Longmont, CO Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Core prohibition
- Unlawful to abandon or publicly keep any vehicle citywide
- Private-property trigger
- 48 hours without owner or lessee consent
- Civil fine
- $50.00 under LMC § 11.16.030(D)(2)
- Impound release fee
- $50.00 before release, § 11.12.010(D)
- Hearing deadline
- Owner must request hearing within 20 days
- Junked-vehicle defenses
- Enclosed structure, tarp, 6-ft fence, or 90-day repair
- Hearing fee if city wins
- $25.00 under § 11.12.080(D)
Summary
Longmont bans abandoning or publicly keeping any vehicle in the city under LMC § 11.12.040, covering vehicles left on private property over 48 hours without consent, sleeper vehicles parked on public rights-of-way, and junked vehicles left on any street or private lot; violators face towing, a $50 impound release fee, and a $50 civil parking fine under § 11.16.030.
A. It is unlawful to abandon or publicly keep any vehicle in the city, except as follows: 1. Vehicles validly permitted under section 11.12.045 may remain on a public way under the terms of that section and the permit. 2. Vehicles that are being actively loaded or unloaded may remain on a public way while they are being actively loaded or unloaded. B. Savings. This chapter shall not render lawful any act or omission prohibited under section 11.32.030 or any other section of this Code or any other applicable law. C. Abatement. Abandoned or publicly kept vehicles may be abated by impoundment as set forth in section 11.12.010 and storage and disposal as set forth in section 11.12.020 .
Full Breakdown
045, or a vehicle actively being loaded or unloaded. 045 permit; and any other vehicle left on public property for 48 hours or longer, subject to narrow exceptions for contractor trailers up to 180 days with a dated jobsite notice posted, and for on-duty public safety, state, city or utility vehicles. 050 bars junked vehicles, those unlicensed, wrecked, dismantled or inoperable, from any street, highway, public property, or private lot, unless the vehicle sits at a lawfully zoned repair or storage business, inside a fully enclosed structure, under a one-piece opaque tarp or car cover with one vehicle per lot, screened behind a six-foot fence in a nonresidential area, or is undergoing repair or awaiting an insurance settlement for up to 90 days.
060 limits tarped or repair-exception storage to vehicles owned by the occupant or the occupant's immediate family. 00 release fee before returning an impounded vehicle.
Violations & Fines
Abandoning or publicly keeping a vehicle in violation of § 11.12.040 carries a $50.00 civil parking fine under § 11.16.030(D)(2), and § 11.12.070 lets the city attorney bring a civil abatement action treating the vehicle as a public nuisance, with the court assessing towing, storage costs and the city's attorneys' fees against the owner. Under § 11.12.080, an owner may request a municipal court hearing within 20 days of notice; if the city prevails, an additional $25.00 hearing fee applies, and decisions are appealable under C.R.C.P. 106(a)(4).
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a vehicle sit on private property in Longmont before it's abandoned?
Can I keep a junked car in my backyard in Longmont?
What does it cost to get a towed vehicle back?
Can I challenge a tow in Longmont municipal court?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Longmont
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Abandoned Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Boulder County handle abandoned vehicles.