Sell your car in Colorado — from the Front Range to the Western Slope
Colorado sellers deal with a few wrinkles other states skip: an emissions certificate is the seller's job in nine Front Range counties, and hail history follows a car around here like nowhere else. The good news is the paperwork itself is simple — no notary, one title form, a five-minute online liability release. Get a real offer, hand over the keys, done.
Offers powered by our buying partner — ★ 4.7 Trustpilot (205,000+ reviews) · ★ 4.5 Google (8,900+)
Pick your metro
We buy across the whole state — these are the markets where we've written the local playbook. Don't see your town? The offer works anywhere in Colorado.
What Colorado requires when you sell
| Notary | Not required. Colorado skips the notary entirely — every owner named on the front of the title signs and prints their name in the seller section, matching the printed name exactly, and that's the whole ceremony. |
|---|---|
| The title form | There is no separate assignment form — ownership transfers on the back of the Colorado Certificate of Title itself, with purchase price, date of sale, and a federal odometer disclosure (model year 2011 and newer, for the vehicle's first 20 years). A bill of sale on secure form DR 2173 is best practice, and required if the price isn't written on the title. The buyer's title transfer fee is $7.20. |
| Lost your title? | Only the listed owner (or lienholder) can order a duplicate — online through myDMV, in person, or by mail using form DR 2539A with the $7.20 fee. Mailing to an out-of-state address? Mail is the only option, and any recorded lien has to be released first. |
| Protect yourself after the sale | File a Report Release of Liability within 5 days of the sale — an online service at myDMV (or your county motor vehicle office), using your plate number plus the VIN or the verification code from your registration card. It cuts you loose from whatever the buyer does with the vehicle next. |
| License plates | They're yours — always take them off. The DMV warns that plates left on a sold car can come back as toll bills, fines, or a knock on the door if the vehicle turns up in a crime. Return old plates to the county motor vehicle office or a metal recycler; personalized plates can transfer to your next vehicle through the county office. |
| Sales tax | The buyer's problem, not yours. Tax is collected at the buyer's county motor vehicle office when they title and register — they get 60 days from purchase before late fees start at $25 per month, capped at $100. |
| Emissions | No safety inspection in Colorado — but in the nine-county program area (Denver metro and the North Front Range), emissions is a seller obligation: a car more than 7 model years old sold to a buyer in an emissions county needs a fresh passing certificate handed over at the sale (C.R.S. 42-4-310). The test costs $35 for 1982-and-newer vehicles, $20 for 1981-and-older. |
Verified against the Colorado DMV's official buying-and-selling guidance as of August 2026 — fees and forms do change, so confirm the details before you sign anything.
Asked by Colorado sellers
Do I need a notary to sell my car in Colorado?
No. The state's title-endorsement instructions never mention a notary. Every owner named on the front of the title signs and prints their name in the seller's section — the printed name has to match the title exactly — and the transfer is valid.
Do I have to get an emissions test before I sell?
Only in the nine-county program area covering the Denver metro and the North Front Range. If the car is more than seven model years old and the buyer lives in one of those counties, you owe them a passing emissions certificate at the time of sale. Sell in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, or Grand Junction and that requirement disappears.
What do I do with my plates after the sale?
Take them off before the buyer drives away — Colorado plates stay with the owner, not the car. Drop them at your county motor vehicle office or a metal recycler, or move a personalized plate to your next vehicle through the county office.
Am I on the hook if the buyer never registers the car?
Not if you file the Report Release of Liability within five days — it's an online service at myDMV that takes about five minutes. After that, tickets, tolls, and registration lapses belong to the buyer. Their 60-day registration window, and the late fees behind it, run entirely on their clock.