Colorado: transferring a plate to another person
No direct private transfer
How To Accomplish
Let reservation lapse, then apply independently — no guarantee
Transfer permission is not necessarily permission to accept payment.
Confirm current requirements for your plate type with the issuing agency before proceeding.
Process, conditions, and sources
- Direct transfer: No ordinary DMV process for a private person-to-person handoff was established by these sources. A private agreement does not assign the configuration or guarantee DMV issuance to the intended recipient.
- Owner reservation: DR 2232 permits the prior vehicle owner to retain the configuration for their own later use for a non-refundable $25 annual fee. It does not reserve the configuration for a buyer.
- Lapse and independent application — no guarantee: DR 2232 says a reservation not renewed within one calendar month of its reservation period becomes available for issuance. This timing concerns the reservation, not a universal deadline following vehicle-registration expiration. Another person may then apply if the DMV makes the configuration available; anyone else may obtain it first. This is a new application, not an official transfer, and payment to the former holder cannot secure priority or approval.
- Practical steps:
- Ask the county motor vehicle office whether the configuration is registered or reserved, and confirm its release timing and application requirements before allowing any rights to lapse.
- If the holder chooses not to renew the reservation, understand that they may permanently lose the configuration. Do not treat an agreement with an intended applicant as a protected handoff.
- The prospective applicant independently requests the configuration through the DMV once it is available. Availability, acceptance, and issuance are not guaranteed.
- Separate state sales program: Colorado has an authorized program for sales of unique registration numbers, historically administered by the Colorado Disability Funding Committee (CDFC). HB 26-1382 assigns administration to the Colorado Disability Opportunity Office and repeals the committee on July 1, 2027. Ask the program whether it can accept an existing owner’s configuration and whether any proceeds go to that owner; neither acceptance nor payment to the owner is confirmed here. This program must not be confused with an ordinary private sale.
- Future vehicle-transfer change: HB 26-1053 provides for plate transfers between vehicles with a common owner beginning January 1, 2028. It does not establish a guaranteed sale or handoff to an unrelated person.
- Source: Available with Pro or Premium
Before arranging a transfer
- Confirm whether transfer to this recipient and payment are permitted.
- Ask which forms, fees, plate classes, and vehicle-transfer conditions apply.
- Confirm how the agency protects the requested configuration during the process.
- Get the agency’s instructions before releasing your rights or paying the other person.