2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 42 - VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC (§§ 42-1-101 — 42-21-106) › REGULATION OF VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC (§§ 42-4-101 — 42-4-2501) › Article 4 - REGULATION OF VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC (§§ 42-4-101 — 42-4-2501) › Part 2 - EQUIPMENT (§§ 42-4-201 — 42-4-242) › Section 42-4-206 - Tail lamps and reflectors - penalty

(1)
To be operated on a road, every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer and any other vehicle that is being drawn at the end of a train of vehicles must be equipped with at least one tail lamp mounted on the rear, which, when lighted as required in section
42-4-204
, emits a red light plainly visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear; except that, in the case of a train of vehicles, only the tail lamp on the rear-most vehicle need actually be seen from the distance specified, except as provided in section
42-12-204
. Furthermore, every vehicle registered in this state and manufactured or assembled after January 1, 1958, must be equipped with at least two tail lamps mounted on the rear, on the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable, which, when lighted as required in section
42-4-204
, comply with this section.
(2)
Every tail lamp upon every vehicle shall be located at a height of not more than seventy-two inches nor less than twenty inches, to be measured as set forth in section
42-4-204 (3)
.
(3)
Either a tail lamp or a separate lamp shall be so constructed and placed as to illuminate with a white light the rear registration plate and render it clearly legible from a distance of fifty feet to the rear. Any tail lamp, together with any separate lamp for illuminating the rear registration plate, shall be so wired as to be lighted whenever the head lamps or auxiliary driving lamps are lighted.
(4)
To be operated on a road, every motor vehicle must carry on the rear, either as part of a tail lamp or separately, one red reflector meeting the requirements of this section; except that vehicles of the type mentioned in section
42-4-207
must be equipped with reflectors as required by law unless otherwise provided in section
42-12-204
.
(5)
Every new motor vehicle sold on and after January 1, 1958, and operated upon a highway shall carry on the rear, whether as a part of the tail lamps or separately, two red reflectors; except that every motorcycle or autocycle shall carry at least one reflector meeting the requirements of this section, and vehicles of the type mentioned in section
42-4-207
shall be equipped with reflectors as required in this part 2.
(6)
Every reflector shall be mounted on the vehicle at a height of not less than twenty inches nor more than sixty inches, measured as set forth in section
42-4-204 (3)
and shall be of such size and characteristics and so mounted as to be visible at night from all distances within three hundred fifty feet to one hundred feet from such vehicle when directly in front of lawful upper beams and head lamps; except that visibility from a greater distance is required by law of reflectors on certain types of vehicles.
(7)
Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a class B traffic infraction.
Amended by 2022 Ch. 361, § 14, eff. 1/1/2023.
L. 94: Entire title amended with relocations, p. 2243, § 1, effective 1/1/1995. L. 96: (1) and (4) amended, p. 440, § 3, effective April 22. L. 97: (3) amended, p. 393, § 3, effective August 6. L. 2009: (3) amended, (SB 09 -075), ch. 418, p. 2323, § 8, effective August 5; (5) amended, (HB 09 -1026), ch. 281, p. 1272, § 39, effective October 1. L. 2011: (1) and (4) amended, (SB 11 -031), ch. 86, p. 243, § 5, effective August 10.
This section is similar to former § 42-4-205 as it existed prior to 1994, and the former § 42-4-206 was relocated to §
42-4-207
.
2022 Ch. 361, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).