Colorado offers many license plate styles and options. You can personalize most plate styles. You can order many plates online when you first register your vehicle or when you need to order replacement plates. Plates other than regular plates often have special rules and fees. If a plate requires a donation to an organization, you must make the donation before you order the plate.
Most standard Colorado plates show white mountains on a green background. You can get these the same day at the Motor Vehicle office. We order other plates. They are printed on demand and mailed to you through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Visit the Colorado DMV website to learn more about this process.
General Requirements
- Colorado law requires every vehicle to display valid license plates. Most vehicles need two plates: one on the front and one on the rear.
- License plates are valid for 12 months. You must renew your registration every year.
- You must take your plates off of a vehicle when you sell it. Your plates are not transferable to the new owner.
- As a buyer, you can drive a newly purchased vehicle without plates for up to 36 hours, or from one point to another, as long as you have the endorsed title and bill of sale.
- As of January 2022, you cannot reuse your old standard plates on your new vehicle. However, you can reuse specialty plates. You can also transfer credit for any remaining valid registration regardless of plate type.
