Registration Fees & Taxes | Adams County Government

Title & Registration Costs

When applying for a Colorado title and/or registration, you are required to pay all applicable fees and taxes. The following is a brief explanation of these.

Registration Fee Estimator Online

Vehicle Registration Fees

Registration fees (license fee plus an ownership tax) are based upon the year, weight, taxable value, and month of registration. Since these figures are not the same for all vehicles, this site cannot provide you with exact fees. The license fee is based upon the weight of your vehicle, while the other factors determine your ownership tax. The formula below can be used to calculate the ownership tax portion of your fees.

Light truck: 75% of MSRP (sticker price)

Passenger vehicle: 85% of MSRP (sticker price)

Year of service (manufacturer year counts as the first year of service):
First year: 2.1% of tax value
Second year: 1.5% of tax value
Third year: 1.2% of tax value
Fourth year: 0.9% of tax value
Fifth - ninth year: 0.45% of tax value
10th year and above: Minimum of $3 per year

Ownership & Prior Ownership Tax

This fee is a personal property tax. This tax is based on the year of the vehicle, original taxable value and date of purchase (on newly acquired vehicles) or previous expiration date of the license plates (on expired renewals).

Additional Fees

There are additional fees collected on vehicles. These fees are due because of legislative mandates. For further explanation please contact the Motor Vehicle Office at 720.523.6010.

Title Application Fees

Title Fee: $7.20
Lien Filing Fee: $5 per page, per side up to legal size; $10 per page, per side for documents over 14 inches in length or over 8.5 inches in width

Sales Tax Rates

Sales taxes are due one time after a new or used vehicle purchase at the time your vehicle is titles. Sales taxes are based on the vehicle purchase price. Because of the different cities and taxing jurisdictions within Adams County, the sales tax rates will vary.

Colorado state sales/use tax: 2.9%
RTD sales/use tax: 1.1%
Adams County sales tax (due only if purchased from another Adams County resident or a dealer located in Adams County): 0.75%

City sales/use tax is based on your place of residency and is in addition to the above taxes. Tax rates for cities located in Adams County are as follows:

City of Arvada: 3.46% City of Aurora: 3.75% City of Brighton: 3.75% City of Commerce City: 4.50% City of Federal Heights: 4%	City of Northglenn: 4% City of Thornton: 3.75% City of Westminster: 3.85% Town of Bennett (buyer and seller must reside in Bennett): 3%

Purchased from a Dealer

Either a portion or all applicable sales taxes are collected by your dealer. The percentage collected by your dealer is based on location. Any unpaid sales taxes are collected by Adams County Motor Vehicles. Any outstanding sales tax must be collected before your vehicle is titles.

Sales tax is calculated on the net purchase price (which is the total purchase price less the amount allowed by a dealer for any trade-in).

Purchased from a Private Party

When a vehicle is purchased from a private party, Adams County Motor Vehicles collects all sales taxes.