2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 18 - CRIMINAL CODE (§§ 18-1-101 — 18-26-102) › Article 1 - PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO OFFENSES GENERALLY (§§ 18-1-101 — 18-1-1109) › Part 2 - JURISDICTION AND PLACE OF TRIAL (§§ 18-1-201 — 18-1-202) › Section 18-1-202 - Place of trial - applicability

(1)
Except as otherwise provided by law, criminal actions shall be tried in the county where the offense was committed, or in any other county where an act in furtherance of the offense occurred.
(2)
If a person committing an offense upon the person of another is in one county and his victim is in another county at the time of the commission of an act constituting an element of the offense, the offense is committed and trial may be had in either of said counties.
(3)
In a case involving the death of a person, the offense is committed and the offender may be tried in any county in which the cause of death is inflicted, or in which death occurs, or in which the body of the deceased or any part of such body is found.
(4)
Theft of property is committed and the offender may be tried in any county in which he exercised control over the property.
(5)
If the commission of an offense commenced outside the state is consummated within this state, the offense is committed and the offender shall be tried in the county where the offense is consummated.
(6)
If an offense is committed in or upon any automobile, trailer, railroad car, aircraft, or other vehicle of transportation passing within or over this state, the offense is deemed to have been committed and the offender may be tried in any county through or over which the vehicle of transportation passed.
(7)
(a)
When multiple crimes are based upon the same act or series of acts arising from the same criminal episode and are committed in several counties, the offender may be tried in any county in which any one of the individual crimes could have been tried, regardless of whether or not the counties are in the same judicial district.
(b)
(I)
For purposes of this subsection (7), when a person commits one of the offenses listed in subparagraph (II) of this paragraph (b) on two or more occasions within a six-month period, it may be considered part of the same criminal episode. Nothing in this subsection (7) shall bar prosecution of an offense that could have been joined in another prosecution.
(II)
The provisions of subsection (7)(b)(I) of this section apply to the following offenses:
(A)
Theft, as defined in section
18-4-401
;
(B) and (C)
Repealed.
(D)
Criminal mischief, as defined in section
18-4-501
;
(E)
Fraud by check, as defined in section
18-5-205
;
(F)
Defrauding a secured creditor or debtor, as defined in section
18-5-206
;
(G)
Failure to pay over assigned accounts, as defined in section
18-5-502
;
(H)
Concealment or removal of secured property, as defined in section
18-5-504
;
(I)
Failure to pay over proceeds, as defined in section
18-5-505
;
(J)
Unauthorized use of a financial transaction device, as defined in section
18-5-702
;
(K)
Cybercrime, as defined in section
18-5.5-102
;
(L)
Repealed.
(M)
Trafficking in food stamps, as defined in section
26-2-306
, C.R.S.;
(N)
Unlawful use of a patient personal needs trust fund, as defined in section
25.5-6-206
, C.R.S.;
(O)
Repealed.
(P)
Theft of a license plate, as described in section
42-5-104
;
(Q)
Theft in connection with assistive technology, as described in section
6-1-409
, C.R.S.;
(R)
Theft of farm products, as described in section
35-36-313
;
(S)
Fraud in connection with obtaining public assistance, as described in section
26-1-127
, C.R.S.;
(T)
Fraud in connection with obtaining food stamps, as described in section
26-2-305
, C.R.S.;
(U)
An offense described in part 1 of article
5
of this title;
(V)
Forgery, as defined in sections
18-5-102
and
18-5-104
; and
(W)
Identity theft, as defined in section
18-5-902
.
(c)
(I)
For an indictment or information that includes an offense described in article
5
of this title, the offender may be tried in a county where the offense occurred, in a county where an act in furtherance of the offense occurred, or in a county where a bank, savings and loan, credit union, or government agency processed a document or transaction related to the offense.
(II)
For the purpose of this section, "processed" means to physically handle a document or to make a written or electronic entry in a permanent or temporary record of the transaction, whether the entry is made manually or through automated means.
(8)
An inchoate offense is committed and the offender may be tried in any county in which any act which is an element of the offense, including formation of the agreement in conspiracy, is committed.
(9)
When a person in one county solicits, abets, agrees, aids, or attempts to aid another in the planning or commission of an offense in another county, the offense is committed and the offender may be tried for the offense in either county, or in any other county in which the principal offense could be tried.
(10)
When an offense is committed on the boundary line between two counties, or so close thereto as to be difficult to readily ascertain in which county the offense occurred, the offense is committed and the offender may be tried for the offense in either county.
(11)
Proof of the county in which the offense occurred or which county is the proper place for trial pursuant to this section shall not constitute an element of any offense and need not be proven by the prosecution at trial unless required by the statute defining the offense. Any challenge to the place of trial pursuant to this section shall be made by motion in writing no later than twenty-one days after arraignment, except for good cause shown. The court shall determine any such issue prior to the commencement of the trial and the selection of a jury. If the court finds that trial is not proper in the county in which the charges were filed, the court shall transfer the case to a court of appropriate jurisdiction in the proper county. Failure to challenge the place of trial as provided in this subsection (11) shall constitute a waiver of any objection to the place of trial. Pursuant to section
16-12-102 (2)
, C.R.S., the prosecution may file an interlocutory appeal of a decision transferring the case to another county.
(12)
If a person commits the offense of failure to register as a sex offender as provided in section
18-3-412.5
, the offense is committed and the offender may be tried in the county in which the offender was released from incarceration for commission of the offense requiring registration, in the county in which the offender resides, in the county in which the offender completed his or her last registration, or in the county in which the offender is apprehended.
(13)
If a person commits identity theft as described in section
18-5-902
, identity theft is committed and the offender may be tried in any county where a prohibited act was committed, in any county where an act in furtherance of the offense was committed, or in any county where the victim resides during all or part of the offense. For purposes of this subsection (13), a business entity resides in any county in which it maintains a physical location.
(14)
(a)
If a person commits sexual assault on a child as described in section
18-3-405 (1)
and commits the offense as part of a pattern of sexual abuse as described in section
18-3-405 (2)(d)
, or commits sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust as described in section
18-3-405.3 (1)
and commits the offense as part of a pattern of sexual abuse as described in section
18-3-405.3 (2)(b)
, the offender may be tried for all acts:
(I)
In a county where at least one of the acts constituting the offense or the pattern of sexual abuse was committed; or
(II)
In a county where an act in furtherance of the offense was committed.
(b)
This subsection (14) takes effect on April 4, 2017, and applies to an act constituting a pattern of sexual abuse for which the offense's statute of limitations has not yet run on April 4, 2017.
(c)
Nothing in this subsection (14) allows for a defendant to be placed in jeopardy twice for the same incident of sexual conduct involving a child that has been previously alleged as an incident necessary to form a pattern of sexual abuse as defined in section
18-3-401
(2.5) in violation of the prohibition against second trials in sections
18-1-301
,
18-1-302
, and
18-1-303
.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 462, § 178, eff. 3/1/2022.
Amended by 2020 Ch. 160, § 6, eff. 6/29/2020.
Amended by 2018 Ch. 379, § 5, eff. 8/8/2018.
Amended by 2017 Ch. 240, § 2, eff. 8/9/2017.
Amended by 2017 Ch. 262, § 5, eff. 8/9/2017.
Amended by 2017 Ch. 97, § 1, eff. 4/4/2017.
Amended by 2013 Ch. 373, § 9, eff. 6/5/2013.
L. 71: R&RE, p. 391, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 40-1-202. L. 84: (10) added, p. 536, § 4, effective July 1. L. 87: (7) amended, p. 606, § 10, effective April 16. L. 92: (3) amended and (11) added, p. 402, § 12, effective June 3. L. 95: (12) added, p. 469, § 17, effective July 1. L. 98: (7) amended, p. 793, § 2, effective July 1. L. 2002: (12) amended, p. 1181, § 4, effective July 1. L. 2003: (7)(b)(II) amended and (7)(c) added, p. 976, § 15, effective April 17; (7)(b)(II)(S) and (7)(b)(II)(T) amended and (7)(b)(II)(V) added, p. 1019, § 1, effective April 17. L. 2004: (7)(c)(I) amended, p. 1738, § 3, effective July 1. L. 2006: (7)(b)(II)(N) amended, p. 2005, § 60, effective July 1; (7)(b)(II)(W) and (13) added, p. 1317, §§ 2, 1, effective July 1. L. 2011: (12) amended, (SB 11 -007), ch. 335, p. 335, § 1, effective August 10; (12) amended, (HB 11-1278), ch. 964, p. 964, § 8, effective August 10. L. 2012: (11) amended, (SB 12-175), ch. 208, p. 862, § 101, effective July 1. L. 2013: (7)(b)(II)(B) and (7)(b)(II)(C) repealed, (HB 13-1160), ch. 2200, p. 2200, § 9, effective June 5. L. 2017: (14) added, (HB 17 -1109), ch. 292, p. 292, § 1, effective April 4; IP(7)(b)(II) and (7)(b)(II)(L) amended, (HB 17-1245), ch. 989, p. 989, § 2, effective August 9; IP(7)(b)(II) and (7)(b)(II)(R) amended, (SB 17-225), ch. 1246, p. 1246, § 5, effective August 9. L. 2018: (7)(b)(II)(K) amended, (HB 18-1200), ch. 2293, p. 2293, § 5, effective August 8. L. 2020: IP(7)(b)(II) and (7)(b)(II)(R) amended, (HB 20-1213), ch. 754, p. 754, § 6, effective June 29. L. 2021: (7)(b)(II)(P) amended, (SB 21-271), ch. 3166, p. 3166, § 178, effective 3/1/2022; repeal provisions in (7)(b)(II)(L) and (7)(b)(II)(O) added by revision, (SB 21-271), ch. 462, pp. 3166, 3331, §§ 178, 803.
(1) Amendments to subsection (7)(b)(II) by Senate Bill 03-147 and House Bill 03-1020 were harmonized.
(2) Subsection (7)(b)(II)(V) was originally numbered as (7)(b)(II)(U) in House Bill 03-1020 but has been renumbered on revision for ease of location.
(3) Section 803(2) of chapter 462 (SB 21-271), Session Laws of Colorado 2021, provides that the act changing this section applies to offenses committed on or after March 1, 2022.
2021 Ch. 462, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).
For similar provisions concerning the place of trial, see Crim. P. 18; for change of venue, see part 1 of article 6 of title 16 ; for the place of trial of an action for violation of a custody order, see § 18-3-304(4) .