Does Colorado require a bill of sale?

Not from a private seller. The statutory bill-of-sale duty in § 42-6-113(1) is aimed at dealers selling new vehicles, who must deliver a sufficient bill of sale and the manufacturer’s certificate of origin. A private sale moves ownership through the certificate of title duly transferred under § 42-6-110; the bill of sale is your own evidence of price, date, mileage and as-is terms.

Does a Colorado bill of sale have to be notarized?

Section 42-6-110(1) asks the seller to affirm the sale accompanied by a written declaration made under the penalties of perjury in the second degree — a perjury declaration, not a notarial acknowledgment. The transfer statute does not require a notary. Confirm the current title application form with the Division of Motor Vehicles, since a form can ask for more than the statute does.

How long do I have to title a car in Colorado?

Sixty days. The buyer must present the certificate together with an application for a new certificate of title to the director or an authorized agent within sixty days, with the title fee. The narrow exception is a vehicle with no findable title that is not roadworthy, where the buyer may wait up to twenty-four months from the purchase.

Can we do a Colorado sale with an electronic title?

Usually, but not always. Section 42-6-109(2) makes a paper copy of the certificate necessary when either party to the transaction is located outside Colorado, or when the purchaser pays for the vehicle entirely with cash. Both are common in private sales, so ask the seller whether the title is electronic and, if it is, whether they have requested the paper copy.

How does a Colorado seller stop being liable for the car?

By reporting the transfer. Under § 42-6-109(3) a report filed with the department within five business days of the transfer — date and time of sale, the seller’s name, the VIN, and a perjury affidavit that the transfer requirements were met — means the former owner is not liable in a civil or criminal action brought against the new operator or the vehicle. The protection does not cover the seller’s own negligence, misstatements or omissions about the vehicle.

Is this legal advice?

No. Free Contract Generator provides self-help templates and general information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Vehicle-transfer rules are set by each state and change; confirm the current rule with the agency cited and consult a licensed attorney for advice about your situation.

Colorado Bill of Sale — Free Template & Generator

Colorado is one of the few states that says in statute when an electronic title will not do: under § 42-6-109(2) a paper certificate of title is necessary if either party is located outside Colorado or if the buyer pays for the vehicle entirely with cash — the two things a private sale most often involves. The buyer then has sixty days to present that certificate. Generate the price-and-odometer record here, then work through the statutory steps quoted below.

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Word & PDF
Colorado pre-selected

How it works

01
Colorado is already selected
The governing-law clause names the state; change it only if the sale happens elsewhere.
02
Enter the item and the parties
Vehicle, boat or general item — VIN and odometer, or HIN — plus price, payment method, seller and buyer.
03
Review clause by clause
The as-is terms, the seller’s title warranty and, for vehicles, the federal odometer statement.
04
Download, then file Colorado’s paperwork
Word & PDF on your device; the state steps and forms are listed below, each cited to the source.

What Colorado actually requires

Colorado rules for a private sale

Last verified September 6, 2026

What the seller must do Deliver the title, duly transferred

Section 42-6-109(1) is written as a prohibition: “a person shall not sell or otherwise transfer a motor or off-highway vehicle to a purchaser or transferee without delivering to the purchaser or transferee a certificate of title to the vehicle duly transferred in the manner prescribed in section 42-6-110.” The same subsection adds that the buyer “does not acquire any right, title, or interest” in the vehicle until they get that duly transferred certificate.

C.R.S. § 42-6-109(1) — Sale or transfer of vehicle (FindLaw, current as of January 01, 2025)
When a paper title is mandatory Out-of-state party, or an all-cash buyer

Colorado titles may be electronic, but § 42-6-109(2) names two transactions where “a paper copy of a certificate of title is necessary”: one where “either party to the transaction is located outside Colorado,” and one where “the purchaser pays for a motor or off-highway vehicle entirely with cash.” A weekend cash sale to a buyer who drove in from Wyoming hits both. Ask the seller to have the paper title in hand before you meet.

C.R.S. § 42-6-109(2) (FindLaw, current as of January 01, 2025)
Buyer’s deadline 60 days

“The purchaser or transferee, within sixty days thereafter, shall present the certificate, together with an application for a new certificate of title, to the director or one of the authorized agents,” with the title fee under § 42-6-137. There is one narrow escape hatch: if no title can be found and the vehicle is not roadworthy, the buyer may wait up to twenty-four months from purchase to apply. Violating subsection (1) is a class A traffic infraction.

C.R.S. § 42-6-110(1)–(2) — Certificate of title, transfer (FindLaw, current as of January 01, 2025)
Notarisation A perjury declaration, not a notary

Where Missouri and Oklahoma send the parties to a notary, Colorado’s transfer statute asks for a signed declaration instead: the registered owner “or the person’s agent or attorney shall affirm the sale or transfer, accompanied by a written declaration that the statement is made under the penalties of perjury in the second degree, as defined in section 18-8-503, C.R.S.” Nothing in § 42-6-110 calls for an acknowledgment before a notary public. Check the current title application form with the Division of Motor Vehicles before you assume the form matches the statute.

C.R.S. § 42-6-110(1) (FindLaw, current as of January 01, 2025)
Seller’s protection Report the transfer within 5 business days

Colorado runs a voluntary transfer-report programme, and the reward is written into the statute. A report is properly filed if it reaches the department “within five business days after the transfer of ownership” with the date and time of sale, the seller’s full name, the VIN, and a perjury affidavit. File it and “the owner is not liable in or subject to any civil or criminal action brought against” the new operator arising from use of the vehicle, or against the vehicle itself — subject to the carve-outs in § 42-6-109(3)(d)(II) for the seller’s own negligence or misstatements.

C.R.S. § 42-6-109(3) (FindLaw, current as of January 01, 2025)
Odometer Federal disclosure, state criminal penalty

Colorado does not rewrite the federal mileage rule; it enforces it. Section 42-6-202(5) makes it “unlawful for any transferor to fail to comply with 49 U.S.C. sec. 32705 and any rule concerning odometer disclosure requirements or to knowingly give a false statement to a transferee in making any disclosure required by such law,” and subsection (6)(a) makes that a class 2 misdemeanour. The federal rule itself wants the reading without tenths, the date of transfer, both parties’ printed names and addresses, and the vehicle’s make, model, year, body type and VIN.

C.R.S. § 42-6-202(5)–(6) and 49 CFR § 580.5(c) (FindLaw, current as of January 01, 2025; eCFR, current)

How this document fits Colorado’s paperwork

Official form: The bill of sale Colorado writes into statute is a dealer’s duty, not a private seller’s: § 42-6-113(1) requires a dealer selling a new vehicle to deliver “a sufficient bill of sale and the manufacturer’s certificate of origin.” In a private sale the transfer document is the certificate of title itself, duly transferred under § 42-6-110, and the bill of sale is the parties’ own record of price, date and mileage.

Generate the bill of sale before you meet, because it pins down the two dates Colorado runs clocks from: the date of sale that starts the buyer’s sixty days under § 42-6-110(1), and the transfer date the seller reports within five business days under § 42-6-109(3)(b). Bring the paper title if either of you is out of state or the buyer is paying cash — § 42-6-109(2) makes the paper copy necessary in both cases. The seller signs the affirmation of transfer with the perjury declaration; the mileage statement follows the federal form. Then the buyer takes the certificate and the application to an authorized agent inside the sixty days.

FAQ

Colorado bill of sale questions

Does Colorado require a bill of sale?: Not from a private seller. The statutory bill-of-sale duty in § 42-6-113(1) is aimed at dealers selling new vehicles, who must deliver a sufficient bill of sale and the manufacturer’s certificate of origin. A private sale moves ownership through the certificate of title duly transferred under § 42-6-110; the bill of sale is your own evidence of price, date, mileage and as-is terms.
Does a Colorado bill of sale have to be notarized?: Section 42-6-110(1) asks the seller to affirm the sale accompanied by a written declaration made under the penalties of perjury in the second degree — a perjury declaration, not a notarial acknowledgment. The transfer statute does not require a notary. Confirm the current title application form with the Division of Motor Vehicles, since a form can ask for more than the statute does.
How long do I have to title a car in Colorado?: Sixty days. The buyer must present the certificate together with an application for a new certificate of title to the director or an authorized agent within sixty days, with the title fee. The narrow exception is a vehicle with no findable title that is not roadworthy, where the buyer may wait up to twenty-four months from the purchase.
Can we do a Colorado sale with an electronic title?: Usually, but not always. Section 42-6-109(2) makes a paper copy of the certificate necessary when either party to the transaction is located outside Colorado, or when the purchaser pays for the vehicle entirely with cash. Both are common in private sales, so ask the seller whether the title is electronic and, if it is, whether they have requested the paper copy.
How does a Colorado seller stop being liable for the car?: By reporting the transfer. Under § 42-6-109(3) a report filed with the department within five business days of the transfer — date and time of sale, the seller’s name, the VIN, and a perjury affidavit that the transfer requirements were met — means the former owner is not liable in a civil or criminal action brought against the new operator or the vehicle. The protection does not cover the seller’s own negligence, misstatements or omissions about the vehicle.
Is this legal advice?: No. Free Contract Generator provides self-help templates and general information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Vehicle-transfer rules are set by each state and change; confirm the current rule with the agency cited and consult a licensed attorney for advice about your situation.