Sell your car in Fort Collins: running, won't start or on expired tags
Tell us about your car, get an instant cash offer, and pickup at your address is free. If the car no longer runs, the city and Larimer County each have their own rules on where it can sit while you wait. Both are below, with the county office and the emissions lanes in case you need either.
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Keeping a parked car legal in Fort Collins
- On the street, the tags must be current. The city says vehicles parked on public property must display current registration.
- Don't leave it there more than 48 hours. A vehicle left unattended on public property for more than 48 hours may be towed at the owner's expense.
- At home, a notice comes before any citation. For an inoperable vehicle, the city's Code Compliance timeline is an inspection and notice in the first two days, a re-inspection on day 31 and a possible citation on day 32.
Where we pick up around Fort Collins
The truck comes to you, whether the car sits in a farm driveway or an apartment lot, anywhere in the city from Old Town to Campus West. Past the city line, pickup covers the whole northern corridor: north to Wellington (80549), south through Loveland (80537) to Berthoud, west to Laporte and east to Windsor (80550). Payment and pickup are handled by one company, so there are no strangers to meet in a parking lot.
Need the county office first? Larimer County says most vehicle transactions can be done by phone at (970) 498-7878, option 5, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you do go in person, it recommends booking a time at larimer.org/bookatime, and warns that a booked time is an estimate that can shift with how busy the office is.
Cash for your car in Fort Collins
Inside city limits, Fort Collins says an inoperable vehicle must be kept in a garage or screened from view. That can catch a car that still starts: Colorado State University's Off-Campus Life office, which sums up city codes for students living off campus, counts a car with expired plate tags as inoperable too.
If you're looking for cash for cars in Fort Collins because the old car can't be driven and there's no garage to put it in, you can still get an offer on it here, with the same free pickup. A car that has sat behind a screen or in a garage for a long time may not roll anymore. Say so when you ask, and check the junk car checklist for what else to mention, such as missing keys or parts.
If the car is in a garage or behind a screen because its engine knocks, overheats or blew a head gasket, or because its transmission slips or has lost reverse, our guides to those two problems cover whether a repair is worth it and what you have to tell a buyer.
The county office and the test lanes
- •The county motor vehicle office in Fort Collins, run by the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder, is at 200 W. Oak St., first floor, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Larimer County)
- •The county's Loveland office is at 200 Peridot Ave., with the same weekday hours (Larimer County)
- •Air Care Colorado runs gasoline emissions tests at 835 S.E. Frontage Rd. in Fort Collins and 7001 N. Franklin Ave. in Loveland (Air Care Colorado)
Asked by Fort Collins sellers
Is all of Larimer County in the emissions area?
Check your address first. Larimer County says the requirement covers vehicles within a designated area of the county, and its emissions page links a county map of that area. Gasoline cars are tested at Air Care Colorado stations; diesels go to the state's licensed diesel stations.
Can every emissions station test a car with big low-profile wheels?
No. Air Care says front- and all-wheel-drive cars on low-profile rims 17 inches or larger, and any vehicle with wheels larger than 34 inches, need a special dynamometer. Only four stations in the program area have one: Sheridan, Boulder, Ken Caryl and Fort Collins. The Loveland and Greeley stations aren't on that list, so from here the Fort Collins station is the one to use.
Can I check the line at the Fort Collins emissions station before I go?
Yes. Air Care's wait-times page lists an estimated wait for each station, so you can compare Fort Collins with Loveland before you pick one. Both stations list the same phone number, 970-247-8378.
Does the city's garage-or-screen rule apply outside city limits?
No. In unincorporated Larimer County, the county's own rules apply. It counts a vehicle as junk if it can't move under its own power, is partly or totally dismantled, has body work missing or badly damaged, or isn't registered with the state. Only vehicles that are licensed, insured, operable and owned by the person living there may be stored outside. The county's Code Compliance Department responds to complaints, which can be filed in writing at its office or on its online form.
What the state asks of every seller, from signing the title to when an emissions certificate is due, is on our Colorado page.