Parking Rules in Aurora, CO

If you live in Aurora or are thinking about moving there, parking rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Aurora has 11 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of parking rules, and some of them might surprise you.

Abandoned Vehicles

Under CRS 42-4-1806 and Aurora City Code, a vehicle left on public property for more than 72 hours or on private property without permission for 72 hours is abandoned. Aurora tags, tows, and impounds abandoned vehicles.

Key details: State Law: CRS 42-4-1806. Time Threshold: 72 hours. Report: 303-739-7280. Tow Fee Range: 200 dollars plus storage.

Abandoned vehicle fines start around 50 dollars plus towing (approx 200 dollars) and daily storage (approx 25 to 40 dollars). Inoperable vehicles visible from the street compound violations.

Compared to other cities, Aurora takes a harder line on abandoned vehicles. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Aurora, Colorado bars parking heavy trucks, trailers or farm tractors over 6,000 lbs or 22 feet on city streets outside an approved schedule.

Key details: Weight/length trigger: over 6,000 lbs or 22 feet. RV time limit: 24 hrs per 7-day period. RV re-parking wait: 72 consecutive hours off street. Enforcement: citation, then towing.

Citation; vehicle may be towed to police impound lot with owner paying towing/storage fees before release.

Loading Zones

Aurora's UDO requires off-street loading spaces sized to gross floor area for most commercial and retail buildings over 15,000 square feet, with docking, screening, and location standards.

Key details: Governing instrument: Aurora Unified Development Ordinance. Size trigger: Exempt under 15,000 sq ft. Max required (retail/office): 3 loading spaces. Screening: Required near residential/right-of-way. In force as of: Ord. 2026-03, Feb. 23, 2026.

Trucks blocking fire lanes or travel lanes, docking areas built next to residential zoning without required screening, or new/expanded buildings over the size threshold skipping required loading spaces can draw code enforcement action and hold up certificate-of-occupancy sign-off.

Preferential Parking Districts

Aurora, Colorado can designate residential parking permit districts, and parking there without a valid permit is a traffic infraction under City Code.

Key details: Program: Neighborhood parking permit program. Administered by: Director of Public Works. Violation class: Traffic infraction. Appeals to: Aurora parking and traffic bureau.

Parking in a permit district without a valid permit or contrary to posted signs is a traffic infraction, cited by police or a designated parking enforcement officer and contestable before the Aurora parking and traffic bureau.

Street Parking Limits

Aurora requires vehicles on two-way streets to park within 12 inches of the right-hand curb, facing the direction of traffic, and bars stopping within five feet of any driveway under its local Model Traffic Code amendments.

Key details: Curb distance: within 12 inches of curb. Driveway buffer: no parking within 5 feet. Direction: must face direction of traffic. Angle parking: only where city has signed it. Hydrant buffer: no parking within 15 feet.

Parking backwards against traffic flow, more than 12 inches from the curb, within five feet of a driveway, or within 15 feet of a hydrant is a citable traffic infraction under Aurora's local Model Traffic Code amendments.

Overnight Parking

Aurora enforces posted parking time limits with a 24-hour move rule: leave a vehicle within 100 feet of the same spot and it's cited as a traffic infraction.

Key details: Trigger: Not moved 100+ ft within posted time. Reset rule: Must stay 100+ ft for 24 hrs. Violation class: Traffic infraction. Enforcement: Aurora parking and traffic bureau. Governing instrument: Aurora City Code (not the UDO).

Traffic infraction citation; vehicle may be towed, impounded, or immobilized (booted) if fines go unpaid past 60 days.

EV Charging

Colorado law (CRS 38-12.6-102) bars HOAs from prohibiting Level 2 EV chargers at owner-occupied properties. Aurora requires permits for dedicated 240V charger installation and encourages EV-ready wiring in new construction.

Key details: HOA Protection: CRS 38-12.6-102. Permit Required: Yes, 240V hardwired. Issuing Office: Aurora Building Division. Rebates: Xcel Energy program.

Permit-less electrical work is a building code violation. HOAs denying a reasonable EV charger request can be challenged under CRS 38-12.6-102.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Aurora gives residents more flexibility on ev charging.

Snow Removal Parking Rules

Aurora, Colorado bans parking on designated snow emergency routes once the city manager declares a snow emergency, until the prohibition is announced terminated.

Key details: Trigger: City manager declares snow emergency. Where it applies: Posted snow emergency routes only. Stalled vehicles: Must be pushed/towed off roadway. Removal cost on conviction: $10.00 nonsuspendable. Ends when: City manager announces termination.

Parking or leaving a vehicle on a posted snow emergency route during an active prohibition; abandoning a stalled vehicle in the roadway instead of clearing it. Vehicles may be towed; conviction carries a mandatory $10 removal-cost assessment on top of any parking fine.

Compared to other cities, Aurora takes a harder line on snow removal parking rules. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

RV & Boat Parking

Aurora bars leaving an RV, camper, trailer, or boat on any public street or right-of-way for more than 24 hours in a seven-day span. A citation can trigger a tow if the vehicle stays put.

Key details: Time limit: 24 hours per 7-day period. Applies to: public streets and right-of-way only. To reset: 72 consecutive hours off the ROW. Enforcement: Aurora Police and Public Works. Covers: RVs, campers, camper vans, boats, snowmobiles.

First citation can be issued in person or affixed to the vehicle; failure to relocate within 24 hours authorizes towing to the police impound lot, with towing and storage fees billed to the owner before release.

Towing & Impound Rights

Aurora, Colorado gives the owner of an impounded vehicle ten days to demand a hearing, but sends that demand to one of two different offices depending on who ordered the tow: the Aurora Municipal Court at 14999 E. Alameda Parkway for a police impound, or the Aurora parking and traffic bureau at 15151 East Alameda Parkway for a public works tow or a boot.

Key details: Deadline to demand a hearing: 10 days from the date of the impound notice (Sec. 134-38(a), Sec. 134-425(d)(2)). Where to file, police tow: Aurora Municipal Court, 14999 E. Alameda Parkway, Aurora, CO 80012. Where to file, public works tow or boot: Aurora parking and traffic bureau, 15151 East Alameda Parkway, Aurora, CO 80012. Hearing timing: Municipal court target is 3 days excluding weekends and city holidays; the parking bureau has 10 business days, or 72 hours if the owner cannot post the cash bond (Sec. 134-432(a)). Notice deadline on the city: Mailed by 5:00 p.m. MST the following business day for a police impound; within 24 hours for a public works tow (Sec. 134-425(e)).

Towing a vehicle from a public street without the owner's consent or police or public works authorization violates Sec. 134-254. Chapter 134 fixes no separate penalty for it, so the Sec. 1-13(a) general penalty applies: a fine of up to $2,650, imprisonment for up to 364 days, or both, with each day a separate offense. Sec. 134-257 separately makes it unlawful for a wrecker to respond to an emergency tow request in Aurora without being specifically asked by a police officer, the director of public works, or an operator of a vehicle involved in the accident, and Sec. 134-256 bars moving any vehicle from an accident involving injury or property damage over $50.00 until a law enforcement official directs it. For the owner, the practical exposure is the fee meter: no impounded or immobilized vehicle is released until towing, storage and immobilization charges are paid, and under Sec. 134-150 an abandoned vehicle unclaimed after 30 days may be sold at public auction or private sale, with the auction list published in a newspaper of general circulation at least 30 days beforehand. Vehicles impounded as vehicular public nuisances are held longest: Sec. 134-477 orders closure for not less than 30 days and not more than one year, release requires payment of all towing fees, storage fees and city expenses plus the Sec. 134-478 civil judgment of $500.00 against each defendant, and while the court may reduce storage fees for good cause it may not reduce them below the vehicle's fair market value. Fees left unpaid 60 days after final judgment mean the vehicle is declared abandoned.

Driveway Rules

Aurora caps front-yard driveways at 40% of the front yard (50% on wedge lots) and requires paving on streets with a paved right-of-way.

Key details: Front-yard coverage cap: 40% (50% on wedge lots). Minimum driveway length: 18 feet. Side-yard driveway width cap: 10 feet. Paving required: if abutting a paved street. Governing instrument: Aurora Unified Development Ordinance.

Enforced through the standard UDO zoning-violation and code-enforcement process; an oversized or improperly surfaced driveway can be cited as a zoning nonconformance and required to be brought into compliance.

The Bottom Line

Aurora is tougher than many cities when it comes to parking rules. Out of the 11 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Aurora, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Aurora's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.