Sell your car in Boulder: running, stuck at the curb or won't start
If a private buyer wants to meet somewhere public, CU Boulder's police department opens the loading-dock spaces at 1050 Regent Drive to the general public for online-sale exchanges, with video surveillance on the lot at all times. Or skip the meeting altogether: request a cash offer from our buying partner online and have the car collected free.
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Using the campus exchange spot for a car sale
- Find the loading dock. The exchange happens in the "loading and unloading" spaces at the loading dock on the south side of the Public Safety Building, 1050 Regent Drive (CU Boulder Police).
- You don't need a campus ID. CU Boulder police say the spot is open to the general public (CU Boulder Police).
- You get 15 minutes. The spaces allow parking for 15 minutes, so agree on the paperwork and the payment before you pull in (CU Boulder Police).
- The cameras stay on. The lot has video surveillance on it at all times (CU Boulder Police).
Rather not arrange a meeting with a buyer at all? The online offer from our buying partner comes with free pickup at your own address.
Where we pick up around Boulder
Pickup is free anywhere in Boulder, from a driveway or a parking lot to a space at the curb, and across the rest of Boulder County, including Lafayette and Longmont, where the county runs its other two motor vehicle offices. If the car is on a permit-zone street, say so when you book.
Permit zones are enforced. If the car waits at the curb for pickup, read the signs on your block first: the city's parking page says Neighborhood Parking Permit zones are enforced and asks drivers to be aware of the signage and ordinances where they park (City of Boulder).
Cash for your car in Boulder
Boulder publishes its own response times for a car at the curb. When someone reports a parking problem, the city's goal is to respond within 72 hours, staff permitting, and it can take up to 10 business days for an abandoned vehicle to be removed from the public right of way (City of Boulder). Those numbers describe the city's workload, not an allowance for leaving a dead car parked.
The simpler fix is to sell it where it sits. Non-runners are part of what our buying partner prices; the offer is free, with no obligation and a week to accept, and pickup costs nothing. For a car at the end of its life, start with the junk car offer; if it's a starting problem you haven't pinned down, why a car won't start sorts out the battery, starter and alternator.
Renewing the registration in Boulder County
If the car needs current tags while it waits to be sold, don't plan on renewing at the counter. Boulder County says renewals are not an in-person service and must be done online, by mail or drop box, or at a self-service kiosk (Boulder County).
If the registration has already lapsed, the car can still be sold; selling with expired registration covers who owes the late fees.
The county office on 33rd Street
- •1750 33rd St. is Boulder's motor vehicle office; the county's other two are in Lafayette and Longmont. (Boulder County)
- •Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The offices are closed on Fridays. (Boulder County)
- •Appointment required, no walk-ins. Book ahead for any in-person service. (Boulder County)
- •24-hour drop box: a stand-alone box outside the doors on the parking lot side. (Boulder County)
- •By mail: Boulder County Motor Vehicle Division, 1750 33rd Street, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301. (Boulder County)
Asked by Boulder sellers
Who do I call about a parking problem in Boulder after hours?
From 4:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays, and during weekends, the city says to contact non-emergency Police Dispatch at 303-441-3333 (City of Boulder).
Is Boulder County in Colorado's emissions program?
Yes. AirCare Colorado lists Boulder among the counties where the enhanced emissions program operates (AirCare Colorado), so the state's rule on emissions tests at a sale applies here; the details are on our Colorado page.
Where is Boulder's self-service registration kiosk?
In the King Soopers at 1650 30th St., at Arapahoe (Boulder County).
Can I leave paperwork at the 33rd Street office without an appointment?
Yes, in the 24-hour drop box outside the doors on the parking lot side. The county asks that you put the documents in a folder or envelope marked "Motor Vehicle" and include your contact information (Boulder County).
Signing the title over, what happens to the plates and when a buyer is owed an emissions certificate are state rules, laid out on our Colorado selling page. If the car failed its emissions test, Colorado's repair waiver guide shows what you'd have to spend on repairs to qualify.