Selling a junk or dead car in Pueblo

What makes a car "junked" in Pueblo

The definition in Section 7-3-40 is broad. A junked vehicle is any motor vehicle that, "because of a legal or mechanical condition or defect, cannot be operated on a public street or highway."

The code gives two shortcuts for proving it:

• Mechanical: the "motor, axle, wheel or similar necessary parts have been removed."
• Legal: after ten days' written notice, the car still "fails to possess and display current license plates."

So a running car with dead tags can end up in the same category as a stripped shell. A few places are carved out: the screened part of a licensed junk or salvage dealer's lot, a licensed repair or sales business, a fully enclosed building, or behind fencing tall and solid enough to hide the car.

The ten-day notice

The Mayor names city employees to inspect properties "as often as practicable." When one finds a junked vehicle, Section 7-3-41 has that employee hand the owner or occupant a written notice. The notice says the car "should be disposed of within ten (10) days from the date of such notice."

Those ten days run from the notice's date, not from when you read it. By the end, the car must be made legally or mechanically operable, or gotten rid of lawfully. Otherwise it "shall be deemed a nuisance" and the city abates it. Our guide to a notice to remove a car covers the choices in that window.

Residential zoning: the garage or nothing

Pueblo's zoning code is stricter than the junk rule. Section 17-4-28 says "No inoperable vehicle, vehicle parts or accessories shall be stored or parked on any residentially zoned property other than in an enclosed accessory building." A tarp in the driveway does not count.

Parts cars and collector's items get slightly more room. They may also sit in "an effectively screened outdoor storage area," kept free of weeds and trash. The same section bars trucks rated over one ton from residential districts and A-3 or A-4 zones, except while loading or working on site. That rules out parking a dead dump truck or flatbed at home.

Streets, private lots and the airport

Expired plates on the street. Section 15-1-9 makes it unlawful to park an unlicensed vehicle on any public property. "Unlicensed" includes a car with no plates and one with expired plates. After "seventy-two (72) hours" it "shall be removed and sold."

Someone else's dead car on your lot. Under Section 15-1-23, the property owner notifies the Police Department. After 72 hours, police have the car removed and stored.

A boot on the wheel. If a car is immobilized for unpaid tickets, the Municipal Court clerk charges a $160 fee before releasing it. You either pay the unpaid fines and costs plus that fee, or post a bond. The bond is half of what you owe or $250, whichever is greater.

Metered lots. Section 15-2-14 says a vehicle over three-quarter-ton capacity in a metered city lot "shall be impounded forthwith."

City airport parking. Section 3-1-4 lets the Airport Manager remove a car parked longer than 30 days without prior arrangement. It also says "Inoperable, abandoned or junked motor vehicles will not be permitted to be stored in public view on the airport."

If the car is already gone, see towed or impounded.

The Pueblo County title office

Colorado titles go through county motor vehicle offices run under the elected county clerk and recorder. You use the office in your own county; another county's office cannot help. The Pueblo County office we checked is at 215 W. 10th St., Pueblo, CO 81003, phone 719-583-6507. That address lies less than a mile north of the middle of town, in a straight line. It is one office we checked; Pueblo County may run others.

Colorado paperwork when you sell

Each Pueblo owner listed up front on the title signs and prints a name in the back's Seller section, matching the front spelling exactly. Fill in the price and date. Starting with model year 2011, the mileage goes on every transfer during a car's first two decades. The DMV calls a bill of sale (form DR 2173 or similar) best practice, and it becomes mandatory if the title shows no price. The DMV's list of seller steps includes no notary.

Missing title? A duplicate is $8.20 on form DR 2539A. When a Pueblo title can't be replaced, Colorado offers "Bonding for Title". The county office wants a surety bond for twice the appraised value, a VIN inspection and a record search. Cars over 25 years old skip the bond. See selling with no title.

Then take the plates off, because in Colorado they belong to you. Report the sale within 5 days with "Report Release of Liability" on myDMV or at the county office. Once it is filed, what the buyer later does with the car is no longer on you.

Nearby towns

Pueblo's closest neighbors with their own pages are Fountain, 29.2 miles away, and Colorado Springs, 42.1 miles. Farther out are Castle Rock at 77.6 miles and Parker at 85.9. Statewide rules are on the Colorado page.

Getting an offer

Ring (877) 421-6008 or fill in the form for your Pueblo car, and mention any parts already pulled. Our truck can load it from an enclosed garage, a screened outdoor storage area, or a spot along a Pueblo street.