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Motor Vehicles Division - Vehicle Registrations

Registration with a Colorado Title | Registration from Out of State

Vehicle Registration From Out of State

If you are a new Colorado resident, you must register and license your vehicle within ninety days once residency is established.

Residency is defined as:

• Any person who owns or operates any business in the State of Colorado
• Any person who has resided within the State of Colorado continuously for ninety days
• Any person who has obtained gainful employment within the State of Colorado

There are criminal, civil and monetary penalties for failure to comply with registration requirements.

To register your vehicle, you must present the following:

• Secure and Verifiable ID
• Current out-of-state title or registration
• Verification of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): provided by an emissions testing station or licensed dealership.
• Proof of emissions test, if applicable, excluding motorcycles. See information below.
• Proof of Insurance
• Security Agreement: required if the lender requires you to file the lean on their behalf.
• Weight slip: required for out-of-state trucks, motor homes, and vans if the empty weight is over 4,500 pounds. This includes cargo vans or vans which have had the rear passenger seats permanently removed. Trailers weighing more than 2,000 pounds also require a weight slip.

All gas-fueled vehicles are exempt from emissions testing within the first four years of service. For example, in 2009, we will exempt all 2006 through 2009 model year gas-fueled vehicles from emissions testing. Next year, we will exempt all 2007 through 2010 model year gas-fueled vehicles from emissions testing.

Exception: If a gas-fueled emissions exempt vehicle, tests for emissions anytime during the four-year exemption period, the four-year exemption period is invalid and the vehicle must be tested every two years.

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