How to Sell a Car in Colorado Privately? (State Guide)

The buyer has 60 days from the date of sale to register the vehicle at their county motor vehicle office (CRS 42-3-103).

If they miss that window, the late fee is $25 per month starting on day 61, up to a $100 maximum.

The buyer can drive the car temporarily using a 60-day temp tag until registration is complete. If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, they should visit their county office before that date.

Colorado does not require the title assignment to be notarized; sign in blue or black ink exactly as your name appears on the front of the title.

A bill of sale is required when the title has no space to record the sale price. It is recommended for every private sale to protect both parties. Most standard Colorado titles include this space.

Bill of sale notarization is not required. Use our free bill of sale generator to create one.

Yes, but you need to coordinate the lien release with your lender.

Here’s how it works: for a paper title, the lender signs the lien release section on the back of the title or provides a release letter on company letterhead; for an electronic lien, the lender releases it through Colorado's ELT system once the loan is paid off.

If you owe more than the car is worth, you’ll need to pay the difference.

It depends on the size of the estate.

If probated: Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration with the title. If not probated: a completed Form DR 2712 Small Estate Affidavit plus a certified copy of the death certificate, submitted at your county motor vehicle office.

In Colorado, the small estate affidavit can be used when total personal property is under the annual limit, which is $82,000 for deaths in 2024 and adjusts each year for inflation.

It depends on how the title reads. If the names are connected with “AND,” both of you must sign the title. If the names are connected with “OR,” either one of you can sign alone to complete the sale.

Don’t try to fix it yourself with white-out or cross-outs. Any correction or alteration voids the Colorado title completely.

You’ll need to apply for a duplicate title using Form DR 2539A, which costs $8.20. You can submit it at your county motor vehicle office, or online at mydmv.colorado.gov. Then wait 2 to 6 weeks for the new title to arrive before you can complete the sale.

Your obligations as the seller are the same. You sign the title correctly, handle your license plates, and file the release of liability 5 days.

The buyer will register the vehicle in their home state and follow that state’s rules for title transfer and any required inspections.

In Colorado, license plates stay with the seller.

You can transfer your plates to another vehicle you own, return them to your county motor vehicle office, or destroy them. Only personalized and specialty plates can move to a new vehicle you own.

Yes. Colorado recommends filing it 5 days.

You file File online through myDMV under Vehicle Services, Report Release of Liability.. It’s free and takes about 5 minutes.

There is no specific penalty, but the seller may remain liable for tickets, tolls, or violations tied to the vehicle until the sale is reported. It’s one of the most important steps to protect yourself.

In most cases, you need the title to sell, and the cleanest fix for a lost one is a duplicate.

There are two narrow exceptions. Here is how Colorado handles them: for a non-roadworthy vehicle with no title, the buyer has 24 months instead of 60 days to apply for a title; for a vehicle 25 years or older, the buyer can establish title without a surety bond using a bill of sale presented within 24 months of the sale.

In both cases the buyer handles the title work, which is why junk and salvage buyers are the usual takers for no-title cars.

In Colorado, the seller is responsible. An emissions test is required on change of ownership in the Denver metro and North Front Range program area, and at the time of sale the seller provides the buyer with a passing certificate that has not been used to register another vehicle.

The buyer has the right to require this test before the sale. Both parties can agree in writing that the buyer will handle emissions instead, which is common in casual private sales, but the legal default puts it on the seller.

A certificate is valid for two years for gas vehicles more than seven model years old.