Aurora, CO Parking Rules: Towing & Impound Rights (2026)

Aurora keeps its towing and impound rules in Chapter 134 of the City Code, and the first thing an owner has to work out is who ordered the tow, because the ordinance runs two entirely separate release procedures. A vehicle removed on a police officer's order falls under Sec. 134-38, and the hearing is held in the Aurora Municipal Court at 14999 E. Alameda Parkway. A vehicle towed or immobilized by the director of public works under the Parking and Mobility Program falls under Sec. 134-425, and the hearing is held before the Aurora parking and traffic bureau at 15151 East Alameda Parkway. The two addresses are on the same street in the same ZIP code, and the ten-day clock runs from the date on the notice either way.

Sec. 134-38(a) makes the notice itself do most of the work. The officer must give written notice of the removal, the reasons for it and the place the vehicle was taken, deliver a copy to the proprietor of the storage garage, and reproduce a statement that the ordinance spells out word for word. That statement tells the owner about the ten-day filing deadline, that the hearing "should be scheduled within three days (excluding Saturday, Sunday and city holidays)" of the written request, that the court may waive the towing and storage fees if there was no reason to believe legal authority for the removal existed, and that retrieving the vehicle does not waive the right to a later hearing and reimbursement. It also points the owner at the Aurora Police Department watch commander as an informal route, while warning that the department will consider waivers "only in exceptional circumstances, or by order of the Court" and will not revisit a request once the watch commander has refused and the court has upheld the impound. Notice must be mailed by the close of the following business day at 5:00 p.m. MST, excluding Saturday, Sunday and city holidays, or handed to the owner in person. On the public works side, Sec. 134-425(e) shortens that to 24 hours.

The municipal court hearing under Sec. 134-38(b) is deliberately narrow. The sole issues are whether there was authority to impound and whether the person demanding the hearing has the right to possession. "Authority to impound" is defined as a state of facts that would lead a person of ordinary care and prudence to believe the officer had legal authority to order the removal. The city bears the burden on authority, the claimant bears the burden on possession, both by a preponderance, the court is not bound by technical rules of evidence, and its decision is final. Failing to request a hearing in time or failing to attend a scheduled one is a waiver. Reimbursement under Sec. 134-38(c) requires the court to find both that the claimant is entitled to possession and that the officer lacked authority; only then may it order Aurora to repay all towing and storage fees or pay the tow company directly.

The parking bureau track under Sec. 134-432 is procedurally more generous. The bureau must hear the challenge within ten business days, and the city holds the vehicle until then unless the owner posts a cash bond equal to the civil penalties and fees accrued as of the date of the request. An owner who cannot pay that bond is entitled to a hearing within 72 hours. Refusing or failing to appear without good cause concedes the validity of the impound. If the bureau finds the impound or immobilization unjustified it orders release and returns every fine, fee and bond paid; if it upholds the action, release is conditioned on payment of all civil penalties and fees, and its determinations are final. Booting has one trigger only, set by Sec. 134-425(b): three or more parking citations outstanding for more than 60 days and not being contested.

On money, Aurora sets no rate of its own. Both Sec. 134-37(b) and Sec. 134-425(c) say the charge for towing, removal, immobilization and storage "shall be fixed by the contract between the city and the towing service/garage," must be posted for public inspection in the office of the authorized garage, and that the individual tow truck operator must carry a list of the charges. Nothing is released until those charges are paid. Division 2 of Article VI, where the wrecker licensing scheme sat, is now Reserved, so although Sec. 134-251 still defines a "police tow operator" as one holding a license under the article, the operative licensing text is no longer printed. What survives is a records duty: Sec. 134-253 requires operators towing at the request of the police department or the director of public works to log the time of the request, the vehicle's location, the owner, the make and plate, whether the vehicle was damaged or stripped, the delivery time to storage, and the towing and storage charges as separate amounts, and to keep those records for one year after release for inspection during business hours.

Aurora's chapter governs tows off public streets and city-ordered impounds. It does not regulate a tow ordered by a private lot or apartment owner; that is state territory under C.R.S. 42-4-2103 and the Public Utilities Commission's carrier rules, substantially rewritten by Colorado's 2022 Towing Bill of Rights, HB 22-1314. Aurora's own contribution on the public street side is Sec. 134-254, which makes it unlawful for a wrecker to tow a vehicle off a public street without the owner's consent or police or public works authorization. One caution built into the code: Sec. 134-38(e) calls the time limits on the city "directory" and Sec. 134-425(h) calls them "advisory," so a late notice does not by itself forfeit the city's rights or void the impound.