2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 13 - COURTS AND COURT PROCEDURE (§§ 13-1-101 — 13-100-104) › CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS (§§ 13-22-101 — 13-24-123) › Article 22 - AGE OF COMPETENCE - ARBITRATION - MEDIATION (§§ 13-22-101 — 13-22-708) › Part 1 - AGE OF COMPETENCE - TRANSPLANT AND TRANSFUSION LIMITATION (§§ 13-22-101 — 13-22-107) › Section 13-22-107 - Legislative declaration - definitions - children - waiver by parent of prospective negligence claims

(1)
(a)
The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares it is the public policy of this state that:
(I)
Children of this state should have the maximum opportunity to participate in sporting, recreational, educational, and other activities where certain risks may exist;
(II)
Public, private, and non-profit entities providing these essential activities to children in Colorado need a measure of protection against lawsuits, and without the measure of protection these entities may be unwilling or unable to provide the activities;
(III)
Parents have a fundamental right and responsibility to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children. The law has long presumed that parents act in the best interest of their children.
(IV)
Parents make conscious choices every day on behalf of their children concerning the risks and benefits of participation in activities that may involve risk;
(V)
These are proper parental choices on behalf of children that should not be ignored. So long as the decision is voluntary and informed, the decision should be given the same dignity as decisions regarding schooling, medical treatment, and religious education; and
(VI)
It is the intent of the general assembly to encourage the affordability and availability of youth activities in this state by permitting a parent of a child to release a prospective negligence claim of the child against certain persons and entities involved in providing the opportunity to participate in the activities.
(b)
The general assembly further declares that the Colorado supreme court's holding in case number 00SC885, 48 P.3d 1229 (Colo. 2002), has not been adopted by the general assembly and does not reflect the intent of the general assembly or the public policy of this state.
(2)
As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a)
"Child" means a person under eighteen years of age.
(b)
For purposes of this section only, "parent" means a parent, as defined in section
19-1-103
; a person who has guardianship of the person, as defined in section
19-1-103
; a person who has legal custody, as defined in section
19-1-103
; a legal representative, as defined in section
19-1-103
; a physical custodian, as defined in section
19-2.5-102
; or a responsible person, as defined in section
19-1-103
.
(3)
A parent of a child may, on behalf of the child, release or waive the child's prospective claim for negligence.
(4)
Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit a parent acting on behalf of his or her child to waive the child's prospective claim against a person or entity for a willful and wanton act or omission, a reckless act or omission, or a grossly negligent act or omission.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 136, §15, eff. 10/1/2021.
L. 2003: Entire section added, p. 1721, § 1, effective May 14. .
For the employment of the procedures in this part 2 to disputes arising under written agreements between employers and employees, see §8-1-123 . Law reviews: For article, "Enforcement of Arbitration Awards in Colorado", see 14 Colo. Law. 535 (1985); for article, "New Avenues for the Domestic Relations Practitioner", see 14 Colo. Law. 998 (1985); for article, "Avoiding Arbitration in Complex Construction Litigation", see 15 Colo. Law. 1808 (1986); for a discussion of Tenth Circuit decisions dealing with arbitration, see 66 Den. U.L. Rev. 675 (1989); for numerous articles dealing with alternative dispute resolution (ADR), see 18 Colo. Law. 828-928 (1989); for articles "The Power of Arbitrators and Courts to Order Discovery in Arbitration" parts I and II, see 25 Colo. Law. 55 (Feb. 1996) and 25 Colo. Law. 35 (March 1996); for article, "Alternative Dispute Resolution in Colorado", see 28 Colo. Law. 67 (Sept. 1999); for article, "Colorado's Revised Uniform Arbitration Act", see 33 Colo. Law. 11 (Sept. 2004); for article, "A Three-Year Survey of Colorado Appellate Decisions on Arbitration Part I", see 34 Colo. Law. 41 (Feb. 2005); for article, "A Three-Year Survey of Colorado Appellate Decisions on Arbitration Part II", see 34 Colo. Law. 47 (March 2005); for article, "Arbitrator and Mediator Disclosure Obligations in Colorado", see 34 Colo. Law. 53 (Sept. 2005); for article, "The State of the Intertwining Doctrine in Colorado", see 36 Colo. Law. 15 (Jan. 2007); for article, "Demise of the Intertwining Doctrine in Colorado", see 37 Colo. Law. 21 (Jan. 2008); for article, "Arbitration Clauses", see 43 Colo. Law. 59 (Aug. 2014); for article, "Application of the Federal Arbitration Act in State Court Proceedings", see 43 Colo. Law. 33 (Dec. 2014); for article, "Construction Defect Municipal Ordinances: The Balkanization of Tort and Contract Law (Part 3)", see 46 Colo. Law. 27 (Apr. 2017); for article, "When is an "Arbitration" not an Arbitration?", see 46 Colo. Law. 29 (Oct. 2017); for article, "Effective Advocacy in Arbitration", see 47 Colo. Law. 26 (Apr. 2018); for article "Civil Interlocutory Appeals in Colorado State Courts", 49 Colo. Law. 38 (Oct. 2020).