Colorado car registration and title fees

• Title fee — $7.20. Certificate of title, paid to your county motor vehicle office. The dealer sends in the paperwork; the county bills this fee with it. (C.R.S. 42-6-137(1)(a); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• Lien filing fee — $40.00. County clerks charge a flat $40 to record your lender's lien on the title (Adams, Jefferson and El Paso counties publish this figure). The statute sets $7.20 for the title notation plus the clerk's recording fee, so other counties may differ. (C.R.S. 42-6-137(2); Adams, Jefferson and El Paso county clerk fee pages)
• Specific ownership tax — varies. Colorado's yearly vehicle property tax, paid when you register. It is 85% of the car's original MSRP times a rate that falls with age: 2.10% in the model year, 1.50%, 1.20%, 0.90%, then 0.45% in years five to nine. Enter the MSRP for a close figure; without it we use the price, which understates it on an older car. The value never changes, so the tax only steps down. (C.R.S. 42-3-106(2)(c), 42-3-107(9)(a), (10)(a); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• Specific ownership tax (truck) — varies. A truck up to 16,000 lbs is taxed on 75% of its original MSRP (Class B), at the same yearly rates, with a $10 minimum in years five to nine. Enter the MSRP for a close figure. (C.R.S. 42-3-106(2)(b), 42-3-107(1)(a)(I), (8)(a))
• Specific ownership tax — $3.00. From the tenth year of a vehicle's service life the tax is a flat $3 a year. (C.R.S. 42-3-107(10)(a))
• Registration fee (by weight) — varies. Annual state registration for a passenger car or SUV: $6 up to 2,000 lbs, then 20 cents per 100 lbs up to 4,500 lbs, then 60 cents per 100 lbs above that. Without the car's weight we use 3,500 lbs ($9). The weight is the manufacturer's published weight. (C.R.S. 42-3-306(2)(b)(I), 42-3-304(2))
• Registration fee (light truck, by weight) — varies. Pickups and other trucks up to 10,000 lbs use a separate, higher weight table: $43 at 5,000 lbs. Without the truck's empty weight we use 5,000 lbs. (C.R.S. 42-3-306(5)(a))
• Vehicle age fee — $12.00. A second registration fee that depends on age: $12 for a vehicle under seven years old, $10 for seven to nine years, $7 for ten or more. These amounts apply from July 1, 2026. (C.R.S. 42-3-306(2)(b)(II); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• Vehicle age fee — $10.00. A second registration fee that depends on age: $10 for a vehicle seven to nine years old. (C.R.S. 42-3-306(2)(b)(II)(B))
• Vehicle age fee — $7.00. A second registration fee that depends on age: $7 for a vehicle ten or more years old. (C.R.S. 42-3-306(2)(b)(II)(C))
• Road safety surcharge — varies. A state road-safety charge by weight: $19.30 for a vehicle of 2,001 to 5,000 lbs. It rises to $23 for registrations on or after September 1, 2027. (C.R.S. 43-4-804(1)(a); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• Road safety surcharge — varies. A state road-safety charge by weight: $23 for a vehicle of 2,001 to 5,000 lbs from September 1, 2027. (C.R.S. 43-4-804(1)(a)(I); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• Bridge safety surcharge — varies. A state bridge-repair charge by weight: $18 for a vehicle of 2,001 to 5,000 lbs. (C.R.S. 43-4-805(5)(g)(I); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• County clerk hire fee — $4.00. A $4 fee on every registration, kept by the county clerk to cover the cost of handling it. (C.R.S. 42-1-210(1)(a)(II); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• Emergency medical services fee — $2.00. A $2 state fee on every registration that funds emergency medical services. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(21))
• Peace officer training fee — $1.00. A $1 state fee on every passenger vehicle registration. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(24))
• Air account and county emissions-program fees — $1.20. Two small emissions-program fees charged on every registration, whether or not your car needs a test: 50 cents to the state air account and up to 70 cents to the county. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(18)(a); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• Emissions program area fee — $1.50. An extra $1.50 in the Denver-area and Front Range emissions program area. Only part of Adams, Arapahoe, Larimer and Weld counties is in the area, so this may not apply to your address. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(18)(b); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• Motorist insurance database fees — $0.60. Two small fees for the state's insurance-verification database, listed by the DMV as $0.50 and $0.10. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(1), (18)(d); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• License plates and tabs — $8.31. A standard embossed plate set ($7.38) plus a year tab (48 cents) and a month tab (45 cents). A digital plate set costs $11.27, and some counties add a few cents. Colorado does not let you move plates from another car. (C.R.S. 42-3-301; DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page (material fees))
• Electric vehicle fee — $63.05. Colorado charges electric and plug-in hybrid cars an annual fee in place of fuel tax: $63.05 for the year starting July 1, 2026 (a $50 base, adjusted for inflation). (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a); DMV Vehicle Taxes and Fees page)
• Electric vehicle fee — $63.05. Colorado charges electric and plug-in hybrid cars an annual fee in place of fuel tax. It is adjusted for inflation each July 1 (up to 5%); the Department of Revenue publishes the new amount by April 15. This shows the 2026-27 figure. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a))
• Electric vehicle road usage fee — $26.00. A second annual fee on battery-electric cars. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $26 from July 1, 2026, then $36, $51, $66, $81 and $96 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(II))
• Electric vehicle road usage fee — $36.00. A second annual fee on battery-electric cars. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $26 from July 1, 2026, then $36, $51, $66, $81 and $96 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(II))
• Electric vehicle road usage fee — $51.00. A second annual fee on battery-electric cars. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $26 from July 1, 2026, then $36, $51, $66, $81 and $96 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(II))
• Electric vehicle road usage fee — $66.00. A second annual fee on battery-electric cars. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $26 from July 1, 2026, then $36, $51, $66, $81 and $96 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(II))
• Electric vehicle road usage fee — $81.00. A second annual fee on battery-electric cars. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $26 from July 1, 2026, then $36, $51, $66, $81 and $96 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(II))
• Electric vehicle road usage fee — $96.00. A second annual fee on battery-electric cars. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $26 from July 1, 2026, then $36, $51, $66, $81 and $96 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(II))
• Plug-in hybrid road usage fee — $13.00. A second annual fee on plug-in hybrids. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $13 from July 1, 2026, then $16, $19, $21, $24 and $27 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(IV))
• Plug-in hybrid road usage fee — $16.00. A second annual fee on plug-in hybrids. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $13 from July 1, 2026, then $16, $19, $21, $24 and $27 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(IV))
• Plug-in hybrid road usage fee — $19.00. A second annual fee on plug-in hybrids. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $13 from July 1, 2026, then $16, $19, $21, $24 and $27 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(IV))
• Plug-in hybrid road usage fee — $21.00. A second annual fee on plug-in hybrids. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $13 from July 1, 2026, then $16, $19, $21, $24 and $27 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(IV))
• Plug-in hybrid road usage fee — $24.00. A second annual fee on plug-in hybrids. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $13 from July 1, 2026, then $16, $19, $21, $24 and $27 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(IV))
• Plug-in hybrid road usage fee — $27.00. A second annual fee on plug-in hybrids. The statute sets the amount by fiscal year: $13 from July 1, 2026, then $16, $19, $21, $24 and $27 by 2031. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(IV))
• Electric vehicle road usage fee — $96.00. From July 1, 2032 the fee is the prior year's amount adjusted for inflation (up to 5% a year). This shows the 2031-32 amount. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(III))
• Plug-in hybrid road usage fee — $27.00. From July 1, 2032 the fee is the prior year's amount adjusted for inflation (up to 5% a year). This shows the 2031-32 amount. (C.R.S. 42-3-304(25)(a.5)(V))

• Registration renews every year at the county. The specific ownership tax falls with each model year (2.10%, 1.50%, 1.20%, 0.90%, then 0.45% for years five to nine and $3 from year ten). The fees listed here repeat each year and the age fee steps down at 7 and 10 years.
• Register within 60 days of the purchase. A vehicle bought from a Colorado dealer comes with a 60-day temporary permit; the county mails a title-complete notice, and late fees are $25 for each month or part of a month, up to $100. An expired temporary permit does not stop the late fee.
• Gas cars are exempt from emissions testing for the first seven model years, then are tested every two years in the Denver-area and Front Range emissions program area (Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties, and parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Larimer and Weld). A test costs about $15 to $35. A dealer has to supply a passing test or a voucher when it sells a car that needs one.
• Colorado has no state property tax on a vehicle beyond the specific ownership tax, and no separate annual personal property bill from your county.

• Electric and plug-in hybrid cars pay the electric vehicle fee ($63.05 for the year starting July 1, 2026, adjusted for inflation each July) and a road usage fee ($26 for battery-electric, $13 for plug-in hybrid, rising each July 1 under the statute) at every renewal.

• The local sales tax is set by where you live and register the car, not by where the dealer is. It is 2.9% state tax plus your county, city and special-district taxes. Across Colorado that runs from 2.9% in parts of the eastern plains to about 10%. City addresses in the Denver area mostly pay 7% to 9.2%; unincorporated addresses pay about 4% to 5% because they have no city tax.
• The dealer collects the sales tax, issues a 60-day temporary permit and sends your title paperwork to the county. You pay the title fee and the registration, specific ownership tax and plates at your county motor vehicle office when you register, or at the dealer if it offers that. Both are in the calculator's total because you pay them either way.
• The specific ownership tax is the big registration item: 85% of the car's original MSRP times 2.10% in the first year, falling each year to $3 from the tenth year. A $35,000 new car owes about $625 the first year. Enter the MSRP for a close figure.
• Colorado does not let you transfer plates from another car. You get a new set.

Source: Colorado Department of Revenue — Taxation Division, GIS Sales/Use Tax Lookup (with API) · rules last verified Oct 11, 2026. Methodology.