Colorado Code § 42-3-105

Application for registration - tax - definitions
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(1) (a) Application for the
registration of a vehicle required to be registered under this article shall be made by the owner or
the owner's agent and, if applicable, simultaneously with the application for certificate of title, as
required by this section. The application for registration, which shall be in writing and signed by
the owner of the vehicle or the owner's duly authorized agent, shall include:
(I) The name of the applicant;
(II) The name and correct address of the owner determined pursuant to section 42-6-139,
designating the county, school district, and city or town within the limits of which the owner
resides;
(III) A description of the motor vehicle in a form required by the department;
(IV) The purpose for which the vehicle is used;
(V) Whether the vehicle is a commercial vehicle;
(VI) The notice described in subsection (2) of this section;
(VII) Whether the applicant requests that the department should, if it approves the
application, mail to the owner the license plate required under this article; and
(VIII) Any other pertinent information as required by the department, including but not
limited to a class B, class C, class D, or class F vehicle owner's or registrant's personal
identification number as provided on a state-issued driver's license or assigned by the
department.
(b) An application for new registration of a vehicle shall include the primary body color
of the motor vehicle. A motor vehicle registration application submitted in person to an
authorized agent or department office for a previously registered motor vehicle shall include the
primary body color of the motor vehicle.
(c) (I) Except as provided in subsection (1)(c)(I.5) of this section, the department may
require those vehicle-related entities specified by rule to verify information concerning any
vehicle through the physical inspection of the vehicle. The information required to be verified by
a physical inspection must include:
(A) The vehicle identification number or numbers;
(B) The make of vehicle;
(C) The vehicle model;
(D) The type of vehicle;
(E) The year of manufacture of such vehicle;
(F) The primary body color of such vehicle;
(G) The type of fuel used by such vehicle; and
(H) Repealed.
(I) Such other information as required by the department.
(I.5) The department shall not require a physical inspection as a condition for
registration of a vehicle if:
(A) The applicant for a new registration for the vehicle presents either a copy of a
manufacturer's certificate of origin or a purchase receipt from the dealer or the out-of-state seller
from whom the applicant purchased the vehicle and either document indicates that the applicant
purchased the vehicle as new; or
(B) At the time of application, the vehicle is currently registered in another county of the
state.
(II) For the purposes of this subsection (1)(c), "vehicle-related entity" means an
authorized agent, designated employee of an authorized agent, any Colorado law enforcement
officer, any licensed Colorado dealer, any licensed inspection and readjustment station, or any
licensed diesel inspection station.
(d) (I) The department or its authorized agents shall not register a motor vehicle or low-
power scooter unless the applicant has a complying motor vehicle insurance policy pursuant to
part 6 of article 4 of title 10, C.R.S., or a certificate of self-insurance in full force and effect as
required by sections 10-4-619 and 10-4-624, C.R.S. The requirements of this paragraph (d) apply
only to motor vehicles classified as Class C personal property under section 42-3-106 (2)(c), to
light trucks that do not exceed sixteen thousand pounds empty weight, to sports utility vehicles
that are classified as Class B personal property under section 42-3-106 (2)(b), or to low-power
scooters. The applicant shall provide the department or its authorized agents with the proof of
insurance certificate or insurance identification card provided to the applicant by the applicant's
insurer pursuant to section 10-4-604.5, C.R.S., or provide proof of insurance in such other media
as is authorized by the department. Nothing in this paragraph (d) shall be interpreted to preclude
the department from electronically transmitting insurance information to designated agents
pursuant to section 42-7-604 for the purpose of ensuring compliance with mandatory insurance
requirements.
(II) Any person who knowingly provides fraudulent information or documents pursuant
to subsection (1)(d)(I) of this section to obtain registration of a motor vehicle or low-power
scooter commits a class 2 misdemeanor and is subject to the civil penalties provided under
section 42-6-139 (4).
(e) The department shall establish a set of standard color descriptions for use in
identifying the primary body color of a motor vehicle. An application that specifies the primary
body color shall use the standard color descriptions of the department to identify the primary
body color of the motor vehicle.
(f) The owner of a motor vehicle that is required to be registered under this article need
not comply with subparagraph (I) of paragraph (d) of this subsection (1) if such owner signs and
submits to the department in compliance with this paragraph (f) a written statement of nonuse.
Such written statement of nonuse shall include:
(I) The name, date of birth, driver's license number, and address of the motor vehicle's
owner;
(II) The make, year, and vehicle identification number of the motor vehicle;
(III) The time period during which such vehicle will not be operated and a statement that
the owner is neither operating such vehicle nor permitting any other person to operate such
vehicle during the time period stated; and
(IV) Proof that the owner currently has insurance coverage under subparagraph (I) of
paragraph (d) of this subsection (1).
(2) Upon applying for registration, the owner of a motor vehicle or low-power scooter
shall receive a written notice printed on the application for registration in type that is larger than
the other information contained on the application for registration. The department shall advise
the applicant in the notice that motor vehicle insurance or operator's coverage is compulsory in
Colorado, that noncompliance is a misdemeanor traffic offense, that the minimum penalty is a
five-hundred-dollar fine, that the maximum penalty is one year's imprisonment and a one-
thousand-dollar fine, and that the owner is required as a condition of registering the vehicle to
either:
(a) Sign a statement of nonuse under paragraph (f) of subsection (1) of this section; or
(b) Provide proof of insurance under paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of this section.
(3) The owner of such vehicle or the owner's agent shall, upon filing the application for
registration, pay such fees as are prescribed by sections 42-3-304 to 42-3-306, together with the
annual specific ownership tax on the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or trailer coach for which
the license is to be issued.
(3.5) (a) A person registering a motor vehicle that is not a commercial vehicle and is a
passenger motor vehicle, light-weight truck, motorcycle, or recreational vehicle may decline to
pay the keep Colorado wild pass fee assessed pursuant to section 33-12-108 (4)(b). Nonpayment
of the pass fee does not affect a person's ability to register a motor vehicle.
(b) As used in this subsection (3.5), unless the context otherwise requires:
(I) "Keep Colorado wild pass" has the meaning set forth in section 33-12-108 (3)(d).
(II) "Light-weight truck" has the meaning set forth in section 33-12-108 (3)(e).
(III) "Pass fee" has the meaning set forth in section 33-12-108 (3)(i).
(4) (a) A motor vehicle dealer or used motor vehicle dealer licensed under article 6 of
this title may act as an authorized agent of the department for the purposes of compliance with
this section and collection of fees required for the registration of low-power scooters required by
this article. When the owner of the low-power scooter complies with this section, the dealer shall
forward to the department an affidavit swearing that the owner has insurance, the statement
required by subsection (2) of this section, and the fees required by part 3 of this article for the
registration of a low-power scooter.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, in a civil action for damages or
indemnification resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle, a motor vehicle dealer, used
motor vehicle dealer, or employee thereof shall not be liable for an act or omission arising as a
result of the dealer or employee performing the functions of an agent pursuant to this subsection
(4).
(c) Upon finding a pattern of failure to comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of
this subsection (4), the department may withdraw a motor vehicle dealer's or used motor vehicle
dealer's authorization to act as an agent of the department.

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