Driving a car without a license plate is out of the law. If you want to drive a vehicle legally, you need a license plate. When you get your new car, you have to register it within 60 days of ownership. And if you are a new resident of Colorado, you have to register your vehicle within 90 days after getting a residency.
Where to register your vehicle in Colorado?
In order to get a license plate, you must register your car. They must be registered in the county where you reside. If you do not know your county, you can check it here with your address. One name owner must be present while registering a car. Registrations have to be done in person at a county motor vehicle office.
What do you need to register your vehicle in Colorado?
The requirements differ for registration in different states. You have to provide different documents to register your vehicle.
- Firstly, you need to provide identification information.
- Then, if you have proof of Colorado Vehicle Emissions, you have to provide it, too.
- Thirdly, you need to present proof of insurance.
- After that, you have to provide acceptable types of insurance policies.
- Then, you have to provide the vehicle-specific: VIN, year, make, and term of coverage.
- After that, you need to provide self-insurance.
- You will need to provide the vehicle title, too.
Titling the vehicle
In order to title the vehicle, you have to take the below-mentioned documents and go to your local county.
- First, you have to provide proof of insurance.
- After that, secure and verifiable identification will be required.
- Thirdly, you need to provide a current title or other ownership document authorized by the previous owner.
- Then, you have to provide completed odometer disclosure.
- Fifthly, you need to present a bill for sales tax purposes.
Types of License plates in Colorado
There are different types of license plates in Colorado. Many plate styles can be personalized and most of them can be ordered online. In order to apply online, you will need to provide the following.
- Firstly, you have to present a vehicle identification number.
- Secondly, title complete notice, that states you have received in the mail
- Thirdly, if you have a current vehicle emission, you need to provide it.
- Then, you have to provide Current Colorado Insurance
- And if you need to pay fees, you must provide a valid credit card or check
The DMV may ban some vanity plates from issuing, check out our Colorado banned license plates page for more information.
Here are the types of license plates in Colorado.
- Regular License Plates
- Passenger license plate
- Persons with disabilities
- Motorcycle
- Designer
- Light truck
- Trailer and so on
- Group Special License Plate
- American Indian Scholars
- ALS
- Carbon Fund
- Child Loss Awareness
- Denver Nuggets
- Firefighter
- Craig Hospital
- Kids First and so on
- Military Plates
- 4th Infantry
- Bronze Star of Valor
- Korean War Veteran
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Army Special Forces
- USS Colorado and so on
- Alumni Plates
- Colorado College
- Colorado Mesa University
- Metropolitan State University of Denver
- University of Colorado
- Fort Lewis College and so on
Colorado suggests 180 license plates, so we did not list them all.
Is Colorado a 2 plate state?
All the states in the U.S. require you to have license plates on the cars when you are driving. Some states require to have only one plate on the front end or only on the rear end, but Colorado requires to have two license plates: one on the front part and another one on the rear part.
How much do you need to pay for the license plate?
The costs differ from state to state. Here you can check all the fees and taxes in order to get your license plate.
What to do when you lose your license plate?
When you find out that your license plate is stolen or damaged, you have to report it to the police as soon as possible. As the law of Colorado does not allow you to drive without the license plates:
- The first thing to do is completing the form saying that your license is stolen or lost. One owner must sign the document.
- The second step is submitting the form to one of the DMV office branches.
- Then, the third step is contacting the Police Department saying that your license is stolen or lost.
- After that, you have to pay all the costs.
- Then, you need to provide documents.
- Your recent Colorado Registration/Ownership Tax receipt is required.
- You need to provide proof of insurance.
- And lastly, you have to present a form of photo identification, such as a driver’s license.
How to look up a Colorado license plate?
You have three options to look up a license plate in Colorado. You can do it in person, via mail, or online. If you need any information about the license plate or vehicle, you can use the license plate, VIN, or title number. The most common ways to have information about a license plate in Colorado or a vehicle are using online public databases. You can make the request in person, via mail, online, and by phone.
If you want to make a request via mail, you have to mail it to this address.
- Colorado Department of Transportation
4201 E Arkansas Ave
Denver, CO 80222
If you want to make a request via phone you have to call to this number: 303-757-9011. And in order to make a request online, you have to visit their website. The license plate or vehicle you can have a peace of information about includes:
- Firstly, you will need to present the first and last name of the vehicle owner.
- Secondly, you have to provide the VIN of the vehicle.
- Thirdly, the vehicle’s registration information is needed, too.
- And lastly, you need to provide the address history of the vehicle.
How to get a personalized license plate in Colorado?
You can order a personalized license plate with your desired message, choice of words and, phrases. There are some steps to follow in order to obtain a personalized license plate.
- The first step to get a personalized license plate is ordering a personalized plate. You can order the license plate online.
- The second step to obtain it is to list your vehicle registration information on the application. Here you must provide your name as it appears on the registration. You must provide your address too. If your legal and mailing address differs from each other, you have to provide both of them.
- Then, the third step to do is choosing a personalization that meets the state standards. You have 5 options for your personalized license plate.
- You have to include no more than 7 characters and 6 characters for motorcycles. It has to be English capital letters, numbers except for 0. You cannot have blank spaces, dashes, and periods.
- If you decide to have only numbers, you must have at least 5 characters.
- But if you decide to have numbers or numbers and letters, the characters must be at least 2.
- Your fourth step is mailing your completed application. When you fill in your application on the computer, you have to print it and mail it to the above-mentioned address. You do not need to send the payment with your request. You only need to pay fees when it is approved.
- The next step for you is waiting for the decision. When it is approved, you will get a letter in the mail, which will say how much you need to pay for the fees.
- After this, you need to pick up your personalized plate at the county motor vehicles office. If you do not know the address of the nearest county, you can check it. They keep your personalized license plate for 12 months from the day of when they receive it.