A Colorado Certificate of Title is the legal document proving you own a vehicle, and nearly every version of the paperwork — new title, duplicate, transfer, lien release, or correction — runs through your county motor vehicle office on Form DR 2395 with a $7.20 state title fee set by C.R.S. 42-6-137.1Justia Law. Colorado Code 42-6-137 – Fees What changes from one situation to the next is the supporting paperwork you bring with it.
Applying for a Title on a Newly Acquired Vehicle
Every new title application starts with Form DR 2395, the combined title and registration application, filed at your county motor vehicle office rather than at the state DMV.2Colorado Department of Revenue. Form DR 2395 – Application For Title and/or Registration Dealers typically handle the paperwork when you buy from a dealership. Private-party and out-of-state purchases are on you.
Along with the DR 2395, you have to prove ownership. A brand-new vehicle needs its Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin. A used vehicle needs the previous owner’s title with the assignment on the back properly signed. You also need Secure and Verifiable Identification, which Colorado requires on all new title applications. Acceptable forms include 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 in from another state typically need a VIN verification before Colorado will issue a title. A Colorado law enforcement officer, a licensed Colorado auto dealer, or a licensed emissions inspection station can perform the inspection, which gets recorded on Form DR 2698.4Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. VIN Verification Information
Sales tax is calculated on the purchase price and collected at titling, with the rate depending on where the buyer and seller are located. If a lender financed the vehicle, their information goes on the application and the title will carry that lien until you pay off the loan.
Replacing a Lost or Damaged Title
If your title is lost, stolen, or damaged beyond use, apply for a duplicate using 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.5Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Duplicate Title You can submit it in person at your county motor vehicle office or mail it to the Colorado Department of Revenue.
The duplicate title fee is $8.20, set by C.R.S. 42-6-137(5).1Justia Law. Colorado Code 42-6-137 – Fees Secure and Verifiable Identification is required if the original title was issued on or after July 1, 2006.3Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2841 Secure and Verifiable ID
An active lien complicates the process. Colorado uses an electronic title system for vehicles with liens, so there is no paper title in your drawer to lose; the lienholder holds the digital record. If a lien is still active and you want a paper copy, you need a lien release first.5Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Duplicate Title If the loan is paid off, ask the lender for a release letter.
Damaged titles must be surrendered when you apply for a replacement, even if parts of the document are still readable. Tears, alterations, or illegible sections make the title invalid for transactions. If the vehicle has more than one owner on the title, every owner has to sign the duplicate request. When one owner is unavailable, Form DR 2175, Power of Attorney for Motor Vehicle Only, lets someone else sign on their behalf. The original power of attorney must be surrendered for any ownership transfer.6Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2175 – Power of Attorney for Motor Vehicle Only
Transferring Title in a Private Sale
When you sell a vehicle in Colorado, you sign the back of the title and fill in the buyer’s name, the sale price, and the date. All owners listed on the front of the title must print and sign as sellers.7Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Buyer’s and Seller’s Responsibilities
Odometer Disclosure
Federal rules now require odometer disclosures on vehicles less than 20 model years old, up from the previous 10-year threshold. The change took effect January 1, 2021 for model year 2011 and newer vehicles.8National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert – Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements You can disclose the mileage directly on the title or use Form DR 2173, the Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale.7Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Buyer’s and Seller’s Responsibilities Inaccurate disclosures carry legal consequences under both federal and state law.
What the Buyer Needs to Do
A bill of sale listing the VIN, year, make, model, sale price, and both parties’ names is good practice for any private sale. A vehicle previously titled in another state may need VIN verification on Form DR 2698. In counties within the Metro Denver and Front Range emissions program area, the seller should provide proof of a passing emissions test.9Colorado 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.10Justia Law. Colorado Code 42-3-103 – Registration Miss that window and late fees start on the 61st day at $25 per month, capped at $100.11FindLaw. Colorado Code 42-3-112 – Late Fees The buyer pays sales tax and the $7.20 title fee at the time of transfer. If the seller still has a loan on the vehicle, they must get a lien release from their lender before the title transfers cleanly.
Transferring Title After an Owner’s Death
How a deceased owner’s vehicle title transfers 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 takes a copy of the death certificate to the county motor vehicle office. No probate is needed; the survivor becomes sole owner by operation of law.12Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. What to Do When a Loved One Dies
Designated Beneficiary
Colorado lets vehicle owners name a transfer-on-death beneficiary using Form DR 2009. The form must be completed and filed by the owner 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’s interest is subject to any liens or security interests that existed during the owner’s lifetime.14FindLaw. Colorado Code 42-6-110.5 – Transfer of Title Upon Death
Sole Ownership
If the deceased was the only owner and never filed a beneficiary designation, the path depends on the size of the estate. In a probate case, 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 bypass probate. For deaths occurring 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’s Electronic Lien and Title system gives the lienholder a digital title record instead of a paper document. Once you pay off the loan, the lienholder releases the title electronically, 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 Submitting the release with the current title gets you a clean title for the standard $7.20 fee.1Justia Law. Colorado Code 42-6-137 – Fees
Adding a lien when you finance or refinance requires a DR 2395 with the loan details.2Colorado Department of Revenue. Form DR 2395 – Application For Title and/or Registration 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 have to be fixed before you can use the document for a sale or registration. Corrections go through your county motor vehicle office. The usual path is a DR 2539A Duplicate Title Request to get a corrected title reissued.19Colorado Department of Revenue. Duplicate Title/Lien Request and Receipt 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 (marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order) to the county office. VIN errors may require a fresh 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.