Thornton, CO Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 38-386 defines an abandoned motor vehicle as any motor vehicle left unattended on public property, including any portion of the highway right-of-way, for 24 hours or longer. Section 38-421(1) then makes it unlawful to park or store an abandoned motor vehicle anywhere within city limits unless expressly authorized elsewhere in the Code. Any police officer or code compliance officer may have the vehicle towed to a city-designated storage yard under Section 38-422 once the notice procedure in Section 38-424 is followed: an officer attaches a conspicuous warning notice to the vehicle stating the date and time, ordering removal within 72 hours, and warning that continued violation after that period means impoundment with the owner liable for towing and storage expenses.

If the vehicle remains after the 72-hour window, it may be towed and impounded. Within 48 hours of an emergency tow (or after the standard notice period lapses), the city sends notice by certified or registered mail to the registered owner stating when and from where the vehicle was towed, its present location, and the owner's right to a hearing on the legality of the tow if requested in writing within 15 days. A hearing under Section 38-427 is held before a municipal judge or hearing officer, who decides by a preponderance of the evidence whether there was probable cause to impound; the requesting owner can get the vehicle released early by posting a bond covering towing, storage and administrative costs.

On private residential property, Section 38-400(c)(5) separately treats inoperable, unsafe, unlawful or abandoned vehicles as a blighting factor, giving code compliance officers authority to impound them under the blight-abatement process instead of, or in addition to, Section 38-424 notice.