(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(H) Repealed.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.