Colorado Revised Statutes

Colorado Revised Statutes
Name	Colorado Revised Statutes
Jurisdiction	Colorado
Enacted by	Colorado General Assembly
Effective	2016
Status	current

Colorado Revised Statutes are the codified collection of the statutory laws of the State of Colorado, enacted by the Colorado General Assembly and organized for reference by courts, legislators, and practitioners. The compilation functions alongside constitutional provisions such as the Colorado Constitution and interacts with judicial opinions from the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Court of Appeals. The statutes are implemented through administrative action by executive agencies including the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the Colorado Department of Revenue.

History

The statutory compilation in Colorado traces roots to territorial legislation under the Territory of Colorado and early statehood acts following admission to the Union in 1876, contemporaneous with events at Pikes Peak and developments linked to the Silver Boom and the Colorado Gold Rush (1859). Early codifications were influenced by methods used in other jurisdictions such as the New York Consolidated Laws and the California Codes. Prominent state figures and legal reformers, including judges and legislators who served on codification commissions, guided revisions during the Progressive Era and mid-20th century reforms contemporaneous with national movements centered in venues like the American Bar Association and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Major recodification efforts paralleled regulatory expansions affecting agencies like the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and events such as legislative sessions at the Colorado State Capitol.

Organization and Structure

The statutory scheme is divided into numerically designated titles that correspond to subject-matter domains, mirroring organizational practices employed by the United States Code and state codes like the Texas Statutes and the Florida Statutes. Each title contains articles, parts, and sections with cross-references to related enactments and to specific provisions of the Colorado Constitution. Legislative enactments originate as bills introduced in either chamber of the Colorado General Assembly—the Colorado Senate or the Colorado House of Representatives—and, if enacted, are assigned session law chapter numbers before incorporation into the statutory titles. The structure provides citation formats used in opinions authored by judges on the Colorado Supreme Court and in filings before the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

Codification and Revision Process

Codification and periodic revision are conducted under authority vested in legislative committees, statutory revision commissions, and legislative staff offices, comparable to processes used by the Congressional Research Service and state codifiers in jurisdictions like Ohio and Illinois. Bills enacted by the Colorado General Assembly, including those originating as committee reports or governor's proposals from the office of the Governor of Colorado, are first published as session laws; subsequent editorial work integrates them into the code with annotations and repeals coordinated with entities such as the Colorado Legislative Council Staff and the Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services. Sunset reviews and reenactment debates often involve stakeholders like trade associations, municipal governments including the City and County of Denver, and advocacy groups active in issues comparable to reform movements in California and New York City.

Publication and Access

Official and annotated editions are issued through state channels and private publishers, paralleling distribution models used for the United States Code Annotated and state annotated compilations like the Annotated Code of Maryland. Access points include legislative websites managed by the Colorado General Assembly and physical copies held by institutions such as the University of Colorado Law School library and the Colorado State Archives. Courts, practitioners, and the public may consult commercial annotations produced by legal publishers in the manner of materials provided by the West Publishing Company and the LexisNexis family of services. Legislative history materials, committee reports, and bill tracking comparable to resources at the Library of Congress are often used in statutory interpretation and briefing before tribunals such as the Tenth Circuit.

Legal Status and Authority

Statutory provisions are subordinate to the Colorado Constitution and subject to judicial review by the Colorado Supreme Court and federal courts including the United States Supreme Court when federal issues arise. Preemption doctrines and constitutional challenges have been litigated in matters involving state regulation of industries overseen by entities like the Federal Communications Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency, with outcomes shaping the effective scope of state statutes. The statutes interact with municipal ordinances enacted by governments such as Denver, Boulder, Colorado, and Colorado Springs, and with interstate compacts entered with other states under processes analogous to those seen in compacts like the Colorado River Compact.

Notable Titles and Provisions

Several titles have particular public visibility: criminal law provisions enforced by the Colorado Department of Corrections and prosecuted in district courts across judicial districts including the First Judicial District (Colorado); tax and revenue statutes administered by the Colorado Department of Revenue and addressed in disputes before the Colorado Tax Court; family law provisions litigated in county courts and referencing models from the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act debates; natural resources and water law entrenching principles relevant to the Colorado River and irrigation districts; and election law provisions governing processes administered by the Colorado Secretary of State and shaped by national dialogues involving the National Association of Secretaries of State. Landmark statutory enactments and repeals have provoked litigation that reached appellate panels in the Tenth Circuit and opinions by the Colorado Supreme Court, influencing statutory interpretation, administrative rulemaking, and legislative drafting practices across the state.

Category:Colorado law