Colorado Code § 42-4-1301.1

Expressed consent for the taking of blood, breath, urine, or saliva sample - testing - fund - rules - repeal
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(1) Any person who drives any motor vehicle upon the
streets and highways and elsewhere throughout this state shall be deemed to have expressed such
person's consent to the provisions of this section.
(2) (a) (I) A person who drives a motor vehicle upon the streets and highways and
elsewhere throughout this state shall be required to take and complete, and to cooperate in the
taking and completing of, any test or tests of the person's breath or blood for the purpose of
determining the alcoholic content of the person's blood or breath when so requested and directed
by a law enforcement officer having probable cause to believe that the person was driving a
motor vehicle in violation of the prohibitions against DUI, DUI per se, DWAI, or UDD. Except
as otherwise provided in this section, if a person who is twenty-one years of age or older
requests that the test be a blood test, then the test shall be of his or her blood; but, if the person
requests that a specimen of his or her blood not be drawn, then a specimen of the person's breath
shall be obtained and tested. A person who is under twenty-one years of age shall be entitled to
request a blood test unless the alleged violation is UDD, in which case a specimen of the
person's breath shall be obtained and tested, except as provided in subparagraph (II) of this
paragraph (a).
(II) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a.5) of this subsection (2), if a person
elects either a blood test or a breath test, the person shall not be permitted to change the election,
and, if the person fails to take and complete, and to cooperate in the completing of, the test
elected, the failure shall be deemed to be a refusal to submit to testing. If the person is unable to
take, or to complete, or to cooperate in the completing of a breath test because of injuries, illness,
disease, physical infirmity, or physical incapacity, or if the person is receiving medical treatment
at a location at which a breath testing instrument certified by the department of public health and
environment is not available, the test shall be of the person's blood.
(III) If a law enforcement officer requests a test under this paragraph (a), the person must
cooperate with the request such that the sample of blood or breath can be obtained within two
hours of the person's driving.
(a.5) (I) If a law enforcement officer who requests a person to take a breath or blood test
under paragraph (a) of this subsection (2) determines there are extraordinary circumstances that
prevent the completion of the test elected by the person within the two-hour time period required
by subparagraph (III) of paragraph (a) of this subsection (2), the officer shall inform the person
of the extraordinary circumstances and request and direct the person to take and complete the
other test described in paragraph (a) of this subsection (2). The person shall then be required to
take and complete, and to cooperate in the completing of, the other test.
(II) A person who initially requests and elects to take a blood or breath test, but who is
requested and directed by the law enforcement officer to take the other test because of the
extraordinary circumstances described in subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (a.5), may change
his or her election for the purpose of complying with the officer's request. The change in the
election of which test to take shall not be deemed to be a refusal to submit to testing.
(III) If the person fails to take and complete, and to cooperate in the completing of, the
other test requested by the law enforcement officer pursuant to subparagraph (I) of this
paragraph (a.5), the failure shall be deemed to be a refusal to submit to testing.
(IV) (A) As used in this paragraph (a.5), "extraordinary circumstances" means
circumstances beyond the control of, and not created by, the law enforcement officer who
requests and directs a person to take a blood or breath test in accordance with this subsection (2)
or the law enforcement authority with whom the officer is employed.
(B) "Extraordinary circumstances" includes, but shall not be limited to, weather-related
delays, high call volume affecting medical personnel, power outages, malfunctioning breath test
equipment, and other circumstances that preclude the timely collection and testing of a blood or
breath sample by a qualified person in accordance with law.
(C) "Extraordinary circumstances" does not include inconvenience, a busy workload on
the part of the law enforcement officer or law enforcement authority, minor delay that does not
compromise the two-hour test period specified in subparagraph (III) of paragraph (a) of this
subsection (2), or routine circumstances that are subject to the control of the law enforcement
officer or law enforcement authority.
(b) (I) Any person who drives any motor vehicle upon the streets and highways and
elsewhere throughout this state shall be required to submit to and to complete, and to cooperate
in the completing of, a test or tests of such person's blood, saliva, and urine for the purpose of
determining the drug content within the person's system when so requested and directed by a law
enforcement officer having probable cause to believe that the person was driving a motor vehicle
in violation of the prohibitions against DUI or DWAI and when it is reasonable to require such
testing of blood, saliva, and urine to determine whether such person was under the influence of,
or impaired by, one or more drugs, or one or more controlled substances, or a combination of
both alcohol and one or more drugs, or a combination of both alcohol and one or more controlled
substances.
(II) If a law enforcement officer requests a test under this paragraph (b), the person must
cooperate with the request such that the sample of blood, saliva, or urine can be obtained within
two hours of the person's driving.
(3) Any person who is required to take and to complete, and to cooperate in the
completing of, any test or tests shall cooperate with the person authorized to obtain specimens of
such person's blood, breath, saliva, or urine, including the signing of any release or consent
forms required by any person, hospital, clinic, or association authorized to obtain such
specimens. If such person does not cooperate with the person, hospital, clinic, or association
authorized to obtain such specimens, including the signing of any release or consent forms, such
noncooperation shall be considered a refusal to submit to testing. No law enforcement officer
shall physically restrain any person for the purpose of obtaining a specimen of such person's
blood, breath, saliva, or urine for testing except when the officer has probable cause to believe
that the person has committed criminally negligent homicide pursuant to section 18-3-105,
C.R.S., vehicular homicide pursuant to section 18-3-106 (1)(b), C.R.S., assault in the third
degree pursuant to section 18-3-204 , C.R.S., or vehicular assault pursuant to section 18-3-205
(1)(b), C.R.S., and the person is refusing to take or to complete, or to cooperate in the
completing of, any test or tests, then, in such event, the law enforcement officer may require a
blood test.
(4) Any driver of a commercial motor vehicle requested to submit to a test as provided in
paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection (2) of this section shall be warned by the law enforcement
officer requesting the test that a refusal to submit to the test shall result in an out-of-service order
as defined under section 42-2-402 (8) for a period of twenty-four hours and a revocation of the
privilege to operate a commercial motor vehicle for one year as provided under section 42-2-
126.
(5) The tests shall be administered at the direction of a law enforcement officer having
probable cause to believe that the person had been driving a motor vehicle in violation of section
42-4-1301 and in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by the department of public
health and environment concerning the health of the person being tested and the accuracy of
such testing.
(6) (a) No person except a physician, a registered nurse, an emergency medical service
provider certified or licensed under part 2 of article 3.5 of title 25 who is authorized within his or
her scope of practice to draw blood, or a person whose normal duties include withdrawing blood
samples under the supervision of a physician or registered nurse shall withdraw blood to
determine the alcohol or drug content of the blood for purposes of this section.
(b) No civil liability shall attach to any person authorized to obtain blood, breath, saliva,
or urine specimens or to any hospital, clinic, or association in or for which such specimens are
obtained as provided in this section as a result of the act of obtaining such specimens from any
person submitting thereto if such specimens were obtained according to the rules and regulations
prescribed by the department of public health and environment; except that this provision shall
not relieve any such person from liability for negligence in the obtaining of any specimen
sample.
(7) A preliminary screening test conducted by a law enforcement officer pursuant to
section 42-4-1301 (6)(i) shall not substitute for or qualify as the test or tests required by
subsection (2) of this section.
(8) Any person who is dead or unconscious shall be tested to determine the alcohol or
drug content of the person's blood or any drug content within such person's system as provided
in this section. If a test cannot be administered to a person who is unconscious, hospitalized, or
undergoing medical treatment because the test would endanger the person's life or health, the law
enforcement agency shall be allowed to test any blood, urine, or saliva that was obtained and not
utilized by a health-care provider and shall have access to that portion of the analysis and results
of any tests administered by such provider that shows the alcohol or drug content of the person's
blood, urine, or saliva or any drug content within the person's system. Such test results shall not
be considered privileged communications, and the provisions of section 13-90-107, C.R.S.,
relating to the physician-patient privilege shall not apply. Any person who is dead, in addition to
the tests prescribed, shall also have the person's blood checked for carbon monoxide content and
for the presence of drugs, as prescribed by the department of public health and environment.
Such information obtained shall be made a part of the accident report.
(9) [Editor's note: Subsection (9) is in a one-year wind-up period. For further
explanation regarding the wind-up period, see the editor's note following this section.] (a) 
There is created in the state treasury the evidential breath-testing cash fund, referred to in this
section as the "fund", for the collection of moneys to purchase breath-testing devices for law
enforcement agencies. The fund includes any moneys appropriated to the fund by the general
assembly and any moneys credited to the fund pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (9).
The moneys in the fund are subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly to the
department of public health and environment created in section 25-1-102, C.R.S., for the
purposes described in this subsection (9).
(b) All interest derived from the deposit and investment of moneys in the fund must
remain in the fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered moneys remaining in the fund at the end
of a fiscal year must remain in the fund and not be transferred or credited to the general fund or
another fund; except that any such unexpended and unencumbered moneys in excess of two
million dollars must be credited to the general fund.
(c) The department of public health and environment is authorized to accept any gifts,
grants, or donations from any private or public source on behalf of the state for the purposes
described in this section. The department of public health and environment shall transmit all
such gifts, grants, and donations to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the fund.
(d) The state board of health created in section 25-1-103, C.R.S., may promulgate rules
for the administration of the fund for the purposes described in this subsection (9).
(e) This subsection (9) is repealed, effective September 1, 2024. Before repeal, the
department of regulatory agencies, pursuant to 24-34-104, shall review the use of the fund by the
department of public health and environment for the purposes described in this subsection (9).

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