Where do I transfer a car title in Colorado?

File with the county motor vehicle office in the buyer's county (county clerk & recorder / motor vehicle division) — Colorado state DMV does not process transfers.

How much is the title transfer fee in Colorado?

$7.20 state title fee — one of the lowest in the country. A $40 lien filing fee applies separately if the title carries a lien.

What is the deadline to transfer a title in Colorado?

Register within 60 days after purchase. The registration late fee is $25 per month or partial month, capped at $100.

What tax do I pay on a private-party car purchase in Colorado?

Sales tax is due once, at titling, on the purchase price: 2.9% state tax plus county and city taxes that vary by where you live (the county collects all of it on private-party purchases). Separately, Colorado charges an annual Specific Ownership Tax at registration — an age-based percentage of 85% of the vehicle's MSRP, from 2.10% in year one down to a flat $3 at year ten.

How to Transfer a Car Title in Colorado

The Colorado transfer in one table

Step	Colorado rule
Where to file	the county motor vehicle office in the buyer's county (county clerk & recorder / motor vehicle division) — Colorado state DMV does not process transfers
Application form	Form DR 2395, Application for Title and/or Registration, with the seller's assigned title
Title transfer fee	$7.20 state title fee — one of the lowest in the country. A $40 lien filing fee applies separately if the title carries a lien
Deadline & late penalty	Register within 60 days after purchase. The registration late fee is $25 per month or partial month, capped at $100
Sales/use tax	Sales tax is due once, at titling, on the purchase price: 2.
Inspection	An emissions test is required when registering in the Air Care Colorado program area: Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, plus parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Larimer, and Weld.

What makes Colorado different

Colorado's $7.20 is the fee the spam pages get wrong — figures like $76.50 and $87.75 circulating online blend the title fee with registration, the ownership tax, or other states' schedules. The $7.20 comes from the county clerk fee schedule and C.R.S. § 42-6-137. The real Colorado cost driver is not the title at all: it is the Specific Ownership Tax, which is why two buyers with the same car pay different totals by county and model year.

The transfer, step by step

Get the signed title from the seller. The seller assigns the title to you at the sale — names spelled exactly as on your ID, odometer reading recorded, no blank fields. A title with errors or a missing signature is the number one reason transfers bounce.
Complete the state application: Form DR 2395. Bring the assigned title, your ID, and payment.
File at the county motor vehicle office in the buyer's county (county clerk & recorder / motor vehicle division) — Colorado state DMV does not process transfers. Filing office matters in Colorado — filing at the wrong level of government (state vs. county) is the most common wasted trip.
Pay the fee and the tax. Fee: $7.20 state title fee — one of the lowest in the country. A $40 lien filing fee applies separately if the title carries a lien. Tax: Sales tax is due once, at titling, on the purchase price: 2.9% state tax plus county and city taxes that vary by where you live (the county collects all of it on private-party purchases). Separately, Colorado charges an annual Specific Ownership Tax at registration — an age-based percentage of 85% of the vehicle's MSRP, from 2.10% in year one down to a flat $3 at year ten.
Mind the deadline: Register within 60 days after purchase. The registration late fee is $25 per month or partial month, capped at $100.
Handle inspection if your situation triggers it. An emissions test is required when registering in the Air Care Colorado program area: Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, plus parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Larimer, and Weld. A VIN verification (Form DR 2698) is required for out-of-state titles.

What it will actually cost

Run your numbers through the Car Title Transfer Cost Estimator — pick your state, enter the purchase price, and it adds the official fee and the state tax rule to give you the walk-in total before you queue. Then compare how the other seven states do it in the Car Title Transfer by State directory.

Moving the car across a state line? The receiving state's rules govern the transfer — the directory links all eight state guides in this set.

Renewing is not transferring

If the owner is staying the same and only the registration needs renewing, see Vehicle Registration Renewal in Colorado for deadlines, grace periods, and late fees.

If the title itself is lost

If the title itself is lost, stolen, or destroyed, replace it before you transfer or renew. A transfer needs a title to sign over, and a renewal on a lost title stalls at the title number. See How to Replace a Lost Car Title in Colorado for the form, the fee, and the lienholder rule.

Transferring a title in another state

Transferring a title in another state? See How to Transfer a Car Title in California and How to Transfer a Car Title in Texas.

Source

Fees, deadlines, and tax rules on this page are drawn from the official source: Colorado DMV (Dept. of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles). Facts verified 2026-10-23. County-level registration fees and local tax rates vary — your filing office confirms the final figure.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice — for a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your state labor or consumer agency.