Form 2290 in Colorado: Schedule 1 & IRP Registration

Colorado is the state where you file HVUT paperwork even when you don’t owe HVUT: trucks over 8,000 pounds empty weight that stay under 55,000 pounds must submit a signed exemption card — per vehicle — with the registration application. And at the threshold itself, the proof rides in with your county renewal notice.

Where do I register a heavy truck in Colorado?

Intrastate: your County Clerk & Recorder — state driver-license offices can’t do it. Since May 2024, intrastate commercial vehicles over 10,001 pounds also provide a USDOT number and EIN at county registration.

Interstate: the state DMV’s IRP section at 3265 S Wadsworth Blvd in Lakewood — appointment only, with a rule worth respecting: documentation is faxed at least a business day ahead, and incomplete or inaccurate paperwork “could result in having to reschedule your appointment.” An invalid 2290 doesn’t just get refused — it costs you your slot. Online, IRP runs through the IRP Portal, reached from myDMV’s Vehicle Services tab.

What proof of HVUT payment does Colorado accept?

• The state IRP checklist: a Form 2290 that is “validated (e-file watermark or stamped)” — required for vehicles at 55,000 pounds or more;
• County guidance spells out the two classic routes: a receipted copy of Schedule 1, or the 2290/Schedule 1 plus a photocopy of the front and back of the cancelled check to the IRS — attached to the county’s renewal notice.

Colorado counties are candid about why they check: failing to verify could cost the state up to a quarter of its federal highway funds. One county-documented flexibility worth knowing: HVUT payments transfer with a sold vehicle — a buyer can credit the seller’s payment by presenting the seller’s 2290 copy listing that VIN. And a practical note: plates at 55,000+ pounds (and all apportioned classes) are excluded from Colorado’s online renewal, because the proof document travels with the renewal.

The exemption card nobody expects: DR 2749

Colorado makes the weight declaration a two-sided obligation. Every truck over 8,000 pounds empty weight (and every tractor) declares a gross vehicle weight at registration — and if that declared weight is under 55,000 pounds, you complete Form DR 2749, the Federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax Proof of Payment Exemption card, one per vehicle, submitted with the application. In other words: heavy-ish trucks in Colorado file HVUT paperwork either way — the Schedule 1 if taxable, the exemption card if not. The card itself warns: don’t use it if your gross weight is 55,000 pounds or more.

The 60-day rule — Colorado’s deadlines line up

HVUT proof is not required if the purchase date is less than 60 days before registration — and Colorado separately requires registering a purchased vehicle within 60 days anyway, so an on-time first registration is inside the window by construction, on the bill of sale. The stamped or watermarked Schedule 1 then comes due at the first renewal. The federal clock never pauses: Form 2290 is due by the last day of the month following first use. See buying a used truck and due dates.

What’s federal and doesn’t change in Colorado

• Threshold of 55,000 pounds taxable gross weight
• Tax period July 1 through June 30, due August 31 for vehicles in service in July
• Otherwise due the last day of the month following first use
• $100 at 55,000 pounds, rising $22 per 1,000 pounds, to $550 maximum
• E-filing required at 25 or more taxable vehicles
• Suspension at 5,000 miles or less, 7,500 for agricultural vehicles — and most buses fall out of the tax under the 150-pounds-per-seat rule

See what Form 2290 is and tax rates.

What to bring

• Validated Schedule 1 — e-file watermark or IRS stamp — for the current period, attached to your county renewal notice or faxed ahead for your IRP appointment
• Or the 2290/Schedule 1 plus cancelled-check photocopies, front and back
• Under 55,000 pounds declared? The signed DR 2749 exemption card per vehicle
• Bill of sale for a truck purchased within the last 60 days, plus USDOT/EIN for commercial vehicles over 10,001 pounds

Who to contact

State DMV IRP: 3265 S Wadsworth Blvd, Lakewood — by appointment, with documents faxed ahead (303-205-5981); online through the IRP Portal via myDMV. Intrastate registration: your County Clerk & Recorder’s motor vehicle office. For Form 2290 itself, the IRS call site is 866-699-4096, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Colorado Form 2290?
No — the 2290 is federal. Colorado’s own form in this space is the DR 2749 exemption card, for declared weights under the threshold.

County or state office?
County Clerk & Recorder for intrastate registration and for titling everything; the state DMV in Lakewood only for IRP accounts.

Can I renew online?
Not for trucks at HVUT weight — 55,000-pound-plus GVW plates and all apportioned classes are excluded from online renewal; the proof goes in with the county renewal or the IRP transaction.

I bought a truck whose seller already paid the HVUT.
Colorado counties credit a transferred payment: present the seller’s 2290 copy listing your VIN. You’ll still file your own 2290 for the next period — see buying a used truck.

---

Related: All states · Using Schedule 1 at the DMV · How to e-file

General information, not tax or legal advice — we may make errors. The IRS is the ultimate authority on federal requirements; the Colorado DMV and your County Clerk & Recorder are authoritative on Colorado registration. Colorado details drawn from the DMV’s International Registration Plan guidance, its commercial vehicles page, form DR 2749, and published county clerk guidance; federal details from the Instructions for Form 2290 (Rev. July 2026). Confirm current requirements with the office before you go. See our disclaimer.