50-State Surveys / Private-Party Vehicle Title Transfer Requirements / Colorado

Private-Party Vehicle Title Transfer Requirements in Colorado

Short answer For a paper title, the seller and buyer complete the Colorado assignment, including price, date, signatures, and any required odometer or brand disclosure; the buyer titles and registers through the county within 60 days. Plates come off, insurance is required, and driving before registration is allowed only under a narrow 36-hour closed-office exception or with temporary registration.
State
Colorado
Statute checked
October 2, 2026
Sources
18 statutes
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Pending legislation could change this.
CO HB 26-1053 (2026), Chapter 347 (Signed June 3, 2026 as Chapter 347. The act's general effective date passed August 12, 2026, but the surveyed plate-transfer provision is expressly effective January 1, 2028.): Repeals the current general rule that ordinary plates expire and cannot transfer to another vehicle. Beginning January 1, 2028, an owner may ask DMV to transfer a plate to another motor vehicle if at least one person is listed as an owner of both vehicles. track it Status checked October 9, 2026.

At a glance

Governing law, agency, and scopeC.R.S. Title 42, arts. 3 and 6, and § 39-26-202; Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles, with county clerks as authorized agents. Ordinary same-state individual-to-individual sale of a currently titled used passenger vehicle.
Title assignment, owner signatures, and lien releaseFor a paper title, every current owner signs and prints the name shown on the title, enters buyer name, sale date, price, and odometer information, and delivers the endorsed title (§§ 42-6-109, 42-6-110). Buyer signs the assignment. The current statute recognizes electronic certificates, records, and signatures (§ 42-6-109(1), (4)(a)), but does not require DMV to implement electronic acceptance; confirm the available process with the county for an electronic title. A recorded lien must be released; a Colorado release may use a notarized declaration or a signed second-degree-perjury declaration (§ 42-6-125).
Notarization, witness, or agent verificationNo notary or witness is required for the ordinary paper-title assignment or DR 2395 application. Seller transfer and buyer application signatures are affirmed under penalty of perjury. A separate lien-release letter may instead be notarized, and special powers of attorney have separate rules.
Bill of sale requirement and contentsRecommended, and required for the county filing if price is omitted from the title. Use DR 2173 or an equivalent showing vehicle year/make/model/VIN, price, date, and both parties' names/signatures. A signed bill of sale stating the time is mandatory for the narrow 36-hour drive-away exception. It never replaces the endorsed title.
Odometer, damage, and title-brand disclosuresFor model-year 2011 and newer vehicles, disclose mileage for the first 20 years on the title or secure DR 2173; seller and buyer sign. Vehicles 20+ years old, over 16,000 GVWR, and trailers are exempt (§ 42-6-202 incorporates federal disclosure law). If a vehicle carries a brand, seller and buyer complete DR 2710; rebuilt/salvage procedure is outside this ordinary-sale scope.
Seller notice, plate handling, and liabilityOptional Report Release of Liability is properly filed within 5 business days with sale date/time, prior owner name, VIN, and a perjury affidavit (§ 42-6-109(3)); it protects against later vehicle/operator actions subject to statutory exceptions but does not transfer title. Remove the plates. Current ordinary plates expire and generally cannot transfer; special-plate exceptions apply (§ 42-3-115(5)).
Buyer deadline, forms, tax, and feesWithin 60 days, take the endorsed title, DR 2395, secure/verifiable ID (DR 2841), bill of sale if title lacks price, insurance, emissions certificate if applicable, lien release, tax, and fees to the county clerk (§§ 42-3-103, 42-6-110). State use tax is 2.9% of acquisition cost (§ 39-26-202(1)(b)), plus applicable local/special-district tax; the buyer pays the county clerk at registration. Title fee is $7.20 (§ 42-6-137); registration and specific ownership tax vary.
Inspection, emissions, insurance, and operationFor this ordinary in-state sale, the inspection item is emissions where applicable; DMV lists a VIN inspection for vehicles coming from out of state. In the Denver-metro/North Front Range emissions area, the seller supplies a new passing certificate for a qualifying vehicle (§ 42-4-310). Gasoline vehicles are generally exempt for 7 model years and diesel for 4, but transfer in the last exemption year can trigger testing. Proof of active Colorado insurance is required to register and drive. Register before highway operation, unless temporarily registered or within the exact 36-hour private-sale/closed-office/direct-to-storage exception (§ 42-3-115(2)).
Penalties, rejection, and failed transferViolating the 60-day title-transfer rule is a class A traffic infraction (§ 42-6-110); violating the 60-day registration duty is a class B traffic infraction (§ 42-3-103). Late registration costs $25 per month or part, capped at $100, plus prorated taxes/fees (§ 42-3-112). False or missing odometer disclosure can be a class 2 misdemeanor. The county may refuse title if ownership is not established; a missing/improper title, signature, odometer entry, lien release, price proof, insurance, tax, or emissions certificate can stop the filing.

Requirements one by one

Title and application

C.R.S. § 42-6-109(1) requires delivery of a duly transferred certificate and now says, "The certificate of title may be in an electronic format." For a paper certificate, the DMV directs every named seller and the buyer to complete the assignment and mileage fields. The seller's formal transfer and the buyer's 60-day title application are in § 42-6-110(1). An application must identify the vehicle, owner, source of title, and known liens and carry a perjury declaration (C.R.S. §§ 42-6-116 and 42-6-117); the county may seek more proof or refuse a title if entitlement is not shown.

C.R.S. § 42-6-109(4)(a) recognizes electronic records and signatures, but the same subsection says the DMV need not implement electronic acceptance. A buyer with an electronic title should confirm the available transfer process with the county. A bill of sale by itself does not establish the buyer's title.

Tax, inspection, and fees

State use tax is "two and ninety one-hundredths percent" of acquisition cost under § 39-26-202(1)(b), with applicable local and district taxes. The Tax Department directs a motor-vehicle buyer to remit use tax to the county clerk at registration. The title fee remains $7.20 (§ 42-6-137). C.R.S. §§ 42-3-112 and 42-3-115 separate late registration charges from pre-operation rules. The late charge is $25 per month or part, capped at $100, plus prorated taxes and fees.

C.R.S. § 42-4-310(1)(a)(I)-(II) ties a qualifying sale and registration in the emissions program area to a valid certificate or clean-screen result; the new owner can require the prior owner to provide the certificate at sale and must submit it at registration. The DMV gives the current gasoline and diesel model year exemptions. For a paper title, § 42-6-202 incorporates the federal odometer-disclosure duty and penalizes an omitted or false required statement. A released lien needs the lienholder's signed, notarized or perjury declaration under § 42-6-125.

What trips people up

  • The 60 days do not authorize driving. Registration is due within 60 days of purchase (§ 42-3-103), but § 42-3-115(2) ordinarily requires it before highway operation. Suppose a private sale closes at 6 p.m. Tuesday: the 36-hour exception permits only a direct trip from the seller's storage place to the buyer's intended storage place, with a bill of sale signed by both parties showing the sale date and time and proof of insurance in the car.
  • The seller report is optional. A report received within five business days under § 42-6-109(3)(b)-(f) can limit later actions involving the vehicle or operator. It does not excuse the seller's own negligent sale, illegal transfer, material misstatement, or failure to disclose, and it does not complete the buyer's filing.
  • The plate rule changes later. Current § 42-3-115(5)(a) makes ordinary plates expire on transfer. The already-enacted 2026 chapter 347 replaces that rule on January 1, 2028: § 42-3-115(5)(a) will then permit a requested plate transfer when at least one person owns both vehicles.

Statutes and sources

Source links

Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.

C.R.S. §§ 42-6-109 and 42-6-110 · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. §§ 42-6-116 and 42-6-117 · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. § 42-6-125 · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. § 42-3-103 · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. §§ 42-3-112 and 42-3-115 · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. § 42-6-202 · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. § 42-6-137 · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. § 42-6-109(4)(a) · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. § 39-26-202(1)(b) · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. § 42-6-109(3)(b)-(f) · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. § 42-3-115(5)(a) (effective January 1, 2028) · accessed 2026-10-02
C.R.S. § 42-4-310(1)(a)(I)-(II) · accessed 2026-10-02
Colorado DMV — Private Sale: Buying or Selling a Vehicle · accessed 2026-10-02
Colorado DMV — Vehicle Title · accessed 2026-10-02
Colorado DMV — Vehicle Registration · accessed 2026-10-02
Colorado DMV — Emissions · accessed 2026-07-23
Colorado DMV — Gas Emissions Requirements · accessed 2026-07-23
Colorado Department of Revenue — Consumer Use Tax Guide · accessed 2026-10-02
This page is general legal information about an ordinary private-party transfer of a currently titled used passenger vehicle, not legal advice about a sale, title defect, lien, tax, registration, or right to operate the vehicle. Dealer, salvage, rebuilt, bonded, lost-title, gift, inheritance, court-order, out-of-state, commercial-vehicle, vessel, trailer, and temporary-permit rules may differ. A bill of sale ordinarily does not replace the endorsed title, required disclosures, seller notice, buyer application, tax, fees, insurance, inspection, or registration. Agency forms and procedures can change without a statutory amendment; use the current official forms and ask the motor-vehicle agency or a qualified attorney about a disputed or high-value transfer.

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