Denver City Council unanimously passed on final reading a bill intended to work in conjunction with state legislation targeting catalytic converter theft.

Anytime someone sells a catalytic converter to a scrap yard or an auto parts shop in Denver, the shop owner must now provide the city with the seller’s identification — including a car license plate and ID — within one business day.

New state laws already require the shops to collect the information — Denver just took it a step further so police can watch for any patterns among sales, supporters said.

Denver preliminarily OKs catalytic converter sale reporting system to combat theft

Matt Lunn, strategic initiatives director for the Denver Police Department, previously said at a council committee meeting that the bill is structured similarly to the Pawn Brokers Act. Denver will use the same reporting service it uses for pawn brokers to keep track of seller data.

Lunn told the committee in July that the number of catalytic converters stolen throughout the city in 2021 increased by 899.6% from 2020, and 2022 is already slightly above last year with 1,318 stolen so far this year. He said the most common spots where catalytic convertor theft occurs in Denver are at residential or apartment parking lots, Regional Transportation District park and ride lots, and at Denver International Airport — though thefts happen all over the city.