Sell your car in Centennial: wrecked, dead or kept out of sight
Centennial's code doesn't allow a junk or inoperable vehicle to be parked or stored on private property where it's visible from any public or private property (Centennial Code Compliance). Describe the car online for a cash offer from our buying partner, and a free pickup takes it out of view for good.
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What the city can do about a car in view
- Fines can run by the day. On private property the city's Code Compliance enforces the visibility rule, and enforcement can go as far as fines of up to $2,650 per day, per violation (Code Compliance).
- An RV at home must be registered and running. The city's Code Compliance FAQ says a recreational vehicle on private property must have current registration or tags and be operational (Code Compliance FAQ).
- A sale ends it. Ask for an offer, and the free pickup takes the car away from the driveway, the side yard or the curb, so nothing is left in view.
Where we pick up around Centennial
Pickup costs nothing anywhere in Centennial, a city of about 108,000 residents (City of Centennial), or elsewhere in Arapahoe County. If you've put the car in the garage to keep it out of view, say so when you book, along with anything tight about the driveway, a low garage door or a car boxed in by others.
On a public street, it's the Sheriff's call. The city notes that junk or inoperable vehicles on a public street in Centennial are addressed by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office (City of Centennial), so a dead car at the curb is a matter for deputies, not city code officers.
Cash for your car in Centennial
Centennial's visibility test is wider than the view from the curb. The rule reaches a junk or inoperable car seen from any public or private property (Centennial Code Compliance), so a fence that hides it from the street but not from the yard next door doesn't settle it.
In practice that usually means a closed garage or a sale. Our buying partner will price a car that's wrecked, worn out or dead, and the junk car offer is for one worth only its scrap and parts. The offer is yours at no charge and with no strings, and you get seven days to say yes.
Still deciding? How to get rid of an old car compares selling with scrapping, donating or giving it away, and selling a car with problems covers one that runs, but badly.
Online first, then an appointment at Lima Plaza
Arapahoe County says many motor vehicle services can be completed entirely online (Arapahoe Clerk and Recorder). For anything that has to happen in person, service is by appointment only (Arapahoe motor vehicle services), so a private buyer from Centennial who needs the counter books a slot rather than turning up at Lima Plaza.
A question that might decide whether a trip is needed at all can go to the county's motor vehicle phone line first; its number and hours are in the office details below.
Lima Plaza, the county's office in Centennial
- •6954 S. Lima St., in Lima Plaza, houses the Clerk and Recorder's motor vehicle office that serves Centennial (Lima Plaza listing)
- •Confirm the hours first. The Lima Plaza page still shows Clerk and Recorder branch hours starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m., while the county's Littleton branch page gives 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Jan. 1, 2026 (Lima Plaza page)
- •303-795-4500 is the county's motor vehicle phone line, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., closed daily from noon to 1 p.m. (Arapahoe County Motor Vehicle)
Asked by Centennial sellers
Is a dead car behind my backyard fence legal in Centennial?
Only if no one can see it. The rule bars junk or inoperable vehicles on private property visible from any public or private property (Centennial Code Compliance), so a fence that blocks the street view but not a neighbor's doesn't settle it.
Who handles a junk car parked on a Centennial street?
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. The city's Code Compliance page points street cases to the Sheriff (City of Centennial).
Where is the county motor vehicle office in Centennial, and can I walk in?
It's in Lima Plaza at 6954 S. Lima St. (Lima Plaza listing), and in-person service is by appointment only (Arapahoe motor vehicle services).
Can I keep an RV that no longer runs at my Centennial house while I sell it?
Not on private property under the city's rule: a recreational vehicle there must have current registration or tags and be operational (Code Compliance FAQ).
Can I phone Arapahoe County instead of going in?
Yes, for questions. The motor vehicle line, 303-795-4500, answers Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is closed from noon to 1 p.m. (Arapahoe motor vehicle line)
Arapahoe County applies the same Colorado law as every other county to the signed title, the plates and any emissions certificate; selling a car in Colorado has those steps, and the bill of sale guide explains when you need one.