719-520-6240). It's roughly 17 miles northwest of central Fountain, measured direct. For most services, Colorado sends people to the office in their own county.

What Colorado asks of a Fountain seller

The title's back has a Seller block. Put your printed name and signature there, spelled just as the front shows it, with each co-owner signing too. Enter the price, the sale date and, on 2011 and newer models, the miles. The DMV's seller list includes no notary.

Pull the plates, which Colorado assigns to the owner rather than the car. From there, the buyer gets 60 days to put it in their name. During that stretch your shield is Report Release of Liability, filed in myDMV or with the county within five days of the sale.

Nearby

In a straight line, it's 13.1 miles to Colorado Springs, 29.2 miles to Pueblo and 48.4 to Castle Rock. Statewide rules: Colorado.

Getting an offer

Ring (877) 421-6008 or use our form to sell your Fountain car. In Fountain we can load it from the curb, from a covered side yard, or from behind a solid fence.