Eight pages, and the department says all 8 pages of the DR 2489A are required to be completed and returned. It is how anybody gets a Colorado motor vehicle record out of the department: a search by vehicle identification number or plate, a name search, or a title history, which is a digital replication of the record of all documents submitted when titling a vehicle. Every bonding route in the state runs through it, and so does a seller who wants to know whether the buyer ever filed.
Written against DR 2489A (06/23/25), issued under C.R.S. 42-1-206, 42-6-115, 42-6-118, 24-72-204 and 18 U.S.C. 2721.
This is federal privacy law as much as Colorado records law. The attestation in Section 5 is signed under penalty of perjury and warns that records obtained, resold or transferred for purposes prohibited by law may carry civil penalties under both federal and state law.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank DR 2489A from the dmv.colorado.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
This is all 8 pages of the actual DR 2489A, rendered from the PDF the Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles publishes and completed end to end: letterhead, every field, and the blocks at the foot.
Amber — you write it
Grey — not yours to fill
Numbered — explained below
Page 1 of 8. No fields. What each kind of search is, what it costs and which form does it - the page that tells you whether you want a record search or a title history.Page 2 of 8. Still no fields: the bonding note, the two postal addresses, the in-person address, and the line saying all eight pages have to come back.Page 3 of 8. Who is asking, and what they are asking about - a vehicle search by identification number and plate rather than a name search.Page 4 of 8. The immigration-enforcement question, then the two routes: consent or your own record in Section 3, or exactly one of the ten permissible uses in Section 3a.Page 5 of 8. Section 4 left empty because none of its categories applies, and the attestation signed under penalty of perjury.Page 6 of 8. The vehicle again, and the free box that decides what actually comes back - a request that does not say what it wants gets a printout that does not answer it.Page 7 of 8. The fee page. One box ticked, one quantity, one amount, one total, and a warning that no refunds will be granted.Page 8 of 8. The return-address sheet, which the department asks to be sent back with the rest.
Field by field
Every line, in the order you meet it
1
You fill this in
Section 1 - who is asking
Your name, email, street address and a mailing address if it differs.
Watch out: The email matters more than it looks. A request that is short of something gets queried rather than silently rejected, and the query goes there.
2
You fill this in
Section 2 - name search or vehicle search
Either a person's name and address, or the vehicle identification number, year, make, body and title or plate number.
Watch out: Use the vehicle identification number. A plate number is a poor key in Colorado because an ordinary plate expires the moment a title is assigned.
3
You fill this in
Answer the immigration-enforcement question
A required yes or no under C.R.S. 24-74-105, with a warrant, court order or subpoena needed behind a yes.
Watch out: It is marked Required and sits on its own above Section 3. An unanswered one stops the request whatever else is complete.
4
You fill this in
Section 3, if either box fits
Written consent held under a power of attorney or letter of authorization, or the plain statement This is my record.
Watch out: A seller asking about a vehicle that was in their own name ticks the second box. Once the title has moved, the record is no longer yours and Section 3a is where you have to look.
5
You fill this in
Section 3a - one box only
Ten permissible uses under the Driver Privacy Protection Act, of which exactly one may be selected.
Watch out: Bonding for title is the one most private applicants need, and it requires a copy of the certified vehicle identification number inspection to go with it.
6
You fill this in
Section 4, only if it applies
Bar number, dealer licence, process server, tow carrier, court order, insurer or law enforcement agency.
Watch out: An ordinary person asking about an ordinary car ticks nothing here. Filling one in to look official invites a request for the document behind it.
7
You fill this in
Section 5 - print, sign, and give a licence number
Printed name, driver's licence or badge number, state, signature and date, under the attestation.
Watch out: The undertaking is not to obtain, re-sell, transfer or use the information in any manner prohibited by law, and it is signed under penalty of perjury.
At a glance
What goes where
On the form
What to put in it
The fee schedule on pages one and two
A record search or a title history is $2.25; certification of a record or history is $0.55 per record; and a national database search, where no Colorado record is found, is $2.25.
Section 1 - Name of Person Requesting Information
Name, email, street address, city, state and ZIP, a separate mailing address block, and an F E I N if applicable.
Section 2 - Name Search or Vehicle Search
Last name, first name and middle initial with an address block, then vehicle identification number, year, make, body, and title or plate number.
The immigration-enforcement question
Required under C.R.S. 24-74-105: whether the request is being made for the purpose of investigating for, participating in, cooperating with, or assisting in Federal Immigration Enforcement, with a note that a yes needs a warrant, court order or subpoena attached.
Section 3
Two boxes: written consent of the person whose record is being requested, using a power of attorney or letter of authorization; or, simply, This is my record.
Section 3a - the permissible uses
Ten boxes, of which exactly one may be selected, including bonding for title or application for assigned identification, which requires a copy of the certified vehicle identification number inspection.
Section 4 - Additional Information
Attorney bar number, dealer or auction licence number, process server, tow carrier with a public utilities commission number, court order, insurance company with a claim number, or law enforcement agency.
Section 5 - the attestation
Under penalty of perjury, an undertaking not to obtain, re-sell, transfer or use the information in any manner prohibited by law, then a printed name, driver's licence number or badge number, state, signature and date.
What gets this one rejected
•Fewer than eight pages returned. The instruction is printed in the department's own words and it is absolute.
•No box ticked in Section 3 or Section 3a. The form says that if no box is checked in section 3, the applicant must check an applicable box in section 3a.
•More than one permissible use selected. Section 3a says must select 1 box only.
•A permissible use with no evidence behind it. Bonding needs the inspection attached, a tow needs a tow ticket, a court order needs its front page, a process server needs the front page of the summons.
•Cash for the fee. It goes by post or in person to Vehicle Services, and a cheque or money order is what the department expects.
•Asking for a former buyer's details out of curiosity. None of the ten permissible uses is that you used to own the vehicle - the honest route for a seller is the box saying this is my record.
Rules that decide whether it is accepted
•A record search and a title history are different documents. A record search provides a printout of the current owner and lienholder information. A title history is the chain of documents behind each title holder, and each title holder is a separate history.
•The online route exists and is quicker. Motor vehicle record searches may also be submitted through myDMV under the Vehicle Services tab, which is the same request without the envelope.
