Off-highway Vehicles

C.R.S. tit. 33, art. 14.5
in effect

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-101 Definitions

33-14.5-101. Definitions. As used in this article 14.5, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) "All-terrain vehicle" has the meaning set forth in section 42-6-102. (1.5) "Dealer" means a person engaged in the business of selling off-highway vehicles at wholesale or retail in this state. (2) "Direct services" includes, but is not limited to, the activities and expenses associated with law enforcement, capital equipment, rescue and first aid equipment, off-highway vehicle facilities, and division and contract services related to clearing parking lots and providing trail maintenance. (3) "Off-highway vehicle" means any self-propelled vehicle that is designed to travel on wheels or tracks in contact with the ground, designed primarily for use off of the public highways, and generally and commonly used to transport persons for recreational purposes. Except as described in subsection (3)(h) of this section, "off-highway vehicle" includes surplus military vehicles as defined in section 42-6-102. "Off-highway vehicle" does not include the following: (a) Vehicles designed and used primarily for travel on, over, or in the water; (b) Snowmobiles; (c) Repealed. (d) Golf carts; (e) Vehicles designed and used to carry individuals with disabilities; (f) Vehicles designed and used specifically for agricultural, logging, or mining purposes; (g) Vehicles registered pursuant to article 3 of title 42; or (h) A surplus military vehicle, as defined in section 42-6-102 (20.5), that is owned or leased by a municipality, county, or fire protection district, as defined in section 32-1-103 (7), for the purpose of assisting with firefighting efforts, including mitigating the risk of wildfires. (4) "Off-highway vehicle route" means any road, trail, or way owned or managed by the state or any agency or political subdivision thereof or the United States for off-highway vehicle travel. (5) "Owner" means any person, other than a lienholder, having a property interest in an off-highway vehicle and entitled to the use and possession thereof. (6) "Possession" means physical custody of an off-highway vehicle by any person or by any owner of a motor vehicle or trailer on or in which an off-highway vehicle is placed for the purpose of transport. (7) "Staging area" means any parking lot, trail head, or other location to or from which any off-highway vehicle is transported by truck, trailer, or other motor vehicle so that it may be placed into operation or removed from operation. "Staging area" does not include any location to which an off-highway vehicle is transported primarily for the purpose of service, maintenance, repair, storage, or sale.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-102 Off-highway vehicle registration - nonresident-owned or -operated off-highway vehicle permits - fees - applications - requirements - exemptions - rules

33-14.5-102. Off-highway vehicle registration - nonresident-owned or -operated off-highway vehicle permits - fees - applications - requirements - exemptions - rules. (1) (a) Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, and except as provided for nonresident-owned and -operated off-highway vehicles in subsection (9) of this section, no person shall operate, nor have in his or her possession at any staging area, any off-highway vehicle within the state unless such off-highway vehicle has been registered and numbered in accordance with the provisions of this article. The division is authorized to assign identification numbers and register off-highway vehicles. (b) The division shall employ off-highway vehicle agents, including dealers and licensing agents serving as such for the division, for off-highway vehicle registration pursuant to section 33-12-104. Upon receiving a registration application, an agent shall collect the fee specified by the commission by rule and issue a temporary registration and shall forward the application to the division, which shall issue the registration. An agent may retain a commission not in excess of one dollar, as authorized by the division, for each registration issued. Any dealer is authorized to issue a temporary registration when a person purchases an off-highway vehicle from the dealer. (2) (a) Every dealer shall require a purchaser of an off-highway vehicle to complete a registration application and pay the registration fee before the vehicle leaves the dealer's premises, except for those off-highway vehicles purchased for use exclusively outside of this state. (b) Each off-highway vehicle owned by a lessor for rental purposes shall be registered pursuant to this article upon the payment of a registration fee, as provided in paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of this section. (3) (a) For each year, or portion of the year, beginning April 1 and ending the following March 31, the original and each renewal registration fee to be paid by an owner must be in the amount specified by the commission by rule. (b) The fee for the replacement of a lost, mutilated, or destroyed registration certificate shall be the fee specified in section 33-12-101. (4) (a) For each year, or portion of the year, beginning April 1 and ending the following March 31, for which the registration is made, the registration fee for all off-highway vehicles owned by a dealer or manufacturer and operated solely for demonstration or testing purposes must be in an amount specified by the commission by rule. (b) Dealer and manufacturer registrations are not transferable and shall be distinguished from the registration required for owners. (5) A registration certificate shall be issued without the payment of a fee for any off-highway vehicle owned by the state of Colorado or a political subdivision thereof upon application therefor. (6) No registration under this article is required for any: (a) Off-highway vehicle owned by any agency of the United States or another state or a political subdivision thereof when such ownership is clearly displayed on such vehicle; (b) Off-highway vehicle owned by a resident of another state or country if such off-highway vehicle is covered by a valid license or registration of such other state or country and such off-highway vehicle has not been within this state for more than thirty consecutive days; (c) Off-highway vehicle used strictly for agricultural purposes; (d) Off-highway vehicle used strictly on private property; (e) Off-highway vehicle operated in an organized competitive or noncompetitive event on publicly or privately owned or leased land; except that this exemption shall not apply unless the agency exercising jurisdiction over such land specifically authorizes the organized competitive or noncompetitive event; ictly for agricultural purposes; (d) Off-highway vehicle used strictly on private property; (e) Off-highway vehicle operated in an organized competitive or noncompetitive event on publicly or privately owned or leased land; except that this exemption shall not apply unless the agency exercising jurisdiction over such land specifically authorizes the organized competitive or noncompetitive event; (f) Off-highway vehicle used by a dealer or manufacturer, or an authorized designee thereof, for off-highway vehicle operator education or safety programs. (7) Any person who operates an off-highway vehicle in violation of this section commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars. (8) Any dealer who does not comply with subsection (2)(a) of this section commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars. (9) (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (1) to (8) of this section, on and after April 1, 2000, no person shall operate, nor have in his or her possession at any staging area, any nonresident-owned or -operated off-highway vehicle within the state of Colorado unless such off-highway vehicle is covered by a valid license or registration of another state or country and such nonresident-owned or -operated off-highway vehicle has not been within this state for more than thirty consecutive days, or such nonresident-owned or -operated off-highway vehicle has been issued a permit pursuant to this subsection (9). (b) The division is hereby authorized to issue permits to nonresident-owned or -operated off-highway vehicles. (c) (I) Nonresident off-highway vehicle permits shall be sold by the agents designated pursuant to section 33-12-104, and the fee to be paid for the permits must be in the amount provided by the commission by rule. (II) Nonresident off-highway vehicle permits shall be valid for one year or until the following March 31, whichever comes first. (III) The fee for the replacement of a lost, mutilated, or destroyed nonresident off-highway vehicle permit shall be the fee specified in section 33-12-101 for replacement of passes and registrations. (d) Nonresident off-highway vehicle permits shall be displayed as required by the division. (e) The following nonresident off-highway vehicles shall be exempt from the requirements of this subsection (9): (I) Vehicles owned by the United States or another state or political subdivision thereof if such ownership is clearly displayed on such vehicles; (II) Vehicles operated in an organized competitive or noncompetitive event on publicly or privately owned or leased land; except that this exemption shall not apply unless the agency exercising jurisdiction over such land specifically authorizes the organized competitive or noncompetitive event; (III) Vehicles used strictly on private property. (f) Any person who violates this subsection (9) commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-103 Proof of ownership for registration purposes

33-14.5-103. Proof of ownership for registration purposes. (1) The division shall require proof of ownership for an off-highway vehicle prior to the initial registration required under this article, but the division shall not issue a certificate of title for the vehicle. (2) The division shall keep a record of the manufacturer's numbers of all off-highway vehicles registered pursuant to this article and shall provide the department of revenue with a copy of said record monthly. The department of revenue shall maintain a computerized list of such record in order to aid in the recovery of stolen off-highway vehicles.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-104 Issuance of registration

33-14.5-104. Issuance of registration. (1) (a) Upon the receipt of a sufficient application for registration of an off-highway vehicle, as required by section 33-14.5-102, the division shall assign a distinctive number to the vehicle and shall enter upon its records the registration of such off-highway vehicle under the distinctive number assigned to it pursuant to this section. (b) A number assigned to an off-highway vehicle at the time of its original registration shall remain with the off-highway vehicle until such off-highway vehicle is destroyed, abandoned, or permanently removed from the state or until such registration number is changed or terminated by the division. (2) The division shall, upon assignment of such number, issue and deliver to the owner a registration in such form as the division shall prescribe. In the event of the loss, mutilation, or destruction of any registration, the owner of the registered off-highway vehicle shall file a statement containing such facts as the division shall require for the issuance of a replacement registration, together with the fee specified in section 33-12-101. (3) At the time of the original registration and at the time of each annual renewal thereof, the division shall issue to said registrant a validation decal indicating the distinctive number assigned to such vehicle, as provided in subsection (1) of this section, and the validity of the current registration and the expiration date thereof, which validation decal shall be affixed to the off-highway vehicle in such manner as the division may prescribe. Notwithstanding the fact that an off-highway vehicle has been assigned an identifying number, it shall not be considered as validly registered within the meaning of this article unless a validation decal and current registration have been issued. (4) In the event that an off-highway vehicle sought to be registered or reregistered does not comply with the provisions respecting equipment established by the regulations of the division, the division may deny the issuance of a current registration. (5) The registration number assigned to an off-highway vehicle shall be displayed on the vehicle at all times in such manner as the division may, by regulation, prescribe. (6) Every person, while operating an off-highway vehicle in this state which is required to be registered under this article, shall have on his person or in the off-highway vehicle the registration therefor and shall, upon demand of any peace officer authorized to enforce this article, produce for inspection the registration for such off-highway vehicle. (7) (a) Any person who violates subsection (5) of this section commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of twenty-five dollars. (b) Any person who violates subsection (6) of this section commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of fifty dollars.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-105 Transfer or other termination of ownership - rules

33-14.5-105. Transfer or other termination of ownership - rules. (1) If there is a change of ownership of an off-highway vehicle for which a registration has been issued, the new owner shall apply for a new registration from a dealer employed as a licensing agent or from the division. The application shall set forth the original number issued and shall be accompanied by the old registration properly signed by the previous owner and by the fee for registration in an amount specified by the commission by rule. (2) In the event that an off-highway vehicle was purchased through a dealer, such application must be accompanied by a dealer's form, as prescribed by the division, numbered, completed, and signed by the dealer or his agent and by the new owner.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-106 Off-highway vehicle recreation fund - creation - use of money

33-14.5-106. Off-highway vehicle recreation fund - creation - use of money. (1) All fees collected from the registration of off-highway vehicles and all fees collected from the sale of off-highway use permits, plus all interest earned on such moneys shall be credited to the off-highway vehicle recreation fund, which fund is hereby created, and shall be used for the administration of this article, for information and awareness on the availability of off-highway vehicle recreational opportunities, for the promotion of off-highway vehicle safety, for the establishment and maintenance of off-highway vehicle routes, parking areas, and facilities, and for the purchase or lease of private land for the purposes of access to public land for uses consistent with the provisions of this article; however, any moneys collected in excess of four dollars per original or renewal registration shall be used exclusively for direct services and not administrative costs. The general assembly shall make annual appropriations from the off-highway vehicle recreation fund for the purposes enumerated in this subsection (1). (2) (a) Except as provided in subsection (2)(b) of this section, all money collected for fines imposed pursuant to this article 14.5 shall be transferred to the state treasurer and credited to the off-highway vehicle recreation fund. (b) If a Colorado peace officer other than a division of parks and wildlife officer makes an arrest or issues a citation for an offense arising from a violation of this article 14.5, the state treasurer shall credit one-half of the money collected for the resulting fine to the off-highway vehicle recreation fund and: (I) If the peace officer is employed by a local jurisdiction, one-half to the treasurer of the local jurisdiction in which the violation occurred, to be credited to the appropriate fund; or (II) If the peace officer is employed by another state agency, one-half to a fund administered by the state agency, as designated by the state agency. (3) and (4) Repealed.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-107 Rules

33-14.5-107. Rules. (1) The commission shall adopt rules in the manner provided by article 4 of title 24, C.R.S., concerning the following: (a) Registration of off-highway vehicles and display of registration numbers; (b) Procedures and requirements to implement and administer the off-highway use permit program, including guidelines in connection with the exemptions therefrom; (c) Formulation, in cooperation with appropriate federal agencies, of guidelines for uniform maps and signs for use by the state, counties, cities, city and counties, and towns to control, direct, or regulate the operation and use of off-highway vehicles; (d) The use of off-highway vehicles, but such regulations shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this article in any way.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-108 Off-highway vehicle operation prohibited on streets, roads, and highways

33-14.5-108. Off-highway vehicle operation prohibited on streets, roads, and highways. (1) It is unlawful to operate an off-highway vehicle on the public streets, roads, or highways of this state, regardless of the state or other jurisdiction in which the off-highway vehicle is registered or titled, except in the following cases: (a) When a street, road, or highway is designated open by the state or any agency of the state; (b) When crossing streets or when crossing roads, highways, or railroad tracks in accordance with section 33-14.5-108.5; (c) When traversing a bridge or culvert; (d) During special off-highway vehicle events lawfully conducted pursuant to the authority granted to local political subdivisions in this article; (e) During emergency conditions declared by the proper state or local authority; (f) When local political subdivisions have authorized by ordinance or resolution the establishment of off-highway vehicle routes to permit the operation of off-highway vehicles on city streets or county roads, but no street or road which is part of the state highway system may be so designated; (g) When using an off-highway vehicle for agricultural purposes; (h) When authorized under subsection (3) of this section; and (i) When a public utility, as defined in section 40-1-103 (1), C.R.S., or a cooperative electric association, as defined in section 40-9.5-102, C.R.S., or any agent thereof designated specifically for the purpose of meter reading or repair, is using an off-highway vehicle for business purposes. (2) Any person who violates subsection (1) of this section commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of fifty dollars. (3) (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d) of this subsection (3), it is unlawful for a person to operate a motor vehicle on any federal public land, trail, or road unless the federal public land, trail, or road is signed or otherwise authorized for such use. A peace officer shall not enforce this paragraph (a) within an administrative unit of federal public land until the controlling land management agency identifies whether a route is available for motorized travel by maps, route markers, or signs that are available to the public and provide information to determine whether the route is authorized. Except for violations occurring within a federal wilderness area, a person who violates this paragraph (a) is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars. A person who violates this paragraph (a) within a federal wilderness area is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of two hundred dollars. (b) A person is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of one hundred fifty dollars if the person, without authorization, takes either of the following actions with regard to a sign located on federal public land that affects whether motor vehicle travel is or purports to be authorized: (I) Removes, defaces, or destroys such a sign that was installed by the controlling land management agency; or (II) Installs such a sign. (c) A peace officer may enforce this subsection (3). rs if the person, without authorization, takes either of the following actions with regard to a sign located on federal public land that affects whether motor vehicle travel is or purports to be authorized: (I) Removes, defaces, or destroys such a sign that was installed by the controlling land management agency; or (II) Installs such a sign. (c) A peace officer may enforce this subsection (3). (d) (I) The prohibition and penalties expressed in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection (3) do not apply to a peace officer in the performance of his or her official duties, a person acting at the direction of a peace officer, or a person otherwise authorized to operate a motor vehicle on the federal public land, trail, or road by legal right or by permission of the controlling land management agency, including administrative and emergency access, facility maintenance, ski area operations, oil and gas operations, logging operations, and motor vehicle use that is authorized under permits, including for special events, recreational uses, firewood gathering, and livestock operations and activities. (II) Nothing in this subsection (3) affects any authority that the parks and wildlife commission has pursuant to law other than this subsection (3) to regulate motor vehicle travel on lands subject to the commission's jurisdiction.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-108.5 Crossing roads, highways, and railroad tracks

33-14.5-108.5. Crossing roads, highways, and railroad tracks. (1) The driver of an off-highway vehicle may directly cross a roadway, including a state highway, at an at-grade crossing to continue using the off-highway vehicle on the other side. (2) A person shall not cross a highway while driving an off-highway vehicle unless the crossing is made in accordance with the following: (a) The crossing must be made at an angle of approximately ninety degrees to the direction of the highway and at a place where no obstruction prevents a quick and safe crossing. (b) The off-highway vehicle must be brought to a complete stop before crossing the shoulder or, if none, the roadway before proceeding. (c) The driver must yield the right-of-way to all motor vehicle traffic on the roadway that constitutes an immediate hazard to the crossing. (d) A driver of an off-highway vehicle must cross a divided highway at an intersection of the highway with another road or highway. (3) A person who violates this section commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-109 Required equipment - off-highway vehicles

33-14.5-109. Required equipment - off-highway vehicles. (1) No off-highway vehicle shall be operated upon public land unless it is equipped with the following: (a) At least one lighted head lamp and one lighted tail lamp, each having the minimum candlepower prescribed by regulation of the division while being operated between the hours of sunset and sunrise; (b) Brakes and a muffler and spark arrester which conform to the standards prescribed by regulation of the division, which shall be applicable in all cases except for off-highway vehicles being operated in organized competitive events held on private lands with the permission of the landowner, lessee, or custodian of the land, on public lands and waters under the jurisdiction of the division with its permission, or on other public lands with the consent of the public agency owning the land. (2) A person who violates subsection (1) of this section commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of fifty dollars; except that the fine for a violation relating to a spark arrester is one hundred fifty dollars.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-110 Regulation by political subdivisions

33-14.5-110. Regulation by political subdivisions. (1) (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection (1), any county, city and county, city, or town acting by its governing body may regulate the operation of off-highway vehicles on public lands, waters, and property under its jurisdiction and on streets and highways within its boundaries by resolution or ordinance of the governing body and by giving appropriate notice of the regulation if the regulation is not inconsistent with this article and the rules promulgated under this article. (b) (I) Notwithstanding the requirement that its ordinance or resolution not be inconsistent with this article 14.5 or a rule promulgated under this article 14.5, a county, city and county, city, or town may, when an off-highway vehicle is being driven on a street, road, or highway within the jurisdiction of the county, city and county, city, or town, do any combination of the following: (A) Require the driver to have a driver's license; (B) Require the driver to carry liability insurance; (C) Require the occupants to wear a safety belt system if the manufacturer installed a safety belt system in the off-highway vehicle; (D) Require the use of a child restraint system in accordance with section 42-4-236 if the off-highway vehicle was designed by the manufacturer to be used with a child restraint system; (E) Require the use of eye protection for all occupants in the off-highway vehicle, which eye protection must conform to section 42-4-232 (1) unless the eye protection is a windshield; (F) Require the use of a helmet for an occupant who is under eighteen years of age, in accordance with section 42-4-1502 (4.5); or (G) Limit the number of occupants to the greater of the number of occupants that the off-highway vehicle was designed by the manufacturer to hold or the number of occupants that the vehicle was designed to hold plus one occupant in an aftermarket seat if the aftermarket seat is installed in accordance with the instructions of the aftermarket seat manufacturer and does not extend outside the roll cage; but if the off-highway vehicle is an all-terrain vehicle or motorcycle, limit the number of occupants to two. (II) Notwithstanding subsection (1)(b)(I) of this section, a county, city and county, city, or town does not have authority to promulgate a resolution or ordinance imposing the requirements authorized by subsection (1)(b)(I) of this section under the circumstances described in section 33-14.5-108 (1)(a), (1)(d), (1)(e), and (1)(g) to (1)(i). (2) No county, city and county, city or town acting by its governing body may adopt an ordinance which imposes a fee for the use of public land or water under the jurisdiction of any agency of the state or for the use of any access thereto owned by the county, city and county, city, or town; nor shall it require an off-highway vehicle to be licensed or registered in such political subdivision. (3) For a city or town to regulate the crossing of a state highway under the jurisdiction of the Colorado department of transportation, the city or town must request in writing that the regional office of the department approve the regulation. The regional office shall not unreasonably withhold approval. If the regional office does not approve or deny the request within sixty days after received, the request is deemed approved.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-111 Enforcement - federal, state, and local cooperation

33-14.5-111. Enforcement - federal, state, and local cooperation. (1) Every parks and recreation officer, every peace officer of this state and its political subdivisions, and every person commissioned by the division has the authority to enforce the provisions of this article. (2) The division is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with federal land management agencies for the purpose of regulating off-highway vehicle use on federal lands.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-112 Off-highway use permit - fees - applications - requirements - exemptions - rules

33-14.5-112. Off-highway use permit - fees - applications - requirements - exemptions - rules. (1) (a) No later than January 1, 1990, the division of parks and recreation shall devise a plan for implementation of the off-highway use permit program. (b) On and after January 1, 1991, the owner of every vehicle required to be registered pursuant to article 3 of title 42, C.R.S., and the owner or operator of every motor vehicle and off-highway vehicle from another state or country, when such vehicle is being used for recreational travel upon designated off-highway vehicle routes, shall obtain and display on such vehicle an off-highway use permit. (2) Off-highway use permits shall be sold by the agents referred to in section 33-12-104, and the fee to be paid for the permits must be in the amount provided by the commission by rule. (3) Off-highway use permits, when issued on April 1, shall be valid for a one-year period, which runs from April 1 through the following March 31. All permits issued during the year at any time after April 1 shall expire on the following March 31. (4) Off-highway use permits shall be displayed as required by the division. (5) The following vehicles shall be exempt from the requirements of this section: (a) Vehicles owned by the United States or another state or political subdivision thereof if such ownership is clearly displayed on such vehicles; (b) Vehicles operated in an organized competitive or noncompetitive event on publicly or privately owned or leased land; except that this exemption shall not apply unless the agency exercising jurisdiction over such land specifically authorizes the organized competitive or noncompetitive event; (c) Vehicles operated on public land for purposes other than recreational use, which purposes shall include but not be limited to logging, mining, grazing of livestock, firewood-cutting, and the taking of trees for noncommercial purposes. (6) Any person who violates subsection (1)(b) of this section commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars.

C.R.S. § 33-14.5-113 Notice of accident

33-14.5-113. Notice of accident. (1) The operator of an off-highway vehicle involved in an accident resulting in property damage of fifteen hundred dollars or more or injuries resulting in hospitalization or death, or some person acting for the operator, or the owner of the off-highway vehicle having knowledge of the accident shall immediately, by the quickest available means of communication, notify an officer of the Colorado state patrol, the sheriff's office of the county wherein the accident occurred, or the office of the police department of the municipality wherein the accident occurred. (2) Any law enforcement agency receiving a report of accident under this section shall forward a copy thereof to the division, which shall compile statistics annually based upon such reports. (3) Within forty-eight hours after an accident involving an off-highway vehicle, the accident shall be reported to the Denver office of the division. The report shall be made on forms furnished by the division and shall be made by the owner or operator of the vehicle or someone acting for the owner or operator. (4) Any person who violates subsection (1) or (3) of this section commits a civil infraction and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of seventy-five dollars.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-33.docxFetched: 10/6/2026