For a private vehicle sale in Colorado, you have two options for the paperwork: a generic bill of sale PDF you draft yourself or download from a template, or the state’s official Secure Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale (form DR 2173). A generic PDF is free and perfectly acceptable as long as it carries the required details. The DR 2173 is a secure document and cannot be downloaded for free, you have to buy it from an authorized vendor.1Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Forms in Number Order Either form satisfies the Colorado DMV’s requirement that the buyer carry a bill of sale in the vehicle until the title transfer is complete.2Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Private Sale: Buying or Selling a Vehicle in Colorado
DR 2173 or a Generic PDF: Which to Use
The DR 2173 is Colorado’s official Secure Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale. Its advantage is that it doubles as an odometer disclosure, so one form handles two legal requirements. Because it’s a secure document, you can’t pull it off the DMV website. Authorized vendors include the Colorado Auto Dealers Association, the Colorado Independent Automobile Dealers Association, A-B-C Enterprises, and Colorado Automobile/Powersports Support Services.1Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Forms in Number Order
A generic bill of sale PDF works just as well for the sale itself. You can draft one, use a free template, or write it out by hand. The only requirements are the fields the DMV specifies.2Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Private Sale: Buying or Selling a Vehicle in Colorado The trade-off is that a generic form does not satisfy the odometer disclosure on its own, so the mileage has to be recorded on the certificate of title instead.
One form worth flagging: searches for a Colorado bill of sale PDF often surface the DR 2395. That form is the Application for Title and/or Registration, not a bill of sale.3Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2395 – Application For Title and/or Registration You will end up needing both documents, but they are not interchangeable.
What Your Bill of Sale Must Contain
Colorado’s DMV lists the fields a bill of sale has to include for a private vehicle sale:2Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Private Sale: Buying or Selling a Vehicle in Colorado
- Full legal names and addresses for both buyer and seller, matching government-issued ID.
- Vehicle year, make, model, and the full 17-character VIN (usually visible on the driver’s side dashboard or door jamb).
- The exact purchase price in dollars.
- The date and time of sale. Colorado wants the time, not just the date.
- Signatures from both the buyer and the seller.
Typed entries process more smoothly, but handwritten forms are accepted as long as everything is legible. The county clerk uses the price on the bill of sale to calculate your sales tax, so discrepancies between this document and the title application will raise questions at the counter.
Odometer Disclosure
Federal law requires an odometer disclosure for most vehicle transfers. The seller records the current mileage, and the buyer acknowledges it. There are two ways to handle this in Colorado: record the mileage on the certificate of title where the form provides space, or use the DR 2173, which has a built-in odometer section.2Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Private Sale: Buying or Selling a Vehicle in Colorado If you went the generic PDF route, the disclosure has to happen on the title itself.
Not every vehicle needs an odometer disclosure. Under NHTSA’s updated rules, the requirement applies to vehicles from model year 2011 and newer, for the first 20 years of the vehicle’s life.4National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements Older vehicles outside that window are exempt.
Does the Bill of Sale Need to Be Notarized?
Colorado does not require notarization on the bill of sale itself. Notarization comes into play with the certificate of title: older Colorado titles have a notary signature line and either must be notarized or accompanied by a completed Statement of Transfer (DR 2445). Out-of-state titles may also require notarization depending on how the issuing state formats them. Newer Colorado titles have no notary line.
If a notary line is present, do not sign the title before you are in front of the notary. Signing first voids the notarization and forces the owner to apply for a duplicate title.
What Happens After You Sign
Once the bill of sale is complete and the title is signed over, the buyer has 60 days from the purchase date to apply for a new title at the county clerk and recorder’s office. Miss the window and penalties accumulate at $25 per month, capped at $100, with separate late-titling penalties ranging from $15 to $100.5Colorado General Assembly. SB22-123 Late Vehicle Titling and Registration Penalties
At the counter, you’ll pay:
- A $7.20 statewide title fee.6Larimer County. Vehicle Licensing Taxes and Fees
- A $40 lien filing fee if the vehicle has a new lien, for loans with a filing date of July 1, 2025, or later.6Larimer County. Vehicle Licensing Taxes and Fees
- Sales tax calculated from the purchase price on the bill of sale. The state rate is 2.9%; local city and county taxes stack on top. In Denver the combined rate reaches 8.81%.7City and County of Denver. Fees and Sales Tax
If permanent plates can’t be issued the same day, most counties provide temporary registration valid up to 60 days from the purchase date.8Jefferson County, CO. Temporary Tags Temporary tags expire at midnight on the printed date with no grace period.
Related Paperwork Buyers Often Miss
The bill of sale is one piece of the file. Two other documents trip up buyers at the clerk’s window.
In the Denver metro area and the North Front Range, vehicles typically need a passing emissions test before registration. At the time of a private sale, the seller is required to provide the buyer with a passing emissions test that hasn’t already been used for registration or renewal. Gasoline vehicles are exempt for the first seven model years and diesel vehicles for the first four, though a transfer in the final exempt year still requires a test.9Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Emissions
If the vehicle is being titled in Colorado for the first time from out of state, you also need a VIN verification. A Colorado law enforcement officer, licensed dealer, or county clerk inspects the vehicle and completes form DR 2698 to confirm the VIN matches the title documents.10Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2698 – Verification of Vehicle Identification Number
Adding an “As-Is” Clause
Private vehicle sales in Colorado are as-is by default. The buyer takes the vehicle in its current condition, and the seller makes no warranties about mechanical state. Adding an explicit as-is statement to your bill of sale PDF puts that understanding in writing and acknowledges the buyer had a chance to inspect the vehicle.
An as-is clause has limits. It will not shield a seller who hid a serious defect, lied about the vehicle’s history, tampered with the odometer, or failed to disclose a salvage or rebuilt title. Fraud overrides as-is language. If you want more protection as a buyer, get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic and run the VIN through the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System before you sign anything.