Junk and dead cars in Thornton: the rules and how to sell

No dead cars in the open

Thornton does not allow screened outdoor storage of a broken car at home. Section 38-421 makes it unlawful to park or store "Inoperable motor vehicles, unless they are completely enclosed in a permanent structure." The property-maintenance code, Section 10-251, adds that "no inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicle shall be parked, kept or stored on any premises," and that no vehicle may be "in the process of being stripped or dismantled." Major work, body work included, has to happen inside a structure built for it.

Two more pieces of Chapter 38 matter at home:

• Residential lots must be kept "free and clear of inoperable, unsafe, unlawful and/or abandoned motor vehicles" under Section 38-400, and code compliance officers may impound them from residential property.
• A stored car is defined in Section 38-386 as one parked "for a continuous period of ten days or more" without being used.

Section 38-421 also lists "A motor vehicle advertised for sale" among the vehicles that may not be parked or stored in the city, with an exemption only for properties the city approved for vehicle sales or display.

The two warning clocks

For an abandoned, inoperable or stored car, the notice in Section 38-424 "Orders removal of the motor vehicle from the location within 72 hours of the notice." After that, an officer may have the car and any parts towed, and the owner pays for the impound. The 24-hour version covers cars advertised for sale and certain cars parked against the Model Traffic Code. That shorter warning follows the car: it stays in force at "any other prohibited location" if the registered owner has not changed.

On public property the bar is lower still. Section 38-386 calls a car "left unattended on public property, including any portion of the highway right-of-way, for a period of 24 hours or longer" abandoned.

If you think a tow was wrong, Section 38-427 gives you a hearing "on the next available court date or within five days after the receipt of the request," weekends and city holidays aside. Posting a bond for the costs gets the car out first. More on handling a warning in notice to remove a car.

Adams or Weld?

Thornton spans two counties, and Colorado routes most title work to the county where you live; Thornton residents cannot use a third county's counter for it. Thornton is in Adams County. Thornton's motor vehicle counter sits at Suite E2001, 4430 S. Adams County Pkwy., in Brighton. The phone is 720.523.6010. That puts it about 7 miles east of central Thornton as the crow flies. Households on the Weld side go to Weld County instead.

Signing it over

A Thornton seller signs the Seller section on the title's back and prints beside it the same name shown on the front. Each owner listed up front adds a signature. Fill in what the buyer paid, the sale date and the mileage. Colorado's DMV seller steps list no notary at all. Thornton sellers keep the plates. They don't go with the car. Within 5 days, file "Report Release of Liability" online through myDMV, or at an Adams or Weld county office.

Emissions can come up too. In the Denver metro area and North Front Range, a gas car more than seven model years old generally needs a passing test at sale if its buyer is in a testing county. Thornton owners of a car that will not run still have a path: the DMV allows some inoperable cars to be sold in the program area when criteria are met, and its number for that is 303-205-5603. See failed emissions.

Getting an offer

Thornton owners can ring (877) 421-6008 or use the form to start. The truck can pick the car up from a garage, an Adams County lot or a Weld County driveway. Northglenn is about 2 miles away and Broomfield about 6; for statewide rules, see Colorado.