Loveland, CO Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Loveland's abandoned-vehicle framework sits in Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic) of the Loveland Municipal Code, which adopts the 2003 Model Traffic Code by reference. Before the 2018 revision, the code permitted a vehicle to be towed if located upon a public right-of-way for more than seventy-two hours, but applied the twenty-four-hour cap to motorized and non-motorized vehicles constructed or designed for sleeping or dwelling purposes. The Loveland Police Department flagged a pattern: residents whose vehicles were parked in front of their own primary residences for more than seventy-two hours were being repeatedly cited for abandonment, even though the vehicles were not deserted. The LPD-recommended ordinance revision (approved by Council in 2018) modified Title 10 in three ways. First, it raised the permissible right-of-way parking period for camper coaches, camper trailers, and motor homes (per 2003 Model Traffic Code definitions) from twenty-four hours to seventy-two hours. Second, it broadened the vehicle classifications beyond the original 'trailer coach' restriction to also expressly cover camper coaches, camper trailers, and motor homes. Third, it allowed Loveland Police Department to remove a vehicle when 'reasonably determined to be deserted, discarded, or inoperable,' moving the standard away from an automatic time-based trigger and adding factors to consider when determining whether a vehicle is abandoned. The revision also gave LPD greater flexibility in the timing of reports to the Colorado Department of Revenue, aligning with state abandonment statutes. On private property, abandoned and inoperable vehicles are addressed through the city's nuisance/code enforcement framework: vehicles must be operable, currently registered, and not stored in front yards in violation of Title 18 (Unified Development Code). Report abandoned vehicles to the Loveland Police Department non-emergency line at 970-667-2151.