All vehicles, including cars, vans, trucks, trailers, and motorhomes, must have a valid license plate in Colorado. You can register your vehicle at the DMV and get validation tags in addition to your vehicle’s registration.

Sample Colorado License Plate

When to Apply for a License Plate in Colorado

You must go to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Colorado to register your vehicle within 60 days of its purchase.

If you're a new resident of Colorado, you should visit the DMV to register your out-of-state vehicle within 90 days of your arrival in the state.

In addition to applying for a license plate, you're also required to purchase validation tags.

Validation Tags for Colorado License Plates

You need to obtain registration tabs to validate your registered vehicle. If you're driving a car, van, or truck, you'll be required to have plates on both the front and back of your vehicle.

These tags are valid for 12 months and need to be renewed each year.

Renewing Colorado License Plate Tags

Since your tags are only valid for 12 months, you are expected to renew them before they expire. Failure to do so would mean you are driving illegally, which has financial consequences.

You can renew your vehicle’s tags by applying online, sending an application in the mail, or visiting the DMV in person.

Renewal fees will vary depending on your vehicle and type of license plate.

Types of License Plates in Colorado

The types of license plates available in Colorado are as follows:

Standard License Plates
Personalized License plates
Specialized License Plates
Disability License Plates

Temporary License Plates in Colorado

If you're purchasing a new vehicle or waiting for your plates to arrive, you must obtain a temporary permit or license plate which allows you to drive your vehicle.

You should visit the DMV before purchasing a vehicle, unless you're going to a dealership. Most dealerships will provide you with a temporary permit to drive your car home and to the DMV.

Temporary license plates and permits are usually valid for up to 60 days.

Applying for a License Plate in Colorado

When you register your vehicle at the DMV in Colorado, you should bring the following:

Valid car insurance
Valid ID (driver's license, passport, etc.)
Emissions test results and certification
Proof of purchase and title
Money to pay for fees and taxes

Each county in Colorado has different requirements for the registration of vehicles. Please contact the nearest DMV office to get more information.

Note: The counties of Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe, Larimer, and Weld require emissions tests before you can register a vehicle.

Costs of License Plates in Colorado

The costs associated with license plates in Colorado vary from county to county. You’ll have to contact your local DMV office to get an accurate quote, but here’s a quick list of how they determine your fees:

Sales Tax: You will be charged based on the amount of money you spent on your vehicle.
License fee: You will be charged based on the weight, date of purchase, and taxable value of your vehicle.
Ownership Tax: You will be charged a percentage based on what your vehicle was worth brand-new (i.e., personal property tax).

When you register your vehicle, you may be able to pay the applicable fees using cash, MasterCard, Discover Card, or VISA.

Specialty License Plates in Colorado

If you want to stand out from the crowd with something other than the standard license plate in the state of Colorado, you can choose from an assortment of specialty styles. Here are just a few choices:

Horseless Carriage License Plates
Street Rod License Plates
Vietnam Veteran Tag
U.S. Army License Plate
Air Force Academy License Plate [$50 annual fee]
Western State College License Plate
Colorado State University License Plate [min. $100 donation required]
Support the Troops License Plate
Adopt a Shelter License Plate [includes $30 donation to Pet Overpopulation Fund]

There are many more specialty plates to choose from in Colorado. You must apply for the plate you want and be eligible in case you have chosen qualifying plates, such as war veteran plates. You must also pay any additional fees that are associated with these specialty plates.

Personalizing Colorado License Plates

Instead of getting a specialty license plate in Colorado, you can also choose to put a clever phrase or unique string of characters on the front and back of your vehicle. These are known as vanity plates. To get a personalized Colorado license plate, you’ll be required to:

Choose a combination of letters, numbers, spaces, dashes, and dots
Use up to 7 characters
Avoid plate numbers already in use
Explain the meaning of your license plate number
No offensive or misleading numbers

If you fail to explain the meaning of your license plate, your application for a personalized plate may be declined.

The cost for these plates is an additional $50 on top of your standard registration fees. Renewing these plates costs $25 plus your regular renewal rates.

Replacing Stolen or Missing Colorado License Plates

If your license plates are missing or if you believe they’ve been stolen, you should immediately go to the police and file a report. Then, take a copy of this report to the local DMV in your county and submit the following:

Form DR 2283: Lost or Stolen License Plate/Permit
Payment for fees [different for each county]

You should always report your missing plates to the police to prevent misuse and abuse.

How to look up Colorado license plates

You can search for license plates in Colorado for free. Go to FindByPlate to start a search and obtain information about license plate availability, history, and more.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to look up Colorado License Plates and report bad drivers:

Open a web browser
Go to FindByPlate.com
Enter the plate number, and select state
View the report
View images submitted by the community
View videos submitted by the community
Add comments
Add pictures of the vehicle
Add videos related to the vehicle

Car Ownership in Colorado

95.00% of households in Colorado have at least one vehicle.
Colorado ranks 7 in the United States in car ownership rate. Idaho and Wyoming have the highest car ownership rates while the District of Columbia has the lowest car ownership rate in the US.
Greeley, Colorado has one of the highest vehicle ownership rates in the nation with 96.72% of households owning at least one vehicle in 2021. It also is among the top five areas in the US for most vehicles per household with 35.38% of households having three or more vehicles.
Colorado ranks 6 (tied) in the US for electric vehicle ownership. About 0.71% of all registered vehicles in Colorado are electric vehicles.
Colorado is the third most expensive state to own a car (after California and Nevada). It’s also the second most expensive state for car repairs, second only to Connecticut. The average cost of a check engine light-related car repair in Colorado is $417. The average cost of full coverage car insurance in Colorado is $2,489 per year.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I renew my car registration in Colorado?

You can renew your car registration in Colorado online. It takes only 10 minutes. The tabs and registration will be mailed to you in approximately 2 weeks. You’ll need the following to renew your vehicle registration online:

License plate number
Vehicle identification number or VIN
Current emissions certificate (if applicable)
Current insurance
Valid credit card or check for payment

However, there are some instances in which you cannot do the renewal online and will need to visit to your local county motor vehicle office:

You’re disclosing a disability that could prevent a vehicle owner or passenger from communicating with law enforcement officers.
You are transferring license plates or receiving registration credit.
Your registration expired more than 13 months ago.
Your insurance information is not in the Colorado Motorist Insurance Identification Database.
Your vehicle needs an emissions test and did it less than 3 days ago (it takes up to 3 days for the emissions test results to upload into the system).

I’m not driving my car. Do I still need to renew my vehicle registration in Colorado?

Even if you are not operating your vehicle for a period of time, you still must renew the registration and meet emissions test requirements. You can submit a DR-2303 Non-Use of Vehicle form instead of proof of insurance if you’re not using a vehicle.

Does Colorado have a grace period for vehicle registration?

Colorado has a one-month grace period after your vehicle registration expires. After this, there is a late fee of $25 per month or portion of month for up to 4 months. The total late fee is not more than $100.

The late fee may be waived:

If the owner of the vehicle is serving outside Colorado in the military and the vehicle has not been used on any public highway since the time the vehicle registration expired, including the grace period.
The vehicle is a commercial vehicle that has not been operated on a public highway during the expiry period.
The vehicle was reported as stolen and later recovered.

Can I transfer my Colorado license plates to my new vehicle?

The state of Colorado does not permit transfer of license plates to new vehicles. However, you can transfer a personalized license plate. You can also transfer a license plate for a horseless carriage.

Can I purchase a standard Colorado license plate for my collection?

Colorado does not permit the sale of sample plates.

Lookup by license plate and report bad drivers