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Colorado title transfer fees
How much is the title fee in Colorado?
Explained below
In plain English
Colorado's statute says the applicant pays the authorized agent a fee of seven dollars and twenty cents when filing an application for a certificate of title, in addition to the fees for registering the vehicle. Where a mortgage is to be noted, the statute adds a fee of seven dollars and twenty cents for issuing or recording the title and noting that the mortgage exists.
“Upon filing with the authorized agent an application for a certificate of title, the applicant shall pay to the agent a fee of seven dollars and twenty cents, which shall be in addition to the fees for the registration of such motor vehicle.”
The official words for the rest
“in addition, a fee of seven dollars and twenty cents for the issuance or recording of the certificate of title and the notation of the existence of the mortgage.”
Worked example
Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in Colorado. The title fee quoted for Colorado is not one figure, so none is used here. Tax is left out of this example. Not included: registration and plates, a lien fee, an out-of-state inspection, county or office add-ons, and late fees.
A made-up price; every other figure is from the quotes on this page. It is an illustration, not a bill.
What other fees come with it?
- Lien fee
“in addition, a fee of seven dollars and twenty cents for the issuance or recording of the certificate of title and the notation of the existence of the mortgage.”
What are the steps in Colorado, and by when?
In plain English
Title and registration is required within 60 days of purchase.
The official words
“Title and registration is required in Colorado: • within 60 days of purchase; • within 90 days of becoming a Colorado resident;”
Registration fees are based on the empty weight and type of vehicle.
The official words
“Registration fees are based on the empty weight and type of vehicle.”
The legislative handbook says the tax is based on the vehicle’s value and is paid each year the vehicle is registered in Colorado.
The official words
“The tax is based on the value of the vehicle and is paid each year that a vehicle is registered in Colorado.”
What if the car comes from another state?
New residents have
90 days
“Title and registration is required in Colorado: • within 60 days of purchase; • within 90 days of becoming a Colorado resident;”
In plain English
Title and registration is required within 90 days of becoming a Colorado resident.
The official words
“Title and registration is required in Colorado: • within 60 days of purchase; • within 90 days of becoming a Colorado resident;”
What about tax on the purchase in Colorado?
Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Colorado. That is about our reading, not about Colorado’s rules.
What does a gift or family transfer change in Colorado?
Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Colorado. That is about our reading, not about Colorado’s rules.
What happens if the transfer is late in Colorado?
In plain English
Failing to register a vehicle on time brings a late fee of $25 per month after the 90-day period during which initial registration was required, up to $100 total.
The official words
“Failure to register a vehicle on time results in a $25-per-month late fee after the 90-day period during which initial registration was required, up to $100 total.”
What the pages we read do not cover
The quotes we hold do not give a sales tax rate for a vehicle purchase.
They do not say whether a vehicle from another state needs an inspection.
They do not cover gifts or transfers within a family.
How Colorado compares
The title fee quoted for Colorado is not a single figure, so Colorado is not placed among the other states.
Every state in one table · How a title transfer works
Add it up for Colorado
Reference only, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with the agency. Full statement
Pages that refused our script
These official pages answered our script with a refusal or a bot check on November 12, 2026. We did not work around it, and nothing here is drawn from them.
- Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Taxes and Fees · dmv.colorado.gov · refused the request
- Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Title - General Information · dmv.colorado.gov · refused the request
- Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Registration - General Information · dmv.colorado.gov · refused the request
- Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, form DR 2539A · dmv.colorado.gov · refused the request
- Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation Division home page · tax.colorado.gov · refused the request
Sources
7 quoted lines from 2 official sources, each matched word for word on November 12, 2026. Some official pages refused our script, so these lines could not be compared with them; a figure in a statute can differ from the fee an office posts today. The state’s own titling page is dmv.colorado.gov.
- Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 42 (uncertified printout) (PDF) · leg.colorado.gov
- Colorado Legislative Council Staff, Motor Vehicle Handbook (PDF) · content.leg.colorado.gov