CO Duplicate Title Application and Co-Owner Changes

By Mohamed SkhiriUpdated November 10, 2026Checked against Colorado DMV form DR 2539A, its fee schedule and title pages

The CO duplicate title application, DR 2539A

Colorado's Duplicate Title/Lien Request and Receipt, form DR 2539A, is the one form for a lost, stolen or damaged title. To get a CO duplicate title:

1. Check who can apply. Only the owner, a lienholder or an authorized agent can request a duplicate. An agent must submit a power of attorney.
2. Complete and sign DR 2539A. Download the current version from the DMV; it's revised often.
3. Show identification. For titles issued on or after July 1, 2006, the signer needs secure and verifiable ID, as listed on form DR 2841.
4. Pay the fee at your county motor vehicle office. The DMV's fee schedule lists $8.20 for a duplicate title.

If a lien has been paid, the duplicate can be issued without the lien. The DMV issues the title omitting any reference to the released lien under C.R.S. 42-6-126, so bring the release with your application.

How to remove a co-owner from a car title

This is the other big Colorado title question, and the answer is simpler than people expect. The DMV says that to change the names listed on a vehicle title, you essentially perform a title transfer to the new combination of owners. So here's how to remove a co-owner from car title records in Colorado:

1. All current owners sign the back of the title, authorizing the transfer to the new owner or owners. The person being removed signs too.
2. Deal with any loan first. If there's a lien, contact your lienholder before anything else.
3. Visit your county motor vehicle office with the signed title, ID and the transfer fee; county offices handle adding and removing owners.

When a co-owner has died

The wording on the title decides it. If the owners held the vehicle "in joint tenancy with rights of survivorship," the surviving owner brings a copy of the death certificate. If they were tenants in common, probate documents naming the beneficiary are also needed.

If the co-owner won't sign

Then it isn't a paperwork problem anymore. Removing a co-owner without their signature usually means a court order, for example as part of a divorce. Ask the county office what it accepts before you go.

Selling after a duplicate

Once the duplicate arrives, sign it over at the sale; the old title is no longer valid. A bill of sale records the price and date alongside the title; our CO vehicle bill of sale template covers. For anything a duplicate can't fix, such as a title that was never issued, start with the county office.

CO duplicate title: before you go

Bring form DR 2539A, secure ID, the $8.20 fee and any lien release to your county motor vehicle office. An agent applying for you needs a power of attorney. If you also want to change the owners listed, ask about a transfer at the same visit.

Colorado title FAQ