DMV Fees (Broomfield: sales, vehicle registration, credit card)

[PrincessAnnie]

Hello All,

We just moved here from Portland, Oregon a few months ago and just noticed that our car tags are due next month So I have heard so many scary stories about the fees etc of registering your car here. People have said its going to cost of $1200 and then someone else said $75. Can someone shed a little light on the subject? We have only one car, a 2002 Subaru WRX sedan...can anyone give me a ball park of how much it will costs us and should I take out the credit card on this one?

Also it is really that hard to get Colorado IDs as they say it is on the nightly news? Ugh…I hate moving!

Thanks!
Annie

[Micktooth]

We moved to CO last year from New Orleans. We didn't have a problem getting our new driver's licences. You do need a birth certificate I believe. You can check out what you need online. The good news, no lines!!!
To register your car, it is a percentage of the current value of your car. I don't think it's terrible, from what I remember, but it's worth the price to live here. Again, you can find much of this info online. Good luck!

[Paula Lynn]

Call the DMV direct.

[lovethebigcity]

Question...when you are going for your DL do you have to take the road test/written test if you already have your DL in another state? I know some states require it, but does Colorado? I went onto the DMV website, but I didn't see anything about that.

Thanks

[josher_m]

We moved here from AZ and didn't have to take a test. You will find the whole process terrible compared to AZ, OR and other states. lol Outside of the cheap fees in OR/WA (man, I miss those--we lived in Vancouver before AZ) you have to go to 2 different places to get your license and tags.

1 office to do licensing and you don't get your DL there. They do all the testing (we didn't have to take any written or vehicle tests) and take your picture. Your DL is mailed to you in a week or two.

As far as registration costs, you can call the local offices and provide them your vin number and they can tell you or give you an estimate. We have a 2006 and 2004 and our total was approx $600. I would estimate yours would be less than $200 based on the year you have.

IF you need emissions testing, they don't have those at the registration offices either. So, technically you could and might have to go to 3 different locations to get it all done. Total PITA when you're used to a one office handles everything, huh!??! haha

This might be too much info but another difference among states is when you purchase a new/used vehicle from the dealer, you don't pay your registration there either. You receive notification from the DMV a few weeks before your temp tag expires and you have to go in and physically pick up your plates.

Definitely better systems in all the other states we have lived. Thank goodness you don't have to do this often once it's done!

One more thing . .the birth certificate varies. When my husband went to get his license in Feb he was told he needed an original certified copy of his bc. We paid the fees to obtain that, then when he returned to the licensing office, he was told they didn't need one now. Some controversy and legal haggling going on over that one so I believe that rule is not being enforced right now.

I got my license in March and didn't need my birth cert either. All I showed them was my valid license and that's all they needed.

Obviously, we just went thru this whole process 1-2 months ago so it's pretty fresh in my head!! lol

Hope that helps!
Sherrie

[PrincessAnnie]

Thanks for all the information and I did call the DMV guy about our plates and he stated it would be about $300 to get our car registered. But I have to go and get the VIN checked and have an emissions test, in other words a whole day of work down the tubes. I am very surprised and a little upset that these services are not offered on Saturdays. In OR and WA they have regular operating hours on Saturdays and closed on Sunday/Mondays.

And we got our drivers licenses finally, because we have an OR drivers license we also needed to have a passport, birth certificate and current OR drivers license. Because I had a different name on my birth certificate since I took my husbands last name I also needed to bring in not a COPY but our ORIGINAL marriage license, passport, birth certificate and current drivers license which is not stated on the website. So we had to make two trips, first one was about an hour and half, second trip was over three hour wait. Now we are just waiting for them to come in the mail…

Thanks for all the information! It is super appreciated since the DMV and their website really does not give proper or information on how to get all this stuff done.

~Annie

[Katiana]

In most counties you can get the emissions inspection on a Saturday. I know you can in Broomfield Co and you don't have to live there. I did not have my marriage license with me when I got my CO lice., had just gotten married and taken my husband's name. They did some sort of "marriage" at the DMV! Then I could put his name on my lice. That was in 1980.

[jazzlover]

I believe that all states are now being required to tighten ID standards for issuance of driver's licenses by the homeland security and immigration issues. I know that in my adopted state of Wyoming it's happening.

As for motor vehicle fees, Colorado is middling. In my experience, newer vehicles often tend to be more expensive to register in Colorado than elsewhere, older vehicles less. Unlike some states, all registration and property taxes on vehicles are collected at the time of registration in Colorado. Some states have very low vehicle registration fees, but a separate property tax is collected on the vehicle aside from registration. What hurts in Colorado is the high fuel tax, one of the highest in the nation.

[kicksavedave]

I found this web site which should let you calculate your own tax upon registering a car in CO. It uses the original value times a multiplier based on the age. My $24K one year old car would cost ~$300 in ownership tax to register. A $35K car bought in 2004 would run about $357. It's based on MSRP at the time of purchase, not actual sales price or current blue book value.

http://www.denvergov.org/MotorVehicl...6/Default.aspx

[lovethebigcity]

Do you have to get an emissions test done if you have a newer car? I have an '06 Honda Element. Also, could you get your emissions test done before you move there? Could I possible go to the dealership where I bought my car here in NC & get it done?