A Colorado Certificate of Title is the legal document proving you own a vehicle, and every version of the paperwork — a first title, a transfer, a duplicate, a lien release, a correction — runs through your county motor vehicle office. The core form is DR 2395, the state’s combined title and registration application, and the state title fee is $7.20 under C.R.S. 42-6-137.1Justia Law. Colorado Code 42-6-137 – Fees What changes from situation to situation is the supporting paperwork.
Applying for a New Title
File Form DR 2395 at your county motor vehicle office, not at the state DMV.2Colorado Department of Revenue. Form DR 2395 – Application For Title and/or Registration Dealerships usually handle title paperwork on cars they sell. Private-party purchases and vehicles arriving from other states fall on you.
You need to prove ownership. For a brand-new vehicle, that means the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin. For a used vehicle, the previous owner’s title with the assignment on the back properly signed. You also need Secure and Verifiable Identification: a Colorado driver’s license, a U.S. passport, a military ID, or an out-of-state driver’s license that is current or expired by no more than one year.3Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2841 Secure and Verifiable ID
Vehicles coming from another state typically need a VIN verification before Colorado will issue a title. This is a physical inspection confirming the identification number on the vehicle matches the title documents. A Colorado law enforcement officer, a licensed Colorado auto dealer, or a licensed emissions inspection station can perform it, and the result is recorded on Form DR 2698.4Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. VIN Verification Information
Sales tax is calculated on the purchase price and collected when you title, with the rate depending on where the buyer and seller are located. If you financed the vehicle, the lender’s information goes on the application, and the title will reflect that lien until you pay the loan off.
Transferring Title After a Sale
When you sell a vehicle, sign the back of the title and fill in the buyer’s name, sale price, and date. Every owner listed on the front must print and sign as a seller.5Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Buyer’s and Seller’s Responsibilities
Federal rules now require odometer disclosure for vehicles less than 20 model years old — a change from the previous 10-year threshold that took effect January 1, 2021 for model year 2011 and newer vehicles.6National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert – Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements Record the mileage directly on the title or use Form DR 2173, the Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale. Inaccurate disclosures carry legal consequences under both federal and state law.
A bill of sale showing the VIN, make, model, year, sale price, and both parties’ names is a smart practice for any private-party transaction. If the vehicle was previously titled in another state, a VIN verification on DR 2698 may be required. In the Metro Denver and Front Range emissions program area, which covers all or parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties, the seller should also provide proof of a passing emissions test.7Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Emissions Inspections for Gasoline-Powered Vehicles
The buyer takes the signed title to their county motor vehicle office. Colorado law requires registration within 60 days of purchase.8Justia Law. Colorado Code 42-3-103 – Registration Miss that window and late fees start on the 61st day at $25 per month, capped at $100.9FindLaw. Colorado Code 42-3-112 – Late Fees The buyer pays sales tax and the $7.20 title fee at transfer. If the seller still has an outstanding loan, a lien release from the lender is required before the title can transfer clean.
Replacing a Lost or Damaged Title
Apply for a duplicate on Form DR 2539A, the Duplicate Title Request and Receipt. The form asks for the VIN, vehicle year, make, and your name and address as the titled owner.10Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Duplicate Title Submit it at your county motor vehicle office or mail it to the Colorado Department of Revenue.
The duplicate title fee is $8.20 under C.R.S. 42-6-137(5).1Justia Law. Colorado Code 42-6-137 – Fees You also need Secure and Verifiable Identification if the original title was issued on or after July 1, 2006.
An active lien changes things. Because Colorado uses an electronic title system for vehicles with liens, there is no paper title to lose while the loan is open; the lienholder holds the digital record. A duplicate paper title requires a lien release first.10Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Duplicate Title If the loan is paid off, contact the lender for a release letter before you file.
Damaged titles must be surrendered when you apply for the replacement, even if parts are still readable. Tears, alterations, or unreadable sections make the document invalid for transactions. If more than one owner is on the title, every owner signs the duplicate request. When one owner isn’t available, Form DR 2175, Power of Attorney for Motor Vehicle Only, authorizes someone else to act on their behalf.11Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2175 – Power of Attorney for Motor Vehicle Only The original power of attorney document must be surrendered for any ownership transfer.
Transferring Title After an Owner’s Death
The path depends on how the title was held.
Joint Tenancy With Rights of Survivorship
If the title lists two owners in joint tenancy with rights of survivorship, the surviving owner brings a copy of the death certificate to the county motor vehicle office and becomes sole owner by operation of law. No probate.12Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. What to Do When a Loved One Dies
Designated Beneficiary
Colorado owners can name a transfer-on-death beneficiary on Form DR 2009. The owner must file it while alive. After the owner’s death, the beneficiary presents the DR 2009, a death certificate, and a new DR 2395 to claim the vehicle without probate.13Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2009 – Transfer of Title Upon Death Designated Beneficiary Form The beneficiary takes the vehicle subject to any liens that existed during the owner’s lifetime.14FindLaw. Colorado Code 42-6-110.5 – Transfer of Title Upon Death
Sole Ownership
When the deceased was the only owner and never filed a beneficiary designation, the size of the estate decides the path. If the estate goes through probate, the court-appointed personal representative submits certified Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, the death certificate, and the existing title to transfer ownership.
Smaller estates can skip probate. For deaths in 2026, if the total estate value minus debts and liens does not exceed $88,000 and no petition for a personal representative has been filed, an heir can use Form DR 2712, the Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property, to claim the vehicle.15Colorado Judicial Branch. Guide to Collecting a Decedent’s Personal Property The threshold adjusts annually.16Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2712 – Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property The affidavit is signed under penalty of perjury, and at least ten days must have passed since the date of death before you can use it.
Removing or Adding a Lien
A lien means a lender has a financial interest in the vehicle. Colorado uses an Electronic Lien and Title system, so lienholders receive a digital title record rather than a paper document. Once you pay off the loan, the lienholder electronically releases the title, and the state prints and mails you a paper title.17Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Electronic Lien and Title Information for Lenders
If the electronic release doesn’t happen on its own, get a lien release letter from your lender and bring it to the county office. The letter must be on company letterhead (unless the lienholder is an individual) and include the vehicle year, make, VIN, titled owner’s name, an agent’s signature, and the date of release.18Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Lien – FAQs With the release and the current title, you get a clean title for the standard $7.20 fee.
Adding a lien, when you finance or refinance, requires a DR 2395 with the loan details. The new lienholder’s name and address go on the application, and they receive the electronic title record. If you’re refinancing with a different lender, the original lienholder must release their interest before the new lien can be recorded.
Correcting Errors on a Title
Misspelled names, wrong VINs, and other clerical mistakes need to be fixed before the title can be used for a sale or registration. Corrections go through your county motor vehicle office. The usual approach is to submit a DR 2539A Duplicate Title Request to get a corrected title reissued.19Colorado Department of Revenue. Duplicate Title/Lien Request and Receipt In some situations, a DR 2445, a sworn statement certifying the correct ownership information, may also be required.
For name changes from marriage, divorce, or a court order, bring the supporting legal document to the county office. VIN errors may require a new physical VIN verification before the correction is processed. If the Department of Revenue made the original mistake, the correction may be processed at no cost. Otherwise standard title fees apply.