Temporary Registration Permits

Temporary Registration Permit Information

• Temporary registration permits may be issued as a temporary vehicle registration. Temporary registration permits may be issued not to exceed 60 days.

C.R.S. 42-3-203(3)(a).

• Temporary registration permits are issued by Colorado licensed dealers at time of sale.

• No more than two temporary registration permits per year on a Class A or Class B motor vehicle. C.R.S. 42-3-203(3)(c)(I).

A named owner’s Secure and Verifiable Identification information is required to be presented on all temporary registration permit issuance transactions. (See SVID section for identification requirements).

County Temporary Registration Permit Issuance Guidelines

• Individual to Individual Sale - The following paperwork can be submitted as proof of the sale:

  • • The assigned title; or

    • A Bill of Sale (notarized or signed under penalty of perjury) with proof of ownership, (registration, copy of title, etc.).

• Delays in the Filing of the Mortgage - A temporary registration permit may be issued when there is proof that there has been a delay(s) in the filing of the mortgage.

• Request from Financial Institution on a new purchase:

  • • Letter from a financial institution indicating that a temporary registration permit may be issued; or

    • Security Agreement

• Tow-Away Vehicles - Temporary registration permits may be issued to a tow-away vehicle when both of these criteria are met:

  • • Proof that the vehicle has been made roadworthy through a Statement of Fact and supporting receipt documents; and

    • Proof of ownership - title in the applicant’s name or title assigned to the applicant.

• Colorado Assigned ID - When an application for an Assigned ID has been completed, a temporary registration permit may be issued to have the ID affixed to the vehicle by the Colorado State Patrol.

• Emissions - A temporary registration permit may be issued at the County’s discretion to enable individuals to obtain an emissions test prior to renewal of their vehicle registration.

• Salvage Title - A salvage title is an ownership document to a vehicle that is not roadworthy. A temporary registration permit may be issued at the County’s discretion to obtain a Certified VIN Inspection upon submitting the following:

  • • Proof of ownership.

    • Receipts indicating repair of the vehicle.

    • DR 2424 Salvage Title Statement of Fact verifying the vehicle is in a roadworthy condition.

• Dealer Complaints - When a complaint has been filed against a dealer, and the case is under investigation, a dealer investigator may provide authorization for the issuance of a temporary registration permit.

• Print on Demand - A Temporary permit is issued for all Print on Demand (POD) transactions.

Note: Counties are advised to adhere to a policy of issuing a temporary registration permit only when it has been established that the titled owner is the same individual who executed the bill of sale.

State Emissions Authorizations

The State Emissions Section can authorize the issuance of a temporary registration permit when:

• A complaint has been filed with the State Emissions Sections; or

• The vehicle owner has an appointment scheduled for an emissions waiver.

General Guidelines for Permit Denial

• To Delay Initial Registration - When all paperwork is ready to process a registration, temporary registration permits cannot be issued to delay this process.

• To Delay Renewal of a Registration - Temporary registration permits cannot be issued in place of, or to delay, the registration renewal.

• Dealer is Retaining the Vehicle Title - Retention of the vehicle title by a dealer who does not intend to file a lien, does not warrant the issuance of a temporary registration permit. This situation should be reported to the Auto Industry Division.

• Extending Expired Registrations - Temporary registration permits cannot be issued to extend any expired registration, from Colorado or another state.

• Tow-Away Vehicles - When proof of ownership and vehicle repairs cannot be furnished for the tow-away vehicle, a temporary registration permit cannot be issued.

• Transfer of Plates from One Vehicle to Another - When valid plates from one vehicle are transferred to a second vehicle (both vehicles are owned by the same individual), a temporary registration permit cannot be issued to the first vehicle until the owner sells the vehicle.

• Third Party Purchaser - When the seller has not titled the vehicle in his/her name, the purchaser cannot be issued a temporary registration permit until the seller makes application for title and pays all applicable fees.

• Vehicle Purchased Out of State - Temporary registration permits should not be issued to vehicles which are not physically located in Colorado. Purchases made in another state will need to be issued a permit from that state to move the vehicle into Colorado. Exceptions can be made if that state does not issue temporary registration or trip permits. Proof is required.

• Vehicle Entry from Out of the Country - There may be occasions when the county will receive a request to issue a temporary registration permit to move a vehicle from its point of entry to Colorado. These requests should be directed to the motor vehicle department in the state of entry. Vehicles should be physically located in Colorado to issue a temporary registration permit.

  • • Exceptions can be made if that state does not issue temporary registration or trip permits. Proof is required.

Processing the Permit

Temporary registration permits may be issued not to exceed 60 days. The expiration date should always be on a business day. In no event is the temporary registration permit expiration date to exceed sixty days.

• EXAMPLE 1: Customer purchases a vehicle from a dealer on Saturday May 22, 2010. The count of days starts with May 22 being the first day (refer to “Upon application” in the statute). 60-days from May 22 is July 20, 2010. This includes weekend days and two holidays (May 31 and July 4). Since July 20 is a weekday the temporary permit would expire on July 20.

• EXAMPLE 2: Customer purchases a vehicle from a dealer on May 26, 2010. The count of days starts with May 26 being the first day (refer to “upon application” in the statute). 60-days from May 26 is July 24, 2010. This includes weekend days and two holiday days (May 31 and July 4). Since July 24 is a Saturday the temporary registration permit cannot expire on a day that the customer is not permitted to complete the registration transaction or that exceeds 60-days. The dealer shall not extend the day count, so the permit would expire on July 23 which is a Friday.

Analog Permits

An Analog Temporary Registration Permit is an approved form that is issued by a Licensed Colorado Motor Vehicle Dealer as a substitute to a Temporary Registration Permit when there is a system outage preventing a Dealer from issuing a Temporary Registration Permit via DRIVES.

A system outage means DRIVES is not operational at the time the Dealer is attempting to issue a Temporary Registration Permit. A system outage does not include situations where the Dealer’s system is not operational or when DRIVES is operational but the Dealer is unable to complete the Temporary Registration Permit transaction due to other factors (e.g., Dealer’s password problems, Dealer system network issues etc.).

• In the event of a system outage occurring after department business hours, Dealers may issue an Analog Temporary Registration Permit in lieu of the Temporary Registration Permit.

• In the event of a system outage occurring during department business hours, Dealers may issue an Analog Temporary Registration Permit in lieu of the Temporary Registration Permit upon receiving notice from the Department that authorization to issue them is granted for the period of time that the system outage occurred during department business hours.

• An Analog Temporary Registration Permit is valid for thirty-six (36) hours from the date of issuance during an approved system outage.

• An Analog Temporary Registration Permit shall be completed on forms provided by the Department and must contain:

• The Dealer’s dealer number, (preceded by zeros if less than six digits) and the last three numbers of the vehicle identification number (VIN). This will be the Analog Temporary Registration Permit serial number.

• Month, day and year of issuance.

• Time of issuance.

• Vehicle VIN, color, model year, make, and body.

• Dealer must affix the Analog Temporary Registration Permit to a mounting board.

• Dealer must provide the vehicle owner the completed Analog Temporary Registration Permit affixed to a mounting board, and a letter on the dealership letterhead that includes the date, time, VIN, color, model year, make, body, owner name and contact information, and Dealer’s contact information.

• Dealer must retain a copy of the Analog Temporary Registration Permit and dealership letter and send an image of the Analog Temporary Registration Permit and dealership letter to the Department via email to dor_comcenter@state.co.us and dor_vehicleportal@state.co.us or by fax to (303)205-5802.

• Within thirty-six hours from the date of issuance of the Analog Temporary Registration Permit, the Dealer must complete the issuance of a sixty-day Temporary Registration Permit on the approved system, as required in section 2.0, and provide it to the owner.

• A Dealer that issues an Analog Temporary Registration Permit that does not coincide with an Approved System outage, or coincides with a Department approval notification, or fails to complete the requirements of this rule upon issuance of an Analog Temporary Registration Permit will be reported to the Department’s Auto Industry Division.

Temporary Registration Permits by Licensed Colorado Motor Vehicle Dealers

Licensed Colorado Dealers are required to issue temporary registration permits using DRIVES. Dealers must follow the requirements in 1 CCR 204-10 Rule 34, Dealer Issued Temporary Registration Permits.