Sell your car in Lakewood: running, left on the street or covered out back
Lakewood Police policy presumes a vehicle abandoned once it has been left unattended on the roadway or other public property for 24 hours or more (abandoned-vehicle policy). Our buying partner can quote the car online for cash, and the pickup that follows is free, whether it sits at the curb or behind the back fence.
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From a yellow crayon mark to a tow
- First, the crayon. Under the department's abandoned-vehicle policy, effective July 2020, the tires or another suitable spot get a yellow traffic crayon mark, so a later check shows whether the car has moved (Lakewood Police).
- Still there, it's towed. A car that hasn't moved goes to the Police Department's Official Police Garage (police policy).
- Blocking access skips the wait. A second department policy says a vehicle parked and limiting access may be towed immediately (Lakewood Police).
- Or beat the clock. Ask for an offer and mention that the car is parked on the street, and on which block. The pickup costs you nothing, and neither does turning the number down.
Where we pick up around Lakewood
The free pickup reaches every part of Lakewood, Belmar and Green Mountain included, and the rest of Jefferson County around it, such as Wheat Ridge and Arvada. Curb, driveway or fenced side yard all work; tell us which when you book, and mention a locked gate or a car cover.
Book the Jeffco counter early. Jefferson County releases its motor vehicle appointments two weeks at a time (Jeffco appointments), so a private buyer who lives in the county and needs an office visit should grab one as soon as you agree on a sale date.
Cash for your car in Lakewood
Lakewood's code lets a residential property keep up to two unlicensed or inoperable vehicles, provided they sit in the side or rear yard and are screened from public view by a solid fence or a fitted car cover (Lakewood Code Enforcement). A dead car parked out front falls outside that allowance, and so does a third one behind the fence.
Selling it settles the matter wherever it's parked. Our buying partner quotes cars that won't start or carry expired plates, and the junk car offer covers one that's worth more as scrap. Asking costs nothing, saying no costs nothing, and the offer gives you a week to decide.
If it simply quit, selling a car that doesn't run explains who takes a non-runner and what they pay; if it might only need a battery or a starter, read why a car won't start first.
The day baseball-size hail hit Lakewood
One Lakewood luxury car dealer estimated that 250 to 300 vehicles were hit when hail up to baseball size swept across Denver and its western suburbs on May 8, 2017 (National Weather Service). The Weather Service's account names Lakewood among those suburbs and gives the insured losses as about $2.3 billion; an insurance industry group it cites estimated more than 150,000 auto claims.
A car that still wears dents from that day can be sold without a stop at the body shop. Selling a car with hail damage lists what a buyer inspects and what you must disclose; selling a totaled car is for one the insurer wrote off.
The county motor vehicle office in Lakewood
- •2099 Wadsworth Blvd, Suite K, Lakewood, CO 80214, is the county's Lakewood motor vehicle office (Jeffco locations)
- •A four-day week. Jefferson County keeps all of its offices open Monday through Thursday, generally opening at 7:30 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m. (county hours)
- •Appointments only. Every Jefferson County motor vehicle office requires one (Jeffco locations)
Asked by Lakewood sellers
My buyer lives in Denver. Can they title the car at the Lakewood office?
No. Jefferson County's title and registration services are open only to people who live in Jefferson County (Jeffco registration rules), so a Denver buyer uses a Denver motor vehicle office; our Denver page lists them.
My tags are due. Do I have to visit the Wadsworth Blvd office to renew?
Usually not: the county says most renewals can be finished without a trip to a motor vehicle office (Jeffco renewals). If the registration has already lapsed, you can still sell; selling with expired registration explains how.
How long can a car sit on a Lakewood street before it's towed?
Police policy presumes a car abandoned after 24 hours or more unattended on the roadway or public property, and one still in place after its tires are crayon-marked goes to the Official Police Garage (Lakewood Police). A car that limits access can be towed immediately (police policy).
Can I keep a car with no current plates in my Lakewood side yard while I sell it?
Yes, within limits. The code allows up to two unlicensed or inoperable vehicles on a residential property, in the side or rear yard and screened from public view by a solid fence or a fitted car cover (Lakewood Code Enforcement).
Jefferson County doesn't change the paperwork itself: signing over the title, the emissions question and your plates all follow statewide rules, and how to sell a car in Colorado walks through them. Once the car has gone, our release-of-liability guide explains how a seller is protected afterward.