Can I Transfer License Plates to Another Car in Colorado?

In Colorado, you can transfer license plates to another car you own only if they are personalized, distinctive special, group special, special alumni, or qualifying fleet plates. Standard plates don’t move with you. Under the state’s License Plate Reissue Program, standard plates on Class C vehicles (passenger cars, motorhomes, and motorcycles) expire the instant you transfer title or interest in the vehicle they’re on.¹ You’ll get new standard plates when you register the replacement car.

This is a change from how Colorado used to work. Senate Bill 21-069 ended the old system where plates traveled with the owner. Now the plate type controls what happens.

Which Plates You Can Transfer

Four categories of plates are exempt from the reissue program and can move with you to another vehicle you own:

Personalized plates with a custom letter-and-number combination you selected and paid for
Distinctive special plates issued for groups such as veterans or drivers with disabilities
Group special plates tied to organizations, causes, or charities
Special alumni plates tied to Colorado colleges and universities

The receiving vehicle has to be eligible for that plate configuration. A passenger car plate needs to go on another passenger car, not a commercial truck or trailer.²

Fleet Plates

HB23-1022 gives fleet owners their own carve-out. Plates can move from one fleet vehicle to another within the same fleet when title or interest is reassigned.² This applies to the fleet as a whole, not to individual employees driving fleet vehicles.

Keeping Your Old Number Combination on Standard Plates

If you liked the letters and numbers on your standard plates, you can request that exact combination on your new vehicle, but only by applying for personalized plates. Colorado charges a one-time $60 fee for personalized plates, plus $25 each year at renewal.³ You keep priority rights to that combination while the application is processed, so no one else can claim it in the meantime. Return your old expired plates before the new personalized plates are issued.

What to Do With the Expired Standard Plates

Take the plates off the vehicle before it changes hands. Plates stay with you when you sell, not with the car.² Surrender them at your county motor vehicle office or mail them to the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles in Denver. Leaving expired plates on a car you’re selling creates real risk: the buyer can’t legally use them, and violations committed with plates still registered to you can come back to you.

Paperwork for the Transfer or New Registration

Whether you’re moving exempt plates to a new vehicle or getting new plates issued, you have to title the vehicle in Colorado before registering it. Both can happen in the same visit. Bring:

Proof of ownership: the Colorado Certificate of Title, or a Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin for a vehicle that has never been titled⁴
For an out-of-state vehicle, a completed Verification of Vehicle Identification Number on Form DR 2698⁵
Form DR 2395, Application for Title and/or Registration⁶
A Colorado insurance policy showing the vehicle’s VIN and coverage dates
A Colorado driver’s license or state-issued ID
The current odometer reading
An emissions certificate if the vehicle is being registered in a county that requires one

If you’re transferring exempt plates from an old car, bring the current registration card for those plates too. Check the VIN, owner details, and any lienholder information on the DR 2395 carefully before submitting, because alterations can void the form.

County motor vehicle offices handle these transactions. Hours and local fees vary by county, so confirm before you go.⁷

Getting Credit for Fees You Already Paid

If you sold your old vehicle before its registration year was up, Colorado is required to give you prorated credit for the registration fees and specific ownership taxes you already paid on it. That credit is applied when you register the replacement vehicle.⁸ Bring the previous registration paperwork so the credit posts correctly. Clear any unpaid fees or late penalties on the old vehicle first, since outstanding balances can hold up the new registration.

Don’t Wait: Late Registration Penalties

Colorado charges $25 for each month or partial month a passenger vehicle sits unregistered past the deadline, capped at $100.⁹ Trailers without motive power weighing 16,000 pounds or less, camper trailers, and multipurpose trailers carry a lower $10 monthly late fee. Penalties start accruing as soon as the registration period or any grace period ends, so a delayed plate transfer or new registration adds up fast. Update your insurance with the new vehicle and plate information as soon as the transfer is done.

1
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. License Plates
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. License Plate Reissue Program
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Standard License Plates
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Titling A Vehicle
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Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2698 – Verification of Vehicle Identification Number
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Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2395 Application for Title and/or Registration
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. County Motor Vehicle Offices
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Colorado General Assembly. HB19-1138 Vehicle Transfer Registration Fee Credit
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FindLaw. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 42 Vehicles and Traffic – 42-3-112