You cannot get a Colorado title with a bill of sale alone. The state requires the seller’s signed-over certificate of title as the primary proof of ownership before your county motor vehicle office will issue a new title in your name. A bill of sale documents the sale and lets the county calculate your sales tax, but it does not transfer ownership by itself.1Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Titling a Vehicle If the seller cannot produce a title, Colorado does have a path forward through its bonded title process, but it costs more and takes longer than a normal transfer.
What a Bill of Sale Actually Proves
A bill of sale is a written receipt for the transaction. It usually lists the buyer and seller, the vehicle description and VIN, the price, and the date. Colorado does not require a specific state-issued form, and county motor vehicle offices offer their own versions, but any written document with the essential details works.
The DMV lists a bill of sale as a document needed “for sales tax purposes” when titling a vehicle.1Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Titling a Vehicle That is its official function in the titling process. It protects both parties by creating a paper trail if a dispute arises later. What it does not do is prove ownership to the state. The title does that.
First, Ask the Seller for a Duplicate Title
Before spending money on a bonded title, try the simplest fix. If the seller lost the original title, they can apply for a duplicate at their county motor vehicle office using Form DR 2539A. The fee is $8.20 and the seller just needs valid identification.2Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Titles – FAQs Once the duplicate arrives, the seller signs it over to you and you complete a normal title transfer.
This is far cheaper and faster than bonding, so it is worth the conversation even if you have lost easy contact with the seller. Only the person named on the existing title can request the duplicate, which is why you cannot skip this step and do it yourself.
The Bonded Title Process in Colorado
When the seller genuinely cannot or will not produce a title, Colorado allows you to establish ownership through a surety bond. The DMV uses this process when “ownership documents are not available for a vehicle or are not correct and cannot be transacted on.”3Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Bonding for Title
To qualify, you must have physical possession of the vehicle, and it must be located in Colorado. Three main steps are involved.
Get a Certified VIN Inspection
The Colorado State Patrol performs certified VIN inspections by appointment. The fee is $54 as of July 2025, and the vehicle must be roadworthy — meaning brakes, lights, tires, windshield, horn, and other major systems have to be functional. Cracked windshields, bald tires, and illuminated airbag warning lights are among the most common reasons vehicles fail.4Colorado State Patrol. Get A VIN Inspection
Purchase a Surety Bond
The bond amount is typically twice the vehicle’s value. You buy the bond through a surety company, and the premium you actually pay is a percentage of the bond amount, not the full sum. The bond stays active for three years. If no ownership claims are filed against the vehicle during that period, the bond is released and you receive a standard title.3Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Bonding for Title
File Form DR 2922
Form DR 2922 is the application to establish title by surety bond. Submit it along with your bond, VIN inspection results, bill of sale, proof of Colorado insurance, identification, and the standard titling paperwork at your county motor vehicle office.3Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Bonding for Title
What Bonding Will Actually Cost
Between the $54 VIN inspection, the surety bond premium, the $7.20 title fee, sales tax, and registration, you can easily spend several hundred dollars depending on the vehicle’s value.5Larimer County. Vehicle Licensing Taxes and Fees Sales tax runs at least 2.9% at the state level, with county and city taxes added on top, and it must be paid before the county issues the title.6Colorado Department of Revenue – Taxation. Motor Vehicle Sales Tax Factor those costs into what you pay for any vehicle sold without a title.
The 60-Day Deadline (and an Exception)
Colorado gives you 60 days after purchasing a vehicle to apply for a certificate of title. Missing that deadline is a class A traffic infraction.
There is one narrow exception aimed squarely at the situation you may be in: if no title can be found and the vehicle is not roadworthy, you may wait up to 24 months to apply. That provision was written for people working through the bonded title process on project vehicles that cannot pass the VIN inspection’s roadworthiness check right away. If your vehicle is drivable, the standard 60-day clock applies, and late registration fees run $25 per month for each month the vehicle stays unregistered.7Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Taxes and Fees Colorado waives those fees only in limited circumstances like natural disasters, office closures, documented medical hardship, or active-duty military service.
What You’ll Bring Once You Have a Title
Whether you get there through a duplicate title from the seller or through the bonded process, the final visit to the county office looks the same. Plan to bring:
- The signed certificate of title (or, for bonding, your approved surety bond package)
- An odometer disclosure, usually completed on the title itself8Larimer County. How to Complete a Title Assignment
- Your bill of sale, so the county can calculate sales tax
- Form DR 2395, the Application for Title and/or Registration9Colorado Department of Revenue. Application for Title and/or Registration
- Proof of Colorado insurance at the state minimums: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $15,000 for property damage10DORA – Division of Insurance. Auto Insurance
- A Colorado driver’s license, state ID, or other secure and verifiable identification
- Emissions test results if the vehicle is a gas or hybrid model older than seven years and you live in a testing county; the enhanced test costs $25 for vehicles from model year 1982 and newer11Arapahoe County. Emissions Information
- A lien release, if the prior title shows a lien that has not been cleared12Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Lien – FAQs
Your Colorado title is typically mailed within four to six weeks, directly to you if there is no lien or to the lienholder if there is one.1Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Titling a Vehicle The county can issue a temporary registration in the meantime so you can drive the vehicle legally while the paperwork clears.