§ 42-4-1803 — Abandonment of motor vehicles - public property

Colorado § 42-4-1803

• Jurisdiction: Colorado
• Title 42: Vehicles and
• Art.: Regulation of Vehicles and Traffic

Text

(1) (a) No
person shall abandon any motor vehicle upon public property. Any sheriff,
undersheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, marshal, Colorado state patrol officer, or
agent of the Colorado bureau of investigation who finds a motor vehicle that such
officer has reasonable grounds to believe has been abandoned shall require such
motor vehicle to be removed or cause the same to be removed and placed in
storage in any impound lot designated or maintained by the law enforcement
agency employing such officer.

(b) If an operator is used by the responsible law enforcement agency to tow
or impound the motor vehicle pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (1), the
operator shall be provided with written authorization to possess the motor vehicle
on a document that includes, without limitation, the year, make, model, vehicle
identification number, and storage location.

(2) Whenever any sheriff, undersheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer,
marshal, Colorado state patrol officer, agent of the Colorado bureau of
investigation, or agency employee finds a motor vehicle, vehicle, cargo, or debris,
attended or unattended, standing upon any portion of a highway right-of-way in
such a manner as to constitute an obstruction to traffic or proper highway
maintenance, such officer or agency employee is authorized to cause the motor
vehicle, vehicle, cargo, or debris to be moved to eliminate any such obstruction; and
neither the officer, the agency employee, nor anyone acting under the direction of
such officer or employee shall be liable for any damage to such motor vehicle,
vehicle, cargo, or debris occasioned by such removal. The removal process is
intended to clear the obstruction, but such activity should create as little damage
as possible to the vehicle, or cargo, or both. No agency employee shall cause any
motor vehicle to be moved unless such employee has obtained approval from a
local law enforcement agency of a municipality, county, or city and county, the
Colorado bureau of investigation, or the Colorado state patrol.

(3) The operator shall be responsible for removing the motor vehicle and the
motor vehicle debris from the site pursuant to this section, but shall not be required
to remove or clean up any hazardous or commercial cargo the motor vehicle carried.
The commercial carrier shall be responsible for removal or clean-up of the
hazardous or commercial cargo.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2002: Entire part amended with relocations, p. 470, � 1, effective July 1. L. 2009: (1) amended and (3) added, (HB 09-1279), ch. 170, p. 763, � 2, effective August 5.