How to Get a Colorado Rebuilt from Salvage Title: Form DR 2424

To get a Colorado rebuilt from salvage title, you metal-stamp the vehicle with the words “REBUILT FROM SALVAGE,” complete Form DR 2424, pass a certified VIN inspection, and take the signed paperwork with your salvage title and parts receipts to your county motor vehicle office. Each step depends on the one before it, and county clerks reject packages that skip any of them.

Documents to Gather First

The Division of Motor Vehicles lists the full requirements on Form DR 2415. Pulling everything together before you book an inspection keeps you from making the trip twice.

DR 2424, the Rebuilt from Salvage Title Statement of Facts. You complete the top; the inspector signs the bottom.
DR 2704, the Certified VIN Inspection form. The inspector provides and completes it.
DR 2173, a Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale, if you bought the salvage vehicle from a private party.
The original Colorado salvage certificate of title.
Secure and verifiable identification, such as a Colorado driver’s license or U.S. passport. Form DR 2841 lists accepted IDs.
Invoices, bills of sale, and receipts for every part used to make the vehicle roadworthy.
DR 2709, the Colorado Assigned Vehicle Identification Checklist, only if the inspector determines an assigned VIN is needed.

One timing detail catches people: the certified inspection must be less than one year old when you submit your application to the county. Let it expire and you pay for a new one.

Parts Receipts

Every part that went into returning the vehicle to roadworthy condition needs a paper trail. Shop and dealer invoices work as-is. For parts from a private seller or salvage yard, a bill of sale showing the part, price, seller’s name, and donor VIN (when applicable) is stronger. The inspector reviews these receipts during the inspection, and the county may look at them again at the counter.² Repairs you did yourself still require receipts for the parts you bought; the form has a checkbox for owner-completed versus shop-completed work.

Stamp the Vehicle Before the Inspection

Colorado law requires a permanent metal stamp reading “REBUILT FROM SALVAGE” on the vehicle body before the certified VIN inspection. Show up without it and the inspector will send you home. The letters must be at least one-quarter inch tall and applied with a metal die-cast stamp kit. Etching or engraving is not accepted.³

Placement depends on the vehicle:

Standard vehicles: on the B pillar near the door latch, visible, never on a door itself.
Trailers and motorcycles: on the frame near the VIN plate, in a legible spot.
Fiberglass-bodied vehicles: on the frame under the hood, in a visible location.

A quarter-inch metal stamp set runs roughly $15 to $30 at a hardware store or online. Practice on scrap first. The impression on your vehicle has to be legible, and there is no second chance in a visible spot.

Filling Out the DR 2424

Download the current DR 2424 from the Department of Revenue site or pick one up at your county office. It is a single page, and only the top half is yours to complete. The inspector handles the rest.

Your section asks for:

Salvage title number and date, copied directly from the salvage certificate.
Make, year, model, and VIN. The seventeen-digit VIN must match the salvage title exactly; a single transposed digit causes a rejection.
Date of purchase, seller’s name, and purchase price. If you owned the vehicle before it was totaled, list yourself as the seller and use the pre-loss value or the insurance payout.
The specific parts installed.
A description of the repairs performed.
Whether you did the work or authorized a shop, with the shop’s name and address if applicable.

Sign and date the form before your appointment. It does not need notarization.

The Certified VIN Inspection

Colorado distinguishes between a regular VIN verification and a certified VIN inspection. A salvage-to-rebuilt conversion requires the certified version. Only a Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified VIN inspector can sign off; dealers and emissions stations cannot.⁴ The Colorado State Patrol is the most common provider, and appointments are booked through the CSP online portal. Some local law enforcement agencies also have POST-certified inspectors, though availability varies.⁵

What the Inspector Checks

Under C.R.S. 42-5-202, the inspection combines a physical examination with a check against state and national stolen-vehicle databases. The inspector confirms the VIN plate has not been removed, altered, or replaced, and that it matches your title.⁶ Beyond identity, the inspector applies Colorado’s roadworthy standard under C.R.S. 42-6-102(15): the vehicle must have enough power to operate on public roads, all major parts and systems must be permanently attached and functioning, and no repair may leave the vehicle unsafe.⁷ The parts receipts get reviewed here too.

Common Reasons for Failure

The State Patrol publishes safety items that will fail a vehicle on the spot:

Airbag or ABS warning lights on.
A cracked windshield impairing the driver’s view.
Tires below 2/32-inch tread depth, or tires that are not DOT approved.
Non-functioning headlights, high beams, turn signals, tail lights, brake lights, or license plate lights.
A horn that is inoperable, not audible at 200 feet, or not hardwired to the electrical system.
No rear-facing mirror providing 200 feet of rearward visibility.
No working windshield wiper.
A front windshield not made of safety glazing material.

⁴

Walk the list before your appointment. Rescheduling a $54 inspection over a burned-out bulb is an avoidable expense.

Fee and What to Bring

The Colorado State Patrol fee for a certified VIN inspection is $54.00, effective July 1, 2025.⁴ Local law enforcement fees may differ. Bring the completed DR 2424, your salvage title, all parts receipts, and the stamped vehicle. After passing, the inspector completes and signs the bottom of the DR 2424 and hands you the DR 2704.

Submitting the Application to the County

Take the full document package to the county motor vehicle office where you live.¹ In most counties this sits under the Clerk and Recorder, but not all; Denver, for example, runs motor vehicle services through a separate department. Check the county website for the correct office and whether you need an appointment.

The title fee is $7.20 at application.⁸ The DMV has noted that some vehicle fees are scheduled to change effective July 1, 2026, so confirm the current amount before your visit. Keep copies of everything you hand over; the county retains your originals.

The new title carries a permanent “Rebuilt from Salvage” brand tied to the VIN.⁹ That brand replaces the salvage designation and stays with the vehicle through every future sale. Once the rebuilt title is issued, you can register and insure the vehicle for normal road use.

If You Sell the Vehicle Later

The rebuilt brand comes with disclosure duties. Under C.R.S. 42-6-206, you have to prepare a written affidavit with “Rebuilt from Salvage” printed in bold at the top, describing the damage that put the vehicle into salvage status in the first place. You give a copy to every prospective buyer and obtain a signed acknowledgment that the buyer received, read, and understood it.¹⁰

That signed acknowledgment matters. Sell without providing the disclosure and the buyer, on discovering the brand later, is entitled to a full refund of the purchase price. A properly signed acknowledgment releases you from that refund obligation. Noncompliance is a misdemeanor: up to $1,500 for a first offense, up to $5,000 for each subsequent violation, and skipping the affidavit entirely is a class 2 misdemeanor.¹⁰

1
Colorado Department of Revenue Division of Motor Vehicles. Rebuilt Title Established by Salvage Title
2
Colorado Department of Revenue. Colorado DR 2424 – Rebuilt from Salvage Title Statement of Facts
3
Colorado State Patrol. Salvage Stamp Info
4
Colorado State Patrol. Get A VIN Inspection
5
Colorado POST. Rule 19 – Vehicle Identification Number Inspectors
6
FindLaw. Colorado Code 42-5-202 – Vehicle Identification Number Inspection
7
Justia. Colorado Code 42-6-102 – Definitions
8
Larimer County. Vehicle Licensing Taxes and Fees
9
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Salvage Vehicles
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Justia. Colorado Code 42-6-206 – Disclosure Requirements Upon Transfer of Ownership of a Salvage Vehicle