How to Fill Out the Colorado VIN Verification Form (DR 2698)

Colorado’s DR 2698, the Verification of Vehicle Identification Number, is a one-page form you fill out with an authorized inspector to confirm your vehicle’s VIN matches your ownership documents before the county clerk will issue a Colorado title. You complete the owner and vehicle information at the top, an authorized inspector physically examines the vehicle and signs the bottom, and you submit the completed form with your title application. The blank form is a fillable PDF on the Colorado DMV’s website.

When You Need the DR 2698

The most common trigger is bringing a vehicle in from another state and wanting a Colorado title. Colorado’s rules require what the state calls a Regular VIN Inspection, documented on the DR 2698, whenever a vehicle was previously titled or registered in another jurisdiction and the owner wants Colorado title or registration.¹ The DMV’s own guidance puts it more simply: you need the form “when you are bringing in a vehicle from out of state.”²

Two situations skip the inspection. If you have a manufacturer’s certificate of origin or a purchase receipt from a dealer or out-of-state seller showing you bought the vehicle new, no inspection is required. And if the vehicle is already titled in another Colorado county, you don’t need one either.³

The DR 2698 also covers manufactured homes; the form lists “Manufactured Home” as a vehicle type and includes manufactured home dealers as authorized inspectors.⁴

One boundary worth flagging before you print the form: the DR 2698 is not the right document for salvage or rebuilt vehicles, bonding for title, kit cars, custom-built vehicles, vehicles with missing or incorrect ownership documents, vehicles needing an assigned VIN, or unconventional vehicle processes. Those require the DR 2704, a Certified VIN Inspection performed by a P.O.S.T. certified inspector, and that form is not available online.²

Who Can Sign the Form

The form itself lists every category of authorized inspector. Availability varies by county, so call ahead.

Colorado law enforcement officers. Many police departments and sheriff’s offices provide the service; some don’t. Broomfield’s police department, for example, does standard VIN verifications at no charge.⁵
Licensed Colorado motor vehicle dealers. Convenient if you’re buying the vehicle from them.
Air Care Colorado emissions stations. Any station will do a verification. If you also need an emissions test, mention it so both happen in one visit; if you only need the verification, go to the station office rather than the testing lanes.⁶
County clerks and county assessors. Both may perform verifications at their discretion, meaning some offer the service and others don’t.⁴
Manufactured home dealers, for manufactured home verifications.
Out-of-state inspectors, if the vehicle cannot physically be brought to Colorado. You request a waiver from the Department, and if approved, a certified law enforcement officer, military police officer, or authorized DMV personnel where the vehicle is located can complete the form.¹

What to Bring

Bring the vehicle and your out-of-state title or registration. The inspector compares the physical VIN plate against your paperwork character by character and confirms the plate looks factory-installed and unaltered. A printed or digital copy of the blank DR 2698 is useful, though some locations keep their own supply.

Make sure the odometer is readable. Under Colorado’s administrative rules, the inspector cannot write “Unreadable” on the form because of a locked vehicle or lost keys; the actual mileage is required.⁷

Filling Out the Owner Section

The top of the form is yours. Enter your full legal name and current Colorado residential address, and include every co-owner exactly as each name should appear on the title.

The vehicle section asks for the full seventeen-character VIN, broken out into individual boxes so you slow down and avoid transcription errors. You also enter the year of manufacture, make, model, and body style. Additional fields cover primary body color, fuel type, curb weight (CWT), and gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). Trailers, manufactured homes, and large trucks have width and length fields as well.⁴

Accuracy matters more than it might appear. A single transposed digit in the VIN or a mismatched model year can cause the county clerk to reject the title application, and you’ll go back for another inspection.

What the Inspector Completes

The inspector checks a box indicating their authority (law enforcement, licensed dealer, emissions station, county clerk, county assessor, manufactured home dealer, or other), enters their dealer number or agency name, prints and signs their name, dates the form, and notes their title. Their certification is made under penalty of perjury in the second degree, confirming they physically examined the vehicle and verified the VIN.⁴

The form has an expiration date field. Check that whatever date the inspector writes leaves you enough time to file the title application before it lapses.

Fees

The fee depends on who does the verification. Air Care Colorado charges $25 for a standalone VIN verification.⁶ Some county offices charge similar amounts; Larimer County, for example, charges $25.⁸ Broomfield’s police department charges nothing.⁵ Dealerships may fold the cost into the sale. Call the location you plan to use and confirm before making the trip.

This fee is separate from Colorado’s titling fees, registration fees, and specific ownership taxes, which you pay at the county clerk’s office when submitting the title application.

Submitting the Form

Take the signed DR 2698 to your county clerk and recorder’s office with the rest of your title application. For a standard out-of-state vehicle that usually means the out-of-state title (signed over to you if recently purchased), a completed Colorado Application for Title, proof of emissions testing if your county requires it, proof of insurance, and your identification. The clerk processes everything together and issues a new Colorado certificate of title.

Before you get in line, check the form once more. A missing inspector signature, a blank date, or an illegible VIN will get the whole application kicked back.

Vehicles Coming From Outside the United States

If you’re importing a vehicle from another country, the DR 2698 is only part of the picture. A vehicle under 25 years old that doesn’t bear a manufacturer’s certification label showing compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards must be imported through a registered importer who modifies it to meet all applicable safety and bumper standards. At entry you post a bond equal to 150 percent of the vehicle’s declared value, and the modifications must be completed within 120 days.⁹ Once the federal side is clear, the Colorado verification runs the same as any other out-of-state vehicle. If the vehicle is still abroad, you can request a waiver to have the inspection performed where it sits.¹

1
Legal Information Institute. 1 CCR 204-10-26 – Physical Inspection of a Vehicle
2
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. VIN Inspections
3
Justia. Colorado Code 42-6-107 – Certificates of Title – Contents – Rules
4
Colorado Department of Revenue. Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles – Verification of Vehicle Identification Number
5
City and County of Broomfield. VIN Verifications AND Certified VIN Inspections
6
AirCare Colorado. Need to Know
7
Colorado Department of Revenue. 1 CCR 204-10 Rule 26 Physical Inspection of Motor Vehicles
8
Larimer County. Vehicle Licensing Taxes and Fees
9
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Importation and Certification FAQs