CO Code § 42-3-201 (2021)
2021 Colorado Code|Title 42 - Vehicles and Traffic|Article 3 - Registration, Taxation, and License Plates|Part 2 - License Plates|§ 42-3-201. Number Plates Furnished - Style - Periodic Reissuance - Tabs - Rules

  (a) (I) The department shall issue to every owner whose vehicle is registered two number plates; except that the department shall issue one number plate for the following:   A motorcycle;    A street rod vehicle;    A trailer or semitrailer;    A vehicle drawn by a motor vehicle; or    An item of special mobile machinery.    Repealed.       Except as provided in subsection (7) of this section, the owner shall display on every number plate the registration number assigned to the vehicle and owner, the year number for which it is issued, the month in which it expires, and any other appropriate symbol, word, or words designated by the department. The department may adopt rules for the issuance of permanent number plates that do not display the year number for which it is issued or the month in which it expires. Such plate and the required letters and numerals, except the year number for which issued, must be of sufficient size to be plainly readable from a distance of one hundred feet during daylight.    The department shall issue for every passenger motor vehicle, rented without a driver, the same type of number plates as the type of plates issued for private passenger vehicles.    The department shall issue, for every noncommercial or recreational vehicle registered as such pursuant to this article, numbered plates or other insignia of a color or design different from any other Colorado plates, to be determined by the department, in order that such numbered plates or other insignia may be plainly recognized at a distance of at least one hundred feet during daylight.      A new or replacement license plate issued by the department shall, to the extent that it is practical, have standardized coloring and identifying characters limited to no more than a total of six numbers and letters; except that such character limitation does not apply to personalized license plates issued under section 42-3-211. (5) (a) A new or replacement license plate issued by the department shall, to the extent that it is practical, have standardized coloring and identifying characters limited to no more than a total of six numbers and letters; except that such character limitation does not apply to personalized license plates issued under section 42-3-211.    The department of revenue may require the replacement of any license plate as necessary to ensure that license plates are legible as required by section 42-3-202 (2).         The department shall promulgate rules that require the destruction, recycling, or other permanent disposal of license plates that are no longer used to evidence registration of a motor vehicle and are voluntarily given to the department, an authorized agent, or a person who receives license plates in the ordinary course of business. (6) (a) The department shall promulgate rules that require the destruction, recycling, or other permanent disposal of license plates that are no longer used to evidence registration of a motor vehicle and are voluntarily given to the department, an authorized agent, or a person who receives license plates in the ordinary course of business.    The department, an authorized agent, or a person who receives license plates in the ordinary course of business shall destroy, recycle, or dispose of a license plate in accordance with rules promulgated by the department under this subsection (6).       Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2) of this section, the department shall issue license plates to a Class A commercial trailer or semitrailer registered in Colorado that do not contain the month and year the trailer expires, and a validating sticker or tab is not issued nor required for the license plates.      (b) (I) The department may issue the number plates required in this section for one or more registration periods. If the number plates are issued for multi-year use, the department may issue a validating tab or sticker to indicate the year of registration of the vehicle.   History. Source: L. 2005: Entire article amended with relocations, p. 1106, § 2, effective August 8; (5)(b) amended, p. 253, § 1, effective August 8. L. 2008: (6) added, p. 321, § 1, effective July 1. L. 2010: (1)(a)(I)(E) amended, (HB 10-1172), ch. 320, p. 1491, § 9, effective October 1. L. 2012: (2) amended and (7) added, (HB 12-1038), ch. 276, p. 1456, § 5, effective June 8. L. 2014: (1)(a)(I)(D) and (1)(a)(I)(E) amended and (1)(a)(I)(F) added, (HB 14-1367), ch. 303, p. 1286, § 2, effective July 1. L. 2017: (1)(a)(I)(D) and (1)(a)(I)(E) amended and (1)(a)(I)(F) repealed, (HB 17-1044), ch. 72, p. 229, § 3, effective March 23.    Editor's note:   This title was numbered as numerous articles within chapter 13, C.R.S. 1963. The provisions of this title were amended with relocations in 1994, effective January 1, 1995, resulting in the addition, relocation, and elimination of sections as well as subject matter. For amendments to this title prior to 1994, consult the Colorado statutory research explanatory note and the table itemizing the replacement volumes and supplements to the original volume of C.R.S. 1973 beginning on page vii in the front of this volume. Former C.R.S. section numbers are shown in editor's notes following those sections that were relocated. For a detailed comparison of this title, see the comparative tables located in the back of the index.   Cross references:   For the provisions providing for the manufacture of license plates and highway signs by state correctional facilities, see article 24 of title 17; for registration and use of snowmobiles, see article 14 of title 33; for the regulation of commercial driving schools, see article 2 of this title; for provisions relating to highway safety, see article 5 of title 43; for licensing and regulation of automobile dealers, see part 1 of article 20 of title 44; for the antimonopoly financing law, see part 2 of article 20 of title 44; for the Sunday closing law, see part 3 of article 20 of title 44.   Editor's note:   This title was amended with relocations in 1994, and this article was subsequently amended with relocations in 2005, resulting in the addition, relocation, and elimination of sections as well as subject matter. For amendments to this article prior to 2005, consult the Colorado statutory research explanatory note beginning on page vii in the front of this volume and the editor's note following the title heading. Former C.R.S. section numbers are shown in editor's notes following those sections that were relocated. For a detailed comparison of this article, see the comparative tables located in the back of the index.   Cross references:   For disposition of fines and penalties under this article, see § 42-1-217 .   Editor's note:    This section is similar to former § 42-3-113 as it existed prior to 2005.    Subsection (5)(b) was originally numbered as § 42-3-113 (5)(b), and the amendments to it in Senate Bill 05-153 were harmonized with § 42-3-201 (5)(b) as it appears in House Bill 05-1107.     Cross references:   For the legislative declaration in the 2012 act amending subsection (2) and adding subsection (7), see section 1 of chapter 276, Session Laws of Colorado 2012.   ANNOTATION   Annotator's note. Since § 42-3-201 is similar to § 42-3-113 as it existed prior to the 2005 amendment to article 3 of title 42, which resulted in the relocation of provisions, a relevant case construing a former provision similar to that section has been included in the annotations to this section.   The provisions of subsection (3) do not offend §§ 3, 11, 14, 15, 28 of art. II, Colo. Const. Driverless Car Co. v. Armstrong, 91 Colo. 334 , 14 P.2d 1098.   Subsection (3) not unreasonable interference with private business. The provisions of subsection (3), concerning motor vehicles which refer to driverless car owners, is not an unreasonable interference with a purely private business. Driverless Car Co. v. Armstrong, 91 Colo. 334 , 14 P.2d 1098 (1932).