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Is my car being sold? Lien sales and auctions in Denver
If a tow company or storage lot keeps a car and the bill is not paid, the car can be sold after the notices and waiting periods the law sets. The notice you get tells you which rules apply and how much time you have.
General information, not legal advice. Check your notice: the dates printed on it are the ones that count. Count calendar days unless the rule says business days.
How a towed car can be sold
Cars towed from private property (apartments, HOAs, businesses)
Who this covers: Colorado statewide, including Denver (C.R.S. title 42, article 4, part 21)
30 minutes after the tow
Police told within 30 minutes
The tow company must tell the local police or sheriff within 30 minutes, with its name, the storage lot and the car's description. The police assign a tow report number and check whether the car is stolen.
Source: C.R.S. 42-4-2103(2); C.R.S. 42-4-2103
10 days after the tow
Certified letter within 10 days
Within 10 days the tow company must find the owner and any lender and send them a certified letter, return receipt requested. It may charge at most $75 for this, and it may not charge storage past the first 24 hours until the letter is sent.
Source: C.R.S. 42-4-2103(3)(c); C.R.S. 42-4-2103
30 calendar days from the postmark
Sale notice: 30 days to claim the car
Within 3 days after getting the state's records, the tow company must send a certified notice saying the car was reported abandoned, where it is, and that it may be sold unless claimed within 30 calendar days of the postmark.
Source: C.R.S. 42-4-2103(4); C.R.S. 42-4-2103
Sale window: day 30 to day 60 after the postmark
Lien attaches; sale 30 to 60 days after the notice
For a private-property tow, the tow company's lien attaches 30 days after the postmark of the sale notice. The sale must be commercially reasonable, held 30 to 60 days after the postmark, to a licensed dealer, wholesaler or wholesale auction, or through a Colorado newspaper ad, with an independent appraisal. Five days before the sale the company must send police a list of serial-numbered property found in the car.
Source: C.R.S. 42-4-2104(1), 42-4-2105(1)(b)(II), 42-4-2107(2); C.R.S. 42-4-2104 to 42-4-2107
Storage limit: 120 days
Low-value cars and storage limits
A car appraised at $350 or less can be sold only for scrap or parts, and the buyer gets no Colorado title. If a proper sale fails, storage can keep running for up to 120 days.
Source: C.R.S. 42-4-2104(1)(c), (2); C.R.S. 42-4-2104
Surplus held 120 days, then sent to the State
After the sale
If the sale brings less than the charges, the tow company may claim the difference from the owner, but not if it broke the towing law (C.R.S. 40-10.1-405). Any surplus goes first to the lender, then to the owner; after 120 days unclaimed money goes to the State's unclaimed property fund.
Source: C.R.S. 42-4-2108; C.R.S. 42-4-2108
Abandoned cars towed from public property at police request
Who this covers: Colorado statewide (C.R.S. title 42, article 4, part 18); Denver City impounds also follow the City code below
10 working days
Report and owner search
Within 10 working days the police agency reports the tow to the state Department of Revenue, which searches its records (or a national database) for the owner and lender.
Source: C.R.S. 42-4-1804(1)-(2); C.R.S. 42-4-1804
Hearing request: 10 days; claim: 30 calendar days
Notice with a 30-day claim period and a hearing right
The agency mails the owner and lender a notice saying the car may be sold unless claimed within 30 calendar days of the postmark. The notice must explain how to ask for a hearing on whether the tow was legal; the written request is due within 10 days of the postmark. If the tow is found illegal, the police agency pays the towing and storage charges.
Source: C.R.S. 42-4-1804(4); C.R.S. 42-4-1804
Day 30 to day 60 after mailing
Appraisal and sale 30 to 60 days after the notice
The car is appraised and sold by the police agency at a public or private sale 30 to 60 days after the notice was mailed. Cars appraised at $350 or less go only for scrap or parts.
Source: C.R.S. 42-4-1805; C.R.S. 42-4-1805
Denver City impounds at the Vehicle Impound Facility
Who this covers: City and County of Denver (D.R.M.C. secs. 54-814 and 54-816)
3 working days
State report within 3 working days
If the car is not stolen, the City reports the impound to the state motor vehicle division within 3 working days.
Source: D.R.M.C. 54-814(a)(2); D.R.M.C. ch. 54, art. XV, div. 2 (Municode)
Hearing request: 10 days; claim: 30 calendar days
Certified notice: 30 days to claim, 10 days to ask for a hearing
Within 5 working days after the state's report, the City mails a certified notice with the amount due, saying the car may be disposed of unless claimed within 30 calendar days of the postmark. A written hearing request is due within 10 days of the postmark. If the hearing finds the impound illegal, all charges are forgiven.
Source: D.R.M.C. 54-814(c); D.R.M.C. ch. 54, art. XV, div. 2 (Municode)
Published notice at least 10 days before the sale
Auction notice and sale
An unclaimed car is declared abandoned and handed to General Services, which may sell it at auction or by sealed bid, scrap it, or donate it. An auction must be advertised at least once in an official City publication at least 10 days before the sale. The City's page says owners have 30 days after all holds are dropped, and that a sale or scrapping settles the tow and storage fees (tickets stay due).
Source: D.R.M.C. 54-816(b); City Vehicle Impound FAQ; D.R.M.C. ch. 54, art. XV, div. 2 (Municode); Towing and Impound FAQ (Denver)
Refund request: within 1 year of the sale
Money left over
After the City's charges and sale costs are paid, any balance goes to the City's general fund. A person entitled to it can ask General Services for a refund within one year of the sale. There is no right to buy the car back after the sale.
Source: D.R.M.C. 54-816(c), (e); D.R.M.C. ch. 54, art. XV, div. 2 (Municode)
Where sales happen
| Tow yard or lot | Sale day | Times | Address and phone | List of cars and notes | Sources | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Sheriff Vehicle Impound Facility (City auctions run by General Services) Service area City and County of Denver impounds | Wednesday (every other week) | Viewing No in-person viewing; online photos only Sale Online bidding opens on a Wednesday and closes the following Sunday; pickup is the next Wednesday | 5160 York St., Denver, CO 80216 (720) 865-0470 | The City posts a sale list (PDF) for each auction on its auction page and in its legal ads, and results of past sales. Some cars on a list are claimed before the sale. Bidding is through the City's auction contractor (Dickensheet & Associates). Sources disagree: The Sheriff's Vehicle Impound page gives the ZIP code as 80126; the City's legal ad and the Denver pack give 80216. Sources disagree: The Vehicle Impound page lists weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (property release 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.); the Towing and Impound FAQ says vehicles can be recovered 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. | Abandoned & Confiscated Vehicle Online Auction (Denver General Services); Legal Ads (Denver General Services); Vehicle Impound (Denver Sheriff) | October 7, 2026 |
| Private tow company lots (private-property tows) Service area Tows ordered by apartment, HOA and business property owners | No public schedule | Times not published. Call the lot. | The lot named on the tow company's sign and invoice The tow company's number on the sign | There is no public list or calendar. The tow company must mail a certified notice; a sale can happen 30 to 60 days after the postmark of the sale notice, through a licensed dealer, wholesaler or wholesale auction, or a Colorado newspaper ad. | C.R.S. 42-4-2103 and 42-4-2104 (C.R.S. 2024, title 42); Residential Towing Information (Colorado PUC) | October 7, 2026 |
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