Metzger: The hellish process of renewing a vehicle registration in Colorado

By Hannah Metzger, Commentary | Westword

It took me a month of phone calls and collecting paperwork, $230 of fines and fees, and four hours of sitting at the Denver Motor Vehicle office to renew my car’s registration.

For the last two years, I was one of those drivers you see publicly shamed on social media for rolling through town with outrageously expired license plates. My registration expired in July of 2022, making it 27 months out of date when I finally completed the arduous renewal process last Friday, October 4.

I bought the car from my mother five years ago, but until last week, it was still registered under her name and address. So all of the registration reminders never reached me. As a downtown resident who rarely drives, I did not notice the registration was expired until a mechanic pointed it out to me at the beginning of 2024, but by then, it was already over thirteen months past due, meaning I couldn’t renew online.

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