Colorado: Private-Party Vehicle Title Transfer Requirements

Requirements one by one

Endorse and deliver the title

C.R.S. §§ 42-6-109 and 42-6-110 make the endorsed certificate—not the bill of
sale—the ownership document. Every current owner signs and prints the name as
shown on the front. Enter the buyer's name, purchase price, date, and required
odometer information; the buyer prints and signs the assignment. The transfer
and application signatures use declarations under penalty of perjury, not an
ordinary notary or witness requirement.

A paid lien needs a proper release. Under § 42-6-125, a Colorado lienholder may
use a notarized declaration or a signed second-degree-perjury declaration and
ordinarily has 15 calendar days after payoff to release the lien.

Use a bill of sale for price proof—and for the 36-hour exception

A bill of sale is recommended, not universally required. It becomes part of the
county package if the title does not state the sale price. DR 2173 or an
equivalent should identify the parties and the vehicle, state price and date,
and carry both signatures. It cannot replace the endorsed certificate.

The document has a second, narrower role. To use the 36-hour private-sale
operating exception in § 42-3-115, the bill of sale must state the time and date
and be signed by both parties; the driver must carry it with proof of insurance.

Complete mileage and brand fields accurately

C.R.S. § 42-6-202 incorporates the federal odometer-disclosure duty and makes a
false or omitted required disclosure a class 2 misdemeanor. Colorado DMV says
model-year 2011 and newer vehicles remain covered for their first 20 years;
20-year-old vehicles, vehicles over 16,000 GVWR, and trailers are exempt.

If the title carries a brand, seller and buyer complete DR 2710. The separate
salvage and rebuilt-title procedure is outside this ordinary-transfer page.

Consider the five-business-day seller report

The Report Release of Liability is optional, not part of the buyer's title
filing. A report received within five business days under § 42-6-109 states the
sale date and time, former owner, VIN, and a perjury affirmation. It can protect
the seller from later civil or criminal actions involving the operator or
vehicle, but not from the seller's own negligent sale, legal noncompliance,
misstatements, omissions, or failure to disclose.

Remove the plates. Under current § 42-3-115, ordinary plates expire at transfer
and generally cannot move to another vehicle; specified special plates are
exceptions. Signed 2026 HB 1053 changes that rule on January 1, 2028, when a
plate may be transferred on request if at least one owner is common to both
vehicles.

Title and register within 60 days

C.R.S. § 42-3-103 and § 42-6-110 both use 60 days—one for registration, one for
the new title application. File with the buyer's county clerk using the endorsed
title, DR 2395, secure and verifiable ID under DR 2841, price proof, lien release,
active Colorado insurance, passing emissions certificate if applicable, and
taxes and fees. C.R.S. §§ 42-6-116 and 42-6-117 allow the agent to seek more
ownership information and refuse a title when the applicant is not entitled to
it.

Private-party purchases carry 2.9% state use tax on purchase price plus
applicable local and special-district tax, paid to the county clerk at
registration. C.R.S. § 42-6-137 sets the title fee at $7.20; registration fees
and specific ownership tax vary by vehicle and location.

Registration normally comes before driving

The 60-day filing period is not a 60-day driving permit. Section 42-3-115 says
register before highway operation. The private-sale exception lasts only 36
hours, only for a purchase made on a weekend, legal holiday, or between 5 p.m.
and 8 a.m., and only for a trip from the seller's storage place to the buyer's
intended storage place with the timed, signed bill of sale and insurance. A
temporary registration is the ordinary alternative.

There is no statewide sale-time safety inspection for this ordinary in-state
transfer. In the Denver-metro and North Front Range emissions program area, the
seller supplies a fresh passing certificate for a qualifying transfer. Gasoline
vehicles are generally exempt for their first seven model years and diesels for
four, but ownership transfer in the last exemption year can trigger testing.
Colorado-compliant insurance is required to register and drive.

Late and defective filings have separate consequences

Title-transfer noncompliance is a class A traffic infraction; registration
noncompliance is a class B traffic infraction. C.R.S. §§ 42-3-112 and 42-3-115
separate the late-registration charge from the pre-operation rule. Late
registration adds $25 for each month or part of a month, capped at $100, plus
prorated taxes and registration fees. A county filing can also stop for an
improperly signed title, missing mileage entry, unresolved lien, missing price
proof, absent insurance or emissions certificate, or unpaid tax and fees.

What trips people up

• The 60 days do not authorize driving. Registration normally precedes
  operation; the 36-hour exception has five separate conditions.
• Five business days is optional but valuable. A timely seller report limits
  later exposure, but the statutory exceptions preserve liability for the
  seller's own conduct or transfer defects.
• A bill of sale changes roles. It is optional evidence when price is on the
  title, required price proof when price is omitted, and mandatory with exact
  time/date for the narrow drive-away exception.
• Plate reuse changes in 2028. Today's general expiration/nontransfer rule
  remains current until the signed act's future effective date.

Common questions

Does a Colorado private-sale title need notarization?
No. The ordinary transfer and application use signed perjury declarations. A
separate lien release may be notarized instead of using its perjury declaration.

How long does the buyer have?
Sixty days to apply for title and register, but registration is normally needed
before driving.

Is a bill of sale required?
Not in every filing. It is required if the title omits price and for the 36-hour
operating exception; otherwise Colorado DMV recommends it.

Who provides emissions testing?
For a qualifying transfer in the emissions area, the seller provides the new
passing certificate.

Statutes and sources

• C.R.S. §§ 42-6-109, 42-6-110, 42-6-116, 42-6-117, 42-6-125, 42-6-137,
  and 42-6-202 — certificate delivery and ownership, optional seller report,
  60-day title application, application/refusal, lien release, fee, and odometer
  penalty. https://olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-42.pdf (accessed 2026-07-23).
• C.R.S. §§ 42-3-103, 42-3-112, and 42-3-115 — 60-day registration,
  late fee, pre-operation registration, 36-hour exception, seller liability,
  and current plate handling. https://olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-42.pdf
  (accessed 2026-07-23).
• Colorado DMV — Private Sale; Vehicle Title; Registration — title fields,
  odometer age, bill of sale, DR forms, plates, seller report, emissions,
  insurance, county package, and current workflow.
  https://dmv.colorado.gov/buying-and-selling,
  https://dmv.colorado.gov/title, and
  https://dmv.colorado.gov/registration (accessed 2026-07-23).
• Colorado Department of Revenue — Consumer Use Tax Guide — 2.9% state
  rate, private-sale use tax, purchase-price base, and county-clerk payment.
  https://tax.colorado.gov/consumer-use-tax-guide (accessed 2026-07-23).
• 2026 Colo. Laws ch. 347 (HB 26-1053) — signed future plate-transfer rule,
  effective January 1, 2028. https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB26-1053
  (checked 2026-07-23).