The short answer
| Item | Colorado answer |
|---|---|
| Title fee | $7.20 (C.R.S. §42-6-137(1)(a)). Duplicate title: $8.20. The $25 figure you may see is the dealer title fee. |
| Sales tax | 2.90% state, the only statewide rate, plus county, city and district (e.g. RTD) taxes set by your address. There is no single combined rate. |
| Deadline | Title and register within 60 days. No late title fee; late registration costs $25 a month, capped at $100, plus back taxes. |
| Plates | Standard plates can't transfer to a buyer at any price. New plates: $8.06 a pair. |
| Typical total | $20,000 private-party car titled in Broomfield (8.15% combined), new plates: $1,645.26. The local part is address-specific. |
Worked example: $20,000 private-party car, Broomfield
Broomfield is the site's reference county. Every local line below applies to a Broomfield address only. Your county, city and district rates will differ.
- State sales tax: 2.90% × $20,000 = $580.00
- RTD (address-specific): 1.10% × $20,000 = $220.00
- City (address-specific, Broomfield): 3.75% × $20,000 = $750.00
- County (address-specific, Broomfield): 0.40% × $20,000 = $80.00
- Title: $7.20
- New plates: $8.06
Tax: $1,630.00 (8.15% combined in Broomfield). Total: $1,630.00 + $7.20 + $8.06 = $1,645.26.
Same-visit registration: registration is charged at titling, but it depends on the car's weight and original MSRP, not the purchase price. With stated assumptions (original MSRP $25,000, 5th year of service, 3,500-lb car), add Specific Ownership Tax $95.63 and the registration fee stack $68.50 (Broomfield FY 2026-27): $1,809.39.
A financed purchase adds the $40 lien filing. Not included: the Motorist Insurance Identification Fee, which DOR sets each year and doesn't publish (not available).
There's no plate transfer line, because Colorado has no plate transfer. See the registration credit below instead.
Title fee: $7.20
The application fee for a certificate of title is $7.20 (C.R.S. §42-6-137(1)(a); the Broomfield and Boulder County fee pages agree). A duplicate title is $8.20 (§42-6-137(5)).
Related lines on the same schedule: lien notation $7.20 plus a $40 security-agreement filing (county pages), mortgage extension $1.50, release $7.20. The $25 figure on dealer and fleet pages is the dealer title application fee (§42-6-137(6)), not the private-party fee. There is no expedited title product in the schedule (not available).
You file at the county motor vehicle office of the buyer's county.
Sales tax: 2.90% state, the rest by address
- State rate: 2.90% of the purchase price, the only statewide constant.
- Local rates: county, city and special-district (e.g. RTD) taxes are set by the buyer's address. The county clerk collects all of them at registration. CDOR's rule: all taxes must be paid before titling, and the clerk can't title or register until they are (CDOR, Motor Vehicle Sales topic).
- Basis: the full purchase price. Dealer discounts reduce it; manufacturer rebates and EV credits don't.
- Trade-ins: the trade-in exclusion (fair market value of the trade-in) works only in dealer sales. Private-party sales have no trade-in mechanism.
- Low prices: there's no published statewide fair-market-value floor for private sales.
Reference example, address-specific: Broomfield = state 2.90% + RTD 1.10% + city 3.75% + county 0.40% = 8.15% combined.
Deadline and the cost of being late
The buyer must present the title with an application for a new title within 60 days (§42-6-110(1)). Registration is due in the same 60 days (§42-3-103(1)(a)). A seller can't transfer a vehicle without delivering the signed title (§42-6-109(1)).
There is no late title fee: the full §42-6-137 schedule contains no late, penalty or delinquency title charge. Lateness costs on the registration side: the §42-3-112 late fee of $25 per month or part of a month, capped at $100, from day 61, plus the prorated registration taxes and fees (including Specific Ownership Tax) owed back to the purchase date.
Plates: no transfer exists
Colorado plates belong to the owner, and standard plates expire on a change of ownership. They can't transfer to a buyer at any price. The buyer buys new standard plates: $8.06 a pair.
What Colorado gives you instead is a registration credit (C.R.S. §42-3-107(25)). If you dispose of a vehicle mid-period, a prorated credit of the ownership tax, surcharges and registration fees applies to your next registration in the same period. Or you can assign it to your buyer, but only if the credit is more than $10. Plate fees are excluded. The credit is applied at the county counter; no claim form number could be verified.
Gifts and family
Colorado's rule is donor-side, not a blanket exemption (CDOR). The recipient of a true gift owes no sales or use tax. But the giver owes tax on their own purchase of the vehicle, paid before the recipient can register. The clerk checks the receipts.
- No family exemption: a sale within the family is taxed on its price, like any other sale.
- Loans: taking over the giver's loan is consideration. Tax is due on the outstanding debt plus any other consideration (CDOR; Denver Motor Vehicle policy MVDP-015 says the same for family transfers).
- A gift means no consideration of any kind. There is no statewide gift affidavit form (not available). Gifts are documented by a bill of sale.
- Denver practice: Denver requires a notarized bill of sale for vehicles 10 years old or newer, with an appraisal as the fallback.
Forms
- DR 2395: Application for Title and/or Registration. The joint-tenancy election is on DR 2395 itself.
- DR 2173: bill of sale.
- DR 2698: VIN verification, for out-of-state titles.
- DR 2539A: duplicate title request.
Other states
Title transfer guides for other states: Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Texas and California.
What this guide doesn't cover
Dealer sales in detail, local tax rates for addresses outside Broomfield, the Motorist Insurance Identification Fee (not published), specialty plates and trucks. The Colorado calculator covers registration and Specific Ownership Tax from the original MSRP and age.
For a registration that has run out, see expired registration in Colorado: the grace month, the $25-a-month late fee and its $100 cap.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to transfer a car title in Colorado?
The title is $7.20. Add 2.90% state sales tax plus your address's county, city and district rates, and $8.06 for new plates. A $20,000 private-party car in Broomfield (8.15% combined) comes to $1,645.26.
Is the Colorado title fee $76.50?
No. It is $7.20. The $25 figure is the dealer title fee.
Can I keep the seller's plates, or move my old plates to the new car in Colorado?
No. There's no standard-plate transfer at any price. You buy new plates ($8.06 a pair). The registration credit under §42-3-107(25) is the money Colorado gives back instead.
What is Colorado's combined sales tax rate on a car?
There isn't one. It's 2.90% state plus whatever your address adds. In Broomfield that's 8.15% combined.
How long do you have to title a car in Colorado?
60 days from the purchase, for both the title and the registration.
Is there a late title fee in Colorado if I'm past 60 days?
No title fee. The cost is the registration late fee of $25 a month, capped at $100, plus back taxes and fees to the purchase date.
Do you pay sales tax on a gifted car in Colorado?
The recipient of a true gift pays none, but the giver must have paid tax on their own purchase first. There's no family exemption: a family sale is taxed on its price, and taking over the giver's loan counts as a sale for the loan balance.
See title transfer fees for all 50 states
Calculate your Colorado fees
Example for a $30,000 car. Enter your own price to update it.
- Specific ownership tax (1 yr)2.1% of 85% of MSRP, year 1$535.50
- License feeBy empty weight$9.00
- Age-of-vehicle feeUnder 7 years old$12.00
- Road Safety SurchargeReduced rate through June 2027$19.30
- Bridge Safety Surcharge$18.00
- Clerk hire fee$4.00
- County road and bridge fee$1.50
- Emergency medical services fee$2.00
- P.O.S.T. fee$1.00
- Additional registration fee$0.50
- AIR account fee$0.50
- Emissions program area fee$0.70
- Title fee$7.20
- License platesPair, digital plates and tab$8.06
- Sales tax8.15% of price$2,445.00
Total excludes items marked "not available".
What you'll pay later
Renewal at today's rates: $454.70/yr
5-year total: not shown, because the ownership tax and age fee drop as the car ages.
Estimate only, at today's rates for the same car.
Rates and sources for every fee are on the Colorado car registration fee calculator page.
- Colorado Department of Revenue – Sales and use tax topics: motor vehicle sales (2.9% state; all taxes paid before titling; gifts; trade-ins)
- City and County of Broomfield – Motor vehicle title and registration fees (title $7.20; plates; local rates)
- Boulder County – Motor vehicle fees and taxes (title $7.20; lien filing $40)
- Colorado DMV – Vehicle taxes and fees (specific ownership tax)
General information, not tax or legal advice. Fees and tax rules change; confirm with the agency listed before you pay.
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