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NewsRoad title opens 1 January 2028. What it means for you

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Kei trucks in Colorado work the ranch today and take the road in 2028

The law takes effect 1 July 2027. Title and registration open 1 January 2028, for roads posted 55 mph or less, never a freeway.

Colorado opens its roads on 1 January 2028. We're glad to see it.

Colorado made kei trucks a legal road class in 2025, in a law that takes effect on 1 July 2027. A truck 25 years or older titles as a kei vehicle from 1 January 2028 and runs on roads posted 55 miles per hour or less. A newer truck imported as governed off-road equipment becomes a kei off-road vehicle on the same date, titled as an off-highway vehicle for trails, farms, ranches and private land.

Road use opens laterNewer trucks, off highway vehicleFrom Port of Los Angeles
Check your stateYour lane
Conejos, To confirmJackson, To confirmArchuleta, To confirmWashington, To confirmGarfield, To confirmRio Grande, To confirmMorgan, Towns onlyElbert, Towns onlyMontrose, Roads openOtero, Towns onlyTeller, Some routesPhillips, Towns onlyYuma, Towns onlyPueblo, Some routesAlamosa, To confirmBaca, Towns onlyMontezuma, Roads openArapahoe, To confirmMineral, Roads openDolores, To confirmJefferson, Some routesDelta, To confirmGrand, Some routesSaguache, To confirmSummit, To confirmGunnison, Some routesCostilla, To confirmWeld, Towns onlyLas Animas, To confirmRoutt, Some routesDouglas, Towns onlyRio Blanco, To confirmBroomfield, None foundDenver, None foundBoulder, To confirmLarimer, Towns onlyCrowley, To confirmCuster, To confirmEl Paso, To confirmGilpin, To confirmHuerfano, Some routesOuray, Roads openCheyenne, To confirmMoffat, To confirmPitkin, To confirmProwers, Towns onlySan Juan, To confirmLa Plata, To confirmHinsdale, Roads openKit Carson, To confirmSan Miguel, Some routesClear Creek, To confirmKiowa, To confirmPark, To confirmLake, To confirmLincoln, Towns onlyAdams, To confirmEagle, To confirmLogan, To confirmSedgwick, To confirmChaffee, Some routesFremont, Some routesMesa, To confirmBent, To confirm
Roads openSome routesTowns onlyNone foundTo confirmEvery county opens its own page.
Illustration of a sand coloured Daihatsu Hijet truck in a golden meadow below the Cimarron ridge, with aspens on the slope
Illustration made from a real Daihatsu Hijet photo (CC0, TTTNIS, Wikimedia Commons) and a real Ridgway scene.
Ridgway, ColoradoThe map of RidgwayIts roads by speed and kei access, the land, the farms and the UTV routes.

Colorado

Colorado opens its roads on 1 January 2028.

We're glad to see it. Colorado's kei law takes effect 1 July 2027, and title and registration open 1 January 2028, for roads posted 55 mph or less and never a freeway.

Until 1 January 2028 a kei truck cannot be titled or registered for road use in Colorado. Today it works on the ranch, the farm and private land.

Specialized, unconventional and other vehiclesColorado Division of Motor Vehicles, read 28 October 2026HB25-1281, 2025 Session Laws chapter 176Colorado General Assembly, read 28 October 2026

Your lane

Which truck are you buying?

Colorado treats the two kinds of kei truck differently. Pick yours and this answers for it.

a truck 25 years or older imported for road use under the federal age exemptions

Road use opens later

Title. Titled as a kei vehicle at the county motor vehicle office from 1 January 2028.

Registration. Registered for the road as a kei vehicle from 1 January 2028.

  • A kei vehicle may not be driven on a roadway with a speed limit greater than 55 miles per hour, except across it at an at-grade intersection.
  • A kei vehicle may not be driven on a limited-access highway.
  • A kei vehicle must have a top speed of at least 50 miles per hour.
  • A violation is a class B traffic infraction.
The rule for a 25 year truckcontent.leg.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026
What about a truck 25 years or older?

It is a kei vehicle. From 1 January 2028 it titles and registers for roads with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour or less. It may cross a faster road at an at-grade intersection and never uses a limited-access highway.

a newer truck imported as off road equipment, governed to 25 miles per hour and carrying an EPA certified nonroad engine

Off highway vehicle

Title. From 1 January 2028 Colorado names it a kei off-road vehicle, an off-highway vehicle under the Certificate of Title Act, titled at the county motor vehicle office.

Registration. Colorado Parks and Wildlife OHV registration for public land and trails. None for use strictly on private property or strictly for agriculture. [Confirm] HB25-1281 adds the kei off-road vehicle only to the title act’s off highway vehicle definition. It does not amend C.R.S. 33-14.5-101(3), the definition Colorado Parks and Wildlife registration and county ordinances rely on, and CPW lists no kei or mini trucks among the vehicles it registers. Whether CPW will register a governed kei truck is unsettled.

  • A kei off-road vehicle is an imported vehicle with an enclosed passenger cab on four or more tires, with an engine of 1,000 cc or less or an electric motor of 56,000 watts or less, 67 inches wide or less and 140 inches long or less, that does not meet the kei vehicle age test.
  • Off-highway vehicles may not run on public streets, roads or highways except roads designated open, crossings, bridges and culverts, local routes opened by ordinance, agricultural use and certain utility work.
  • On public land an off-highway vehicle needs at least one lighted head lamp and one lighted tail lamp between sunset and sunrise, brakes, a muffler and a spark arrester.
  • No operator age rule appears in the OHV sections read.
  • A kei off-road vehicle is a powersports vehicle, sold at retail by a licensed powersports dealer.
The rule for a newer off road truckcontent.leg.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026

Read from a secondary source or an older page. Confirm it with the office before you rely on it.

A newer truck comes in only as nonroad equipment, permanently governed to a top speed and with a nonroad engine certified by EPA before import. It pays the same 25 percent truck duty. What that engine needs.

What about a newer truck imported as off-road equipment?

From 1 January 2028 Colorado names it a kei off-road vehicle, an off-highway vehicle titled at the county office and registered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife for public land and trails. It runs on roads only where a state agency or a city or county opens them to off-highway vehicles. On private property or in strictly agricultural use it needs no OHV registration.

Owning one

Owning one in Colorado.

For a 25 year road truck. The first title step by step, the papers, every fee the statute sets, tax, insurance, emissions and the rest. Each line carries its cite, read 28 October 2026.

The first title

To confirm

The county motor vehicle office. The county clerk and recorder in each county, the clerk and recorder of Broomfield and the Denver official the mayor appoints are the DMV's authorized agents for title and registration, C.R.S. 42-1-102(5) and 42-1-210(1)(a)(I). A resident titles and registers at the owner's residence, or where the truck is permanently kept, or for a business truck where it is principally operated and maintained, 42-6-139(2)(a). The same office titles an off-highway vehicle, which only Colorado Parks and Wildlife registers. Read 28 October 2026.

  1. Check the truck against the kei vehicle definition before it ships. It needs an internal combustion engine of 1,000 cc or less or an electric motor of 56,000 watts or less, 67 inches wide or less, 140 inches long or less, four or more tires on the ground, a top speed of at least 50 mph and an enclosed passenger cab. It must have been imported into the United States at 25 years old or older, or be 25 years old or older with a prior US title, C.R.S. 42-1-102(45.3) from 1 July 2027. A truck that fails the age test is a kei off-road vehicle instead, 42-6-102(6.6).
  2. Keep every stamped paper from the port, CBP Form 7501, DOT Form HS-7 declared under Box 1 and EPA Form 3520-1 declared under code E, with the bill of lading and the bill of sale. The DMV's import bulletin BL 17-01 asks for the HS-7 and one CBP entry form, the 7501, 7523, 3299, 3311 or 3461, a copy being acceptable.
  3. Keep the Japanese export certificate as the foreign registration, with an English translation. BL 17-01 lets anyone who knows the language write the translation, signed and notarized or signed under penalty of perjury. DMV Rule 18 accepts a foreign registration in the applicant's name where the country issues no title, 1 CCR 204-10 Rule 18 section 2.1(b), and other evidence the Department deems satisfactory, 2.1(j), and every ownership paper must show the VIN, model year, make and the applicant as owner, buyer or transferee, 2.3.
  4. Weigh the truck empty on a certified scale. The registration fee for a truck of 16,000 pounds or less runs on its empty weight, 42-3-306(5)(a), DR 2395 asks for the empty weight and BL 17-01 says a certified weight slip may be required for an import, kilograms times 2.21 for pounds.
  5. Insure the truck under its frame number. The county will not register a light truck without proof of a complying policy, 42-3-105(1)(d)(I).
  6. Have the VIN verified on Form DR 2698 with the truck physically in Colorado, by a Colorado law enforcement officer, a licensed Colorado dealer, a licensed emissions inspection station or, at their discretion, the county clerk or assessor, 42-6-107(1)(b) and 1 CCR 204-10 Rule 26 section 2.2. The verifier may charge its own fee, 42-5-202(2.5).
  7. If the owner registers in the emissions program area, pass the two-speed idle test before the first registration there, 42-4-310(1)(a)(I) and (2)(a)(II). A temporary registration number plate good for up to sixty days costs $2, 42-3-203(3)(a)(I), and needs insurance to drive.
  8. Complete Form DR 2395, the Application for Title and/or Registration, and apply at the county office with secure and verifiable identification within sixty days after purchase, 42-3-103(1)(a), or within ninety days after becoming a resident, 42-3-103(4)(a)(I). Title and registration are applied for together, 42-3-105(1)(a).
  9. Pay the title fee, the registration fees, the specific ownership tax and any sales or use tax still owed, which the county collects before it titles or registers, 39-26-113 and 39-26-208. The county issues two plates, front and rear, 42-3-201(1)(a)(I).

The inspection. One VIN verification before the first Colorado title, on DR 2698, because the truck was registered in another jurisdiction, 1 CCR 204-10 Rule 26 section 2.2. It checks the VIN and the facts 42-3-105(1)(c)(I) and 42-6-107(1)(b) list, the make, model, type, year of manufacture, body color and fuel. A certified VIN inspection on DR 2704 by a P.O.S.T. certified inspector, with a stolen vehicle check and a roadworthiness certification, is needed only for bonding, a homemade or rebuilt vehicle or a number that must be replaced with a Colorado assigned number, Rule 26 section 2.1. From 1 July 2027 the Department, the State Patrol and their agents and contractors may not require an inspection because a vehicle is a kei vehicle or has a kei vehicle's design, 42-5-202(5), and a kei vehicle cannot be declared not roadworthy for its design or manufacturing parameters, 42-6-102(15)(c)(I). Until then the DMV's VIN inspection page says roadworthiness can include whether the vehicle fits a type allowed on Colorado roads. An owner may ask for a hearing within 60 days when an inspector denies an inspection or finds a vehicle not roadworthy, Rule 26 section 4.

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The frame numberColorado's statutes treat a Japanese frame number as a VIN. A..To confirm

Colorado's statutes treat a Japanese frame number as a VIN. A vehicle identification number is any identifying number, serial number, engine number or other distinguishing number or mark placed on a vehicle by its manufacturer, or in accordance with the laws of another state or country, C.R.S. 42-5-201(13), and DMV Rule 26 adopts that meaning, 1 CCR 204-10 Rule 26 section 1.9. The title application describes the manufacturer's number, 42-6-116(1), and the title carries the motor and any other serial number, 42-6-107(1)(a)(II). The Department assigns a special number only when no VIN is found on the vehicle or the VIN has been removed, changed, altered or obliterated, 42-12-202, after a certified VIN inspection, Rule 26 section 2.1(a)(iv), for an assignment fee of $3.50, 42-6-137(5), and the special number becomes the number the vehicle is titled and registered under. So a frame number such as DA63T-123456 reads as titled as it stands. DR 2395 and DR 2698 both lay out 17 separate VIN boxes. The fiscal note for HB25-1281 says the Department may need to produce new VIN tags for some kei vehicles, and no DMV page says which. The DMV's title page lists DR 2408 as the application for a Colorado assigned VIN and its VIN inspection page points to DR 2709. Read 28 October 2026.

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Fees set by statuteTitle $7.20To confirm

The state's own amounts, as its code read on 28 October 2026. The first figure in each line is the one that applies at title.

FeeAmountWhat the statute says
Title$7.20$7.20 for each certificate of title, in addition to the registration fees, C.R.S. 42-6-137(1)(a). The same fee titles an off-highway vehicle. Read 28 October 2026.
Registrationsee noteFrom 2028, for a kei truck on the truck schedule, a weight fee of $7.60 at 2,000 pounds empty or less, rising 20 cents for each further 100 pounds, $7.80 to 2,100 pounds and $8.60 to 2,500, 42-3-306(5)(a), plus $7 for a light truck ten years old or older, 42-3-304(10)(a)(III). A farmer's truck used only to haul the farm's own products, livestock or supplies pays $6.20 at 2,000 pounds or less, 42-3-306(4)(a)(I), plus $7, 42-3-304(9)(c). The specific ownership tax is the yearly tax on the vehicle in place of property tax, 42-3-106(1). Its year of service counts from the year of manufacture whenever the owner bought it, 42-3-106(4), so a 25 year truck is in its tenth or later year and pays a flat $3 a year, as Class B, 42-3-107(8)(a), or Class C, 42-3-107(10)(a). For a vehicle bought outside Colorado with no manufacturer's suggested retail price or purchase price on record, the county sets the taxable value from the Department's compilation of values, 42-3-107(1)(c), (9)(c) and (14), which changes the tax only in the first nine years. The DMV has not said which schedule or class a kei vehicle takes. Read 28 October 2026.
Platessee noteThe plate fee is set each year by the director of the division of correctional industries to recover the cost of plates and tabs, 42-3-301(2)(a), not by statute. A county that mails the plates may charge up to $5 for shipping, 42-3-304(22). A temporary registration number plate good for up to sixty days is $2, 42-3-203(3)(a)(I). Read 28 October 2026.
County clerk fee$4County clerk fee, $4 on every paid registration, 42-1-210(1)(a)(II). From 1 July 2027 the Department adjusts it each year for inflation, by no more than five percent a year, HB25-1189. Read 28 October 2026.
Road safety surcharge$16Road safety surcharge, $16 for a vehicle of 2,000 pounds or less and $23 for one over 2,000 and up to 5,000 pounds, 43-4-804(1)(a)(I). It is $3.70 less for registration periods beginning 1 September 2025 through 31 August 2027, 43-4-804(1)(a)(IX) added by SB25-258, so a 2028 registration pays the full amount. A farmer's truck used only for the farm's own hauling pays half, 43-4-804(1)(a)(V). Read 28 October 2026.
Bridge safety surchargesee noteBridge safety surcharge, set by the statewide bridge and tunnel enterprise at no more than $13 for a vehicle of 2,000 pounds or less and $18 for one over 2,000 and up to 5,000 pounds, 43-4-805(5)(g)(I). Read 28 October 2026.
Emergency medical services fee$2Emergency medical services fee, $2, 42-3-304(21). Read 28 October 2026.
Peace officers standards and training feesee notePeace officers standards and training fee, $1 on every Class A, B or C vehicle, 42-3-304(24). Read 28 October 2026.
AIR account feesee noteAIR account fee, 50 cents on every Class A, B or C vehicle, 42-3-304(18)(a). In the emissions program area the county adds up to 70 cents, 42-3-304(18)(a), and a vehicle subject to inspection pays $1.50, 42-3-304(18)(b). Read 28 October 2026.
Colorado DRIVES feesee noteColorado DRIVES fee, 50 cents on each paid registration, 42-3-306(14)(a)(I). Read 28 October 2026.
Motorist insurance identification feesee noteMotorist insurance identification fee, set each year by the Department from the program's appropriation, 42-3-304(18)(d)(I)(B), not by statute. Read 28 October 2026.
Late fee$25Late fee, $25 for each month or part of a month a vehicle stays unregistered after its registration period or grace period ends, up to $100, plus the prorated taxes and fees for the months missed, 42-3-112(1)(a). HB26-1430 would have set it at $15.50 a month up to $62 from 1 January 2027, but only if a road funding constitutional amendment passed in November 2026, and the Secretary of State's 2026 ballot list carries none. Read 28 October 2026.
Certified VIN inspection$50Certified VIN inspection, $50 adjusted each year for inflation and published by the Department, 42-5-204(1)(a), needed only for bonding, an assigned number or a rebuilt vehicle. A regular VIN verification on DR 2698 may carry the verifier's own fee, 42-5-202(2.5) and 1 CCR 204-10 Rule 26 section 2.2(b)(v). Read 28 October 2026.
Colorado assigned identification numbersee noteColorado assigned identification number, $3.50, 42-6-137(5). Read 28 October 2026.
Emissions inspectionsee noteEmissions inspection, set by the Air Quality Control Commission by rule up to $50 for a 1982 or newer vehicle and $30 for a 1981 or older vehicle, 42-4-311(4)(a)(I) and (6)(a) as amended by SB25-321 from 3 June 2025. The program lists $35 every two years for 1982 and newer and $20 a year for 1981 and older. Read 28 October 2026.
Two optional fees a buyer may decline at registration without affecting itsee noteTwo optional fees a buyer may decline at registration without affecting it. One is the Keep Colorado Wild pass, its fee set by the Parks and Wildlife Commission, 33-12-108(4). The other, from 1 January 2027, is a $5 collision prevention fee for wildlife crossings, 43-4-805(5)(g.9) and 43-4-815 added by SB26-141. Read 28 October 2026.
Todaysee noteToday, only if CPW registers the truck as an off-highway vehicle, a registration fee set by the Parks and Wildlife Commission by rule, 33-14.5-102(3)(a), with a search and rescue surcharge also set by rule, 33-1-112.5(2)(b), neither by statute. CPW lists $26.25 a year for a resident, $1.25 of it the surcharge, for 1 April to 31 March. An off-highway title at the county is the $7.20 title fee. Read 28 October 2026.
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Tax at title2.9 percent state rate at title

Colorado's state sales tax on a vehicle is 2.9 percent of the sale, C.R.S. 39-26-106(1)(a)(II), and its use tax on a vehicle bought at retail elsewhere and kept in Colorado is 2.9 percent of its cost, 39-26-202(1)(b), both subject to a temporary cut of 0.13 points in a year when the TABOR refund passes the threshold in 39-26-901. The Department of Revenue lists 2.9 percent for July 2026. The county will not title or register the truck until the state sales tax and any local sales tax are paid, 39-26-113(1), or the state use tax and any city or county use tax, 39-26-208(1), and collects whatever is unpaid at the counter, 39-26-113(2) and 39-26-208(2). County, city and special district rates are added by the owner's address, from the Department's rate table DR 1002. Tax paid to another state on the purchase is credited up to the Colorado use tax, 39-26-713(2)(f), and the statute names no credit for tax paid abroad. Property a nonresident brings in on becoming a resident is exempt from state use tax, 39-26-713(2)(g), so a truck owned before moving to Colorado owes none, and a special district's sales tax does not reach a buyer living outside the district whose truck registers outside it, 39-26-113(5.5). Today, with no registration to collect it, use tax on a truck bought without Colorado tax is owed directly to the Department of Revenue, as the DMV's off-highway vehicle page says of use tax. The yearly tax after that is the specific ownership tax in fees. Read 28 October 2026.

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Insurance25/50/15 minimum

The minimums. $25,000 for bodily injury or death to any one person in any one accident, $50,000 to all persons in any one accident and $15,000 for property damage in any one accident, exclusive of interest and costs, 25/50/15, C.R.S. 10-4-620. Read 28 October 2026 in the official 2024 statutes, with no amendment in the 2025 or 2026 sessions.

When it is required. Today, every owner who operates a motor vehicle on the public highways or knowingly lets it be operated there must carry a complying policy, 10-4-619(1), and a kei truck has no road use to insure. The insurance part leaves off-highway vehicles out of its motor vehicle definition, 10-4-601(6), and the off-highway law sets no state insurance duty, though a county or town may require liability insurance of an off-highway vehicle on its roads, 33-14.5-110(1)(b)(I)(B), but not in agricultural use, 33-14.5-110(1)(b)(II). A truck that stays on private land meets no statutory insurance duty. From 1 July 2027 HB25-1281 adds the kei vehicle to that definition, 10-4-601(6), so from 2028 a kei vehicle on the road carries the same policy as any car, and the county will not register it without proof, 42-3-105(1)(d)(I).

Colorado requires a complying policy on every motor vehicle driven on a public highway, 10-4-619(1). The driver shows evidence to an officer on request or after an accident, and a phone screen counts, 42-4-1409(3). Driving uninsured is a class 1 misdemeanor traffic offense with a mandatory minimum fine of $500, and $1,000 for a second conviction within five years, 42-4-1409(4). Insurers must also offer collision coverage, 10-4-621(2).

What the insurer will ask. Each insurer reports every policy to the Department with the make, year and vehicle identification number of each insured vehicle, 10-4-615(2)(b), and the Department compares the make, year and VIN of every registered vehicle against those reports, 42-7-604(1)(a)(II). For a kei truck the number on the policy must be the frame number exactly as the Colorado title shows it, or the Colorado assigned number if one is issued, character for character, or the registration will not match. The truck registers at the owner's residence or where it is permanently kept, 42-6-139(2)(a), and that is the address the record shows. Whether insurers write kei vehicles in Colorado is not answered by any public source read.

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EmissionsTested in named areasToday there is no test, because a kei truck..To confirm
  • Adams County, except the part east of Kiowa Creek in Range 62 West, Townships 1 to 3 South, C.R.S. 42-4-304(20)(a)(I)
  • Arapahoe County, except the part east of Kiowa Creek in Range 62 West, Townships 4 and 5 South, 42-4-304(20)(a)(II)
  • Boulder County, 42-4-304(20)(a)
  • The City and County of Broomfield, 42-4-304(20)(a)
  • The City and County of Denver, 42-4-304(20)(a)
  • Douglas County, 42-4-304(20)(a)
  • Jefferson County, 42-4-304(20)(a)
  • Larimer County, the southeast only. The statute leaves out the land north of latitude 40 degrees 42 minutes 47.1 seconds north, the land west of Range 73 West and the land west of Range 71 West north of Township 5 North, 42-4-304(20)(a)(IV)
  • Weld County, the southwest only. The statute's lines along Weld County Roads 78, 62, 46, 36 and 20 and Roads 43, 49, 27, 19 and 39 leave out the north and east of the county, 42-4-304(20)(a)(V)
  • El Paso County is still named in the statute as the basic program area, 42-4-304(20)(b), but the DMV's emissions page and the program describe testing in the Denver metro and North Front Range only, and no El Paso testing requirement was found
  • A vehicle registered outside the area whose owner works or attends school in the area at least ninety days in a twelve month period, 42-4-310(1)(c)(I)
  • No periodic testing in Ouray County, the rest of the Western Slope, the mountain counties, the San Luis Valley or the eastern plains, all outside the program area in 42-4-304(20)

A kei truck. Today there is no test, because a kei truck cannot be registered and the program reaches vehicles required to be registered in the program area, 42-4-310(1)(a)(I). From 2028 a kei vehicle registered in the program area needs a passing test before its first registration there and then on the program's cycle. It takes a two-speed idle test, never a dynamometer, and must pass the emissions standards for the model year it was manufactured, 42-4-310(2)(a)(II) added by HB25-1281. A 25 year truck is far past the exemption the DMV gives gasoline vehicles for their first seven model years, so it is not exempt by age. A 1982 or newer truck certifies for twenty-four months and a 1981 or older truck for twelve, 42-4-310(1)(b)(II)(B) and (C). The DMV lists farm vehicles among the vehicles exempt from inspection and says a collector plate may or may not need a test. A buyer in Ouray County, Ridgway included, or anywhere else on the Western Slope registers outside the program area and has no emissions test unless the truck is used for work or school in the area ninety days a year. SB25-321 also has the Air Quality Control Commission adopt rules to inspect vehicles registered outside the area that regularly operate inside it and are flagged as excess emitters, 42-4-306(8)(c).

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Safety inspectionNo periodic safety inspection appears in the Colorado code read

No periodic safety inspection appears in the Colorado code read. The code sets a VIN verification at first title on DR 2698, 42-6-107(1)(b) and 1 CCR 204-10 Rule 26. It sets a certified VIN inspection on DR 2704 for bonding, assigned numbers and rebuilt vehicles, which certifies roadworthiness under 42-6-102(15), Rule 26 section 2.1. A uniformed officer may stop a vehicle for a spot inspection on reasonable cause, 42-4-203(1), and the fact that a vehicle is an older model is not alone reasonable cause. From 1 July 2027 no inspection may be required because a vehicle is a kei vehicle, 42-5-202(5), and a kei vehicle cannot be declared not roadworthy for its design or manufacturing parameters, 42-6-102(15)(c)(I).

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Licence, equipment and renewalA Colorado driver's licence of the right type or class is required..

The licence

A Colorado driver's licence of the right type or class is required to drive a motor vehicle on a highway, C.R.S. 42-2-101(1) and (4). A kei truck sits far below the commercial line of 26,001 pounds, so the regular Class R licence covers it. The Class R wording, any vehicle rated 26,000 pounds or less carrying no more than 15 people, comes from a search excerpt of a 2017 Department of Revenue rule filing and was not confirmed in the current rule. The licence rule reaches highways only, so none is needed to drive on private land, and from 2028 a kei vehicle is a motor vehicle and the rule applies on every road it may use. A county or town may require a licence of an off-highway vehicle driver on its roads, 33-14.5-110(1)(b)(I)(A).

On the road

  • A kei vehicle keeps its definition on the road, an enclosed passenger cab, four or more tires, a top speed of at least 50 mph, 67 inches wide or less and 140 inches long or less, 42-1-102(45.3)
  • Lighted lamps between sunset and sunrise and whenever persons and vehicles are not clearly discernible at 1,000 feet, 42-4-204(1)
  • At least two head lamps, one on each side of the front, mounted 24 to 54 inches high, 42-4-205(1) and (3)
  • Two tail lamps on a vehicle built after 1 January 1958, red and visible at 500 feet and mounted 20 to 72 inches high, a white lamp lighting the rear plate at 50 feet and a red rear reflector, 42-4-206
  • Two stop lamps on a vehicle built after 1 January 1958, 42-4-208(2), and electric turn signals when the body reaches more than 24 inches left of the steering post, 42-4-208(3)
  • Brakes adequate to control, stop and hold the vehicle, with two separate means of applying them that each act on at least two wheels, 42-4-223(1)(a)
  • A horn in good working order audible at 200 feet, 42-4-224(1)
  • An adequate muffler in constant operation with no cutout or bypass and no change that makes it louder than the original, 42-4-225(1)
  • Mirrors showing the highway 200 feet to the rear, and an outside mirror on each side when the build or the load blocks the rear view, 42-4-226
  • A windshield letting through at least 70 percent of light and other windows at least 27 percent, unless the front side windows and windshield meet 70 percent, 42-4-227(1)
  • A driver operated device to clear rain, snow and moisture from the windshield, 42-4-227(2)
  • No metal tires or solid rubber tires on a highway and studs only within the limits of the statute, 42-4-228
  • Safety glazing in the windshield and in the doors and windows of a truck's driver's compartment, 42-4-229(1)
  • A fastened safety belt for the driver and every front seat passenger, 42-4-237(2)
  • The factory emissions controls kept connected and working on a 1968 or later vehicle, 42-4-314(1) and (2)
  • No vehicle on a highway in an unsafe condition or without its required equipment in proper repair, 42-4-202(1)
  • HB25-1281 adds no equipment rule of its own for a kei vehicle and bars a finding of not roadworthy for its design or manufacturing parameters, 42-6-102(15)(c)(I)

Plates and renewal

From 2028, two plates, one on the front where the maker designed the plate to go and one on the rear, 42-3-201(1)(a)(I) and 42-3-202(1)(a)(I). The rear plate sits horizontal at least 12 inches off the ground, near the center and within 18 inches of the rear bumper, with the month tab bottom left and the year tab bottom right, 42-3-202(1)(b) and (2)(a). Registration runs twelve months, expires on the last day of the month and must be renewed by the last day of the following month, 42-3-114. The late fee is $25 a month up to $100, 42-3-112(1)(a)(I). A truck must be registered within sixty days after purchase, 42-3-103(1)(a). Today there is no plate for a kei truck.

The off highway decalToday, only if CPW accepts a kei truck as an off-highway vehicle..To confirm

The decal. Today, only if CPW accepts a kei truck as an off-highway vehicle, CPW registration with a validation decal and the registration number displayed on the vehicle, 33-14.5-104(3) and (5), for a registration year of 1 April to 31 March, 33-14.5-102(3)(a). CPW's page says two current decals are displayed and lists $26.25 a year for a resident, a fee set by commission rule. None is needed for use strictly on private property or strictly for agricultural purposes, 33-14.5-102(6)(c) and (d). From 2028 a kei truck registered for the road is a vehicle registered under article 3 of title 42, which CPW's off-highway definition leaves out, 33-14.5-101(3)(g), so it needs no OHV registration, but it needs CPW's off-highway use permit when used for recreational travel on designated off-highway vehicle routes, 33-14.5-112(1)(b). CPW sells that permit for plated street legal vehicles at $26.25. Use of public land for logging, mining, grazing livestock or cutting firewood is exempt from the permit, 33-14.5-112(5)(c).

The course. None. No operator course or age rule appears in the off-highway vehicle article, 33-14.5-101 to 33-14.5-113, read in the official 2024 statutes, and neither the 2025 nor the 2026 session amended it. A county or town may require a driver's licence, insurance, safety belts, eye protection and helmets for riders under eighteen on its roads, 33-14.5-110(1)(b).

Off-highway vehicles may not run on public streets, roads or highways except roads a state agency designates open, at-grade crossings made at about 90 degrees after a full stop, bridges and culverts, local routes a county or town opens on its own streets or roads by ordinance or resolution, agricultural use and a few others, 33-14.5-108(1) and 33-14.5-108.5. A state highway can never be such a local route, 33-14.5-108(1)(f). On public land an off-highway vehicle needs a lighted head lamp and tail lamp between sunset and sunrise, brakes, a muffler and a spark arrester, 33-14.5-109(1). Whether any of this reaches a kei truck turns on whether it is an off-highway vehicle. CPW's definition asks for a vehicle designed primarily for use off the public highways and generally used to carry persons for recreation, and leaves out vehicles designed and used specifically for agricultural, logging or mining work and vehicles registered for the road, 33-14.5-101(3). CPW lists dirt bikes, ATVs, side by sides, UTVs, three wheelers, buggies and plated street legal vehicles. It lists no kei or mini truck. HB25-1281 adds the kei off-road vehicle, the newer governed truck, to the title act's off-highway definition, 42-6-102(11.5), from 1 July 2027, and does not touch 33-14.5-101(3). Whether CPW will register a kei truck, before or after 2028, is a question only CPW can answer.

Sources, 7

Questions

Can I drive a kei truck on Colorado roads today?

No. The Colorado DMV says kei vehicles are not legal to title or register for on-highway use until 1 January 2028, and Colorado's low-speed class is for electric vehicles only, so no road class fits a gasoline kei truck. Until then it works private land, a farm or a ranch. It moves between places on a trailer.

What changes in 2028?

HB25-1281 takes effect on 1 July 2027 and applies to applications from 1 January 2028. From that day a truck that can reach at least 50 mph and was 25 years old when imported, or is 25 years old with a prior US title, titles and registers at the county motor vehicle office as a kei vehicle. It drives roads posted 55 mph or less, may cross a faster road at an at-grade intersection and never uses a limited-access highway. It carries two plates and Colorado's liability minimums of $25,000 for one person, $50,000 for an accident and $15,000 for property. It takes a two-speed idle emissions test only in the Front Range program area. The DMV says it will publish the registration process closer to that date.

Can I use one on my ranch now?

Yes. Colorado asks no OHV registration for a vehicle used strictly on private property or strictly for agriculture. The title act does not apply to an off-highway vehicle used only for agriculture on private land. The insurance and licence rules reach public highways, so a truck that stays on the ranch needs no plate and carries no statutory insurance duty. A public road is the line. The off-highway law allows agricultural use and crossings for an off-highway vehicle, but no agency has said a kei truck is one, so a trailer is the sure way between parcels until 2028.

Can I title a kei truck or register it with Colorado Parks and Wildlife today?

That is not settled. The county office titles off-highway vehicles and CPW registers them, but the statute defines an off-highway vehicle as one designed mainly for off-highway recreation and leaves out motor vehicles and vehicles built for farm work. CPW lists no kei or mini truck among the vehicles it registers, while the legislature's fiscal note for HB25-1281 says kei vehicles meet the off-highway definition under current law. No DMV or CPW page says either office will accept one, and only they can settle it.

What will the county office need to title my kei truck in 2028?

Form DR 2395, a VIN verification on Form DR 2698 done in Colorado by a law enforcement officer, a licensed dealer, a licensed emissions station or the county, proof of insurance and secure identification. For an import the DMV's bulletin asks for DOT Form HS-7 and a CBP entry form such as the 7501, with the foreign registration, which for a Japanese truck is the export certificate with a translation signed and notarized or signed under penalty of perjury. Keep EPA Form 3520-1, the bill of lading, the bill of sale and proof of the manufacture date with them. Bring a certified scale weight slip if the county asks. The DMV has not yet published a kei document list.

My truck has a frame number, not a 17 character VIN. Can Colorado title it?

Colorado's statutes define a VIN as any identifying or serial number the manufacturer placed on the vehicle, including under another country's laws, so a Japanese frame number reads as the number for the title. The Department assigns a Colorado number only when no VIN is found or the VIN was altered, after a certified VIN inspection, for $3.50. The legislature's fiscal note says the Department may make new VIN tags for some kei vehicles, and no DMV page says which. Whatever number the title carries is the number your insurance policy must carry, character for character.

Does a kei truck need an emissions test in Colorado?

Only where the owner registers in the program area, Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties and parts of Larimer and Weld, or drives there for work or school ninety days a year. From 2028 a kei vehicle there takes a two-speed idle test against the standards for its model year, never a dynamometer, every two years for a 1982 or newer truck. Ouray County and the rest of the Western Slope are outside the program, so a Ridgway owner has no emissions test.

What will it cost to title and register a kei truck from 2028?

For a truck of 2,000 pounds or less on the truck schedule the statutes set a $7.20 title fee, a $7.60 weight fee, a $7 age fee, $3 of specific ownership tax, a $4 county clerk fee, a $16 road safety surcharge, a bridge safety surcharge of up to $13, $2 for emergency medical services, $1 for peace officer training and 50 cent AIR and DRIVES fees, plus a plate fee and an insurance database fee the state sets each year. A heavier truck pays a $23 road safety surcharge and up to $18 for bridges, and the emissions area adds $1.50 and up to 70 cents. The county also collects the 2.9 percent state sales or use tax and local rates, with credit for tax paid to another state. The DMV has not said which schedule a kei vehicle takes.

The official pages

Kei truck or UTV

Which one fits the work.

Set against a typical utility side by side, plainly.

Where a UTV wins

  • On the trail. More clearance, longer travel and all wheel drive, and it registers as an off highway vehicle for public land and trails today.
  • On towing. A typical utility side by side has a towing rating, and no maker towing figure is established for a kei truck.
  • On the dealer network. Franchised powersports dealers across Colorado, with parts and service behind them.

Where a kei truck wins

  • The cab. An enclosed cab with heat, against the open cab of a typical utility side by side.
  • The bed. A flatbed more than twice as long as a typical utility side by side's box.
  • The road, for a 25 year truck. From 1 January 2028 it titles and registers as a kei vehicle for roads posted 55 mph or less, never a limited-access highway. Nothing changes for a UTV.

A newer governed kei truck is an off highway vehicle, the same class as a UTV, and wins only on the cab, the heat and the bed. For trail work and towing today, a typical utility side by side is the better tool. For a heated work truck that can drive to town from 2028, a 25 year kei truck is.

County by county

The rules in detail.

Where a newer off road truck or a UTV can run in Colorado, county by county, as each county's and town's own acts read. Every county on the map above opens its own page.

Statewide

A governed kei truck is not settled as an off-highway vehicle for these routes. Almost every town and county act here defines an OHV by C.R.S. 33-14.5-101(3), a vehicle designed mainly for off-highway recreation that leaves out vehicles built for farm work and vehicles registered for the road. Colorado Parks and Wildlife, whose registration most of them require, lists side by sides and UTVs but no kei or mini truck. Three acts read differently. Cripple Creek also takes the title act definition, 42-6-102(11.5), which HB25-1281 extends to the kei off-road vehicle from 1 January 2028. Larkspur takes any OHV as Title 42 defines it. Holly defines its field utility vehicle as one that carries persons and property and cannot pass 25 mph. Sterling and Haxtun bar motor vehicles modified to serve as OHVs.

C.R.S. 33-14.5-108colorado.public.law, read 28 October 2026

Adams County To confirm

No street or county road in Adams County was found open to OHVs, Aurora and Bennett ban them and Northglenn's code and the county's own code were not read.

In town To confirm

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Adams County's Municode entry has no code behind it and the county's own code was not read.

State highways Crossings only

Alamosa County To confirm

Alamosa County's site carries no OHV act and its towns' codes were not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Alamosa. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Hooper. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

A search of the county's site for off-highway returns no results. The county's own records beyond its site were not searched. not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Arapahoe County To confirm

No street or county road in Arapahoe County was found open to OHVs, and the codes of Deer Trail, Foxfield, Littleton and the county were not read.

In town To confirm

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Arapahoe County's own code was not read.

State highways Crossings only

Archuleta County To confirm

Archuleta County's site carries no OHV act and Pagosa Springs' code was not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Pagosa Springs. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

A search of the county's site for off-highway vehicle returns no results. A local paper reports a proposed OHV ordinance was tabled, in a year the snippet does not give. not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Baca County Towns only

Springfield opens every town street but Main Street to registered golf carts, ATVs and UTVs, and no Baca County road was found open.

In town Some

  • To confirm Campo. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Pritchett. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • Open Springfield. Golf carts, ATVs and UTVs registered with the town may run on all town streets except Highway 287, Main Street. State highways only to cross. Springfield Municipal Code Chapter 8 Article III, Ordinance No. 348 of 13 August 2020, penalty amended by Ordinance No. 363 of 11 December 2025, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Two Buttes. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Vilas. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Walsh. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Baca County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Springfield, Chapter 8 Article III: a licensed driver 16 or older; annual registration at town hall with an inspection, proof of ownership, insurance meeting the motorcycle requirement and a driver's licence; a rear view mirror, a safety flag 4 to 6 feet tall, headlamp, tail lamp, reflector and stop lamps; a windshield or eye protection; belts where fitted; traffic laws

Bent County To confirm

Las Animas keeps OHVs off its streets and no Bent County road was found open.

In town Closed

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Bent County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Boulder County To confirm

No street or county road in Boulder County was found open to OHVs, Lyons and Nederland ban them and the codes of Jamestown, Ward and the county itself were not read.

In town To confirm

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Boulder County's own code was not read.

State highways Crossings only

Broomfield County None found

Broomfield opens no street or road to OHVs.

In town Closed

County roads Closed

The City and County of Broomfield has one code. It opens no road to OHVs. Broomfield Municipal Code, Supplement 54, online 18 September 2026, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Chaffee County Some routes

Chaffee County opens only named county road segments near Alpine and St. Elmo, Fourmile and Salida for trips to public land and keeps every other county road closed.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Salida. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Buena Vista. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Poncha Springs. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Some

Alpine and St. Elmo: all of County Roads 267, 295 and 296, the north south part of 292 west of Alpine between 162 and Forest Road 292, about 1,350 feet of 162 from about 75 feet east of the 292 turnoff and three quarters of a mile of 162 from the Grizzly parking to the Tin Cup Pass trailhead. Fourmile: County Road 375 except the closed stretch from 371 to the BLM ATV lot and all of 187. Salida and Turret: all of 185 from 175 to Forest Road 185 and 175 north of 181. Every other county road is closed. Ordinance 2012-02, adopted 7 August 2012 and recorded 10 August 2012, with the list the county now posts, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Ordinance 2012-02: registered and operated under C.R.S. 33-14.5-101 and followingOrdinance 2012-02: a valid operator's licence in possession and age sixteen or olderOrdinance 2012-02: a muffler, a USFS approved spark arrester, brakes and a lighted head and tail lamp between sunset and sunriseOrdinance 2012-02: designated routes only for going to or coming from adjacent public landsOrdinance 2012-02: the far right, single file and the owner's consent on any propertyOrdinance 2012-02: the minimum liability insurance and the Model Traffic Code

Cheyenne County To confirm

No town or county road in Cheyenne County was found open to OHVs, and neither town publishes a readable code online.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Cheyenne Wells. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read. Municode lists Cheyenne Wells but its code page does not open.
  • To confirm Kit Carson. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Cheyenne County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Clear Creek County To confirm

Empire opens its streets to permitted OHVs at 10 mph and keeps them off Main Street and off county roads, and no Clear Creek County act opening roads was found.

In town Some

  • Some Empire. All town rights of way are OHV routes except North Main and South Main, South Bard Creek Road, which may only be crossed. US 40 may be crossed only at intersections other than Main. No county roads outside town. Only for normal transportation to a specific destination by the most direct route, never from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Ordinance 231 as amended, read in a 2020 copy that passed first reading on 21 July 2020 with its adoption date blank, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Idaho Springs. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Georgetown. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Silver Plume. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

A search of the county's site finds OHV park planning but no act opening county roads. Empire's ordinance says OHVs are not permitted on county roads outside town. not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Empire Ordinance 231: a town permit and sticker for each vehicle, helmets under sixteen, 10 mph, no use from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., a valid driver's licence, liability insurance and occupants as designed

Conejos County To confirm

Conejos County has a 2023 resolution on OHVs and county roads that could not be read, so its roads and towns stay unconfirmed.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Antonito. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm La Jara. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Manassa. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Romeo. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Sanford. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

Resolution 2023-44 appears in a search listing as a county act deciding which county roads OHVs may use under C.R.S. 33-14.5-110. The file has moved and the county site's search returns nothing, so the text was not read.

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Costilla County To confirm

No Costilla County, San Luis or Blanca OHV act was found in this pass.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm San Luis. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Blanca. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

No county OHV act turned up in a web search. The county's own records were not searched.

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Crowley County To confirm

Ordway bans OHVs from its streets and no other Crowley County town or the county publishes a code online to check.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Crowley. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Olney Springs. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • Closed Ordway. Operating an OHV on the town's public streets, roads, alleys, parkways or highways is unlawful, except across a bridge or culvert, at events, in emergencies and for farm use. Ordway Code Chapter 10.28, Ordinance No. 540 of 5 February 2018, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Sugar City. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Crowley County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Custer County To confirm

Westcliffe and Silver Cliff open their streets to OHVs and the county's own OHV ordinance, which may open county roads, could not be read.

In town Open

County roads To confirm

The county lists Ordinance 15-01, its Off-Highway Vehicle Ordinance, regulating OHVs in the county, but posts no text. Its roads may be open and the ordinance was not read. Custer County Ordinance 15-01, not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Silver Cliff, Title 8 Chapter 2: 16 or older with a driver's licence in possession; insurance at the state automobile minimum; CPW registration with the decal; head and tail lamps, brakes, muffler and spark arrester to CPW standards; never 10 pm to 5 am; no plowing or grading; no more occupants than designed; belts where fitted; a utility trailer only on a rigid bar with a red reflector and no riders in itWestcliffe, Title 9 Chapter 3: a slow moving vehicle emblem or a red flag 5 to 7 feet up; headlights, tail lights and turn signals from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise; never 10 pm to 5 am; belts where standard; a seat for every passenger; a liability policy covering street use of at least 100,000 property, 100,000 one person and 300,000 all persons; a driver's licence in possession; state registration, licensing and insurance

Delta County To confirm

Delta County's OHV rule was not found on the county's own site, so its county roads and its six towns stay unconfirmed.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Delta. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Cedaredge. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Crawford. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Hotchkiss. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Orchard City. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Paonia. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

A trail group's 2021 list says all county roads are open, but a search of the county's own site for OHV and off-highway vehicle returns no ordinance or resolution. none read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Denver County None found

Denver opens no street to OHVs.

In town Closed

County roads Closed

The City and County of Denver has one code. It opens no road to OHVs. Denver Revised Municipal Code, Supplement 147 Update 3, online 17 August 2026, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Dolores County To confirm

No Dolores County, Dove Creek or Rico OHV act was found in this pass.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Dove Creek. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Rico. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

No county OHV act turned up in a web search and the county's road and bridge page says nothing on OHVs. not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Douglas County Towns only

Larkspur is the one Douglas County town that opens its streets to OHVs, and no county road was found open.

In town Some

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. The county's land use regulations on eCode360 were searched and hold no road act. Its resolutions were not read. Douglas County Land Use Regulations on eCode360, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Larkspur, 8-1-30(1): comply with all town, county and state laws, rules and requirements; obey posted signs

Eagle County To confirm

The towns of Eagle and Gypsum let OHVs use their streets only to reach riding areas, and no Eagle County act opening county roads was found.

In town Some

  • Some Eagle. All town streets, roads and alleys off the state highway are limited OHV routes, only for travel from the owner's or operator's home or place of storage directly to or from a recreation site that allows OHVs. Eagle Municipal Code 11.09.020, Ordinance No. 16 of 2014, code version of 2 October 2026, read 28 October 2026
  • Some Gypsum. Town streets only between home or storage and the named trailheads: Hardscrabble by Spring Creek Road, Gypsum Hills and Dry Lake by Trail Gulch Road and Red Hill by Cottonwood Pass Road, Legend Drive and Highlands Road. No errands. Never on a state highway route, including Highway 6 east of Jules Drive. A 2019 town ordinance, as the town's page states it. The ordinance text was not read., read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Red Cliff. A trail group's list says Red Cliff requires its own sticker. The town's code was not read.
  • To confirm Vail. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Avon. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Minturn. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Basalt. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

No Eagle County act opening county roads turned up in a web search. The county's own records were not searched.

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Eagle 11.09.030: current Colorado Parks and Wildlife registration, insurance that meets the motor vehicle requirements and 15 mphGypsum page: CPW registration, insurance, a head and tail light at night, a licence and age sixteen unless supervised and helmets under eighteen

El Paso County To confirm

No street or county road in El Paso County was found open to OHVs, and the codes of Calhan and Ramah were not read.

In town To confirm

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. The county's land development code on Municode was searched and holds no road act. Its resolutions were not read. El Paso County Land Development Code, Supplement 3, online 22 August 2024, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Elbert County Towns only

Simla opens designated slow streets to golf cars and OHVs, and no county road was found open.

In town Some

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Elbert County's own code was not read.

State highways Crossings only

Simla, Title 5 Chapter 4: a current driver's licence, or direct supervision by a licensed driver over 21; a helmet for everyone on an OHV; designated roadways posted 25 mph or less only; no sidewalks or trails; no more passengers than seats; head lamps, tail lamps and front and rear turn signals from sunset to sunrise; insurance at state motor vehicle limits; registration with the police department and a sticker, renewed each April; state registration, licensing and insurance

Fremont County Some routes

Cañon City and Florence open their streets to UTVs and OHVs by permit, and Fremont County has opened County Road 53 and perhaps 54.

In town Some

  • To confirm Brookside. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • Open Cañon City. Private non-commercial UTVs with a city permit may run on all public roads in the city except the CDOT roads, US 50, Fremont Drive, SH 115 and Rainbow Drive, which may be crossed only at ninety degrees after a full stop. Cañon City Code Chapter 10.10, Ordinance No. 4-2022 of 6 June 2022, amended by Ordinance No. 18-2023 of 18 December 2023, read 28 October 2026
  • Closed Coal Creek. The code was searched for off-highway, OHV, all-terrain, UTV, side-by-side and utility terrain. It opens no street to OHVs. Coal Creek Code of Ordinances, republication online 17 July 2025, read 28 October 2026
  • Open Florence. OHVs may run on all public roads in the city except the state highway system. They may cross a highway where safe to reach gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants. The city's rules also name limited use of SH 115 from Teller Street to east of Gumaer Street and of SH 67 from Arrowhead Street to 7th Street. No CDOT act opening those stretches was found, and a city cannot name a state highway as a route under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108(1)(f), so treat them as crossings. Florence Code Chapter 10.18, Ordinance No. 08-19-2019A of 3 September 2019 and Ordinance No. 09-20-2021B of 1 November 2021, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Rockvale. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read. Municode lists Rockvale but its code page does not open.
  • To confirm Williamsburg. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Some

All of County Road 53, which the county does not maintain, under Resolution 29 of 2021. The same resolution opened 0.7 mile of County Road 45 from County Road 53 to a parking area, and a 2023 draft resolution revokes that stretch. A 2023 draft resolution, heard 12 September 2023, opens County Road 54, also unmaintained. Each says no other county road is open unless the board names it. Fremont County Resolution 29, Series of 2021, adopted 27 July 2021; 2023 draft resolutions on County Roads 45 and 54, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Cañon City, Chapter 10.10: private non-commercial UTVs only; a city permit each calendar year with stickers front and rear; a driver's licence; liability insurance at the state minimum, shown on request; current CPW registration; a helmet for operators and passengers unless a child is in a child restraint; eye protection unless a windshield; no more occupants than designed; safety belts; headlamp, red tail lamp with brake light, speedometer, CPW muffler and turn signals; 7 am to 10 pm except plowing snow; the posted speedFlorence, Chapter 10.18: a driver's licence in possession; a complying insurance policy; a helmet for operators and passengers, a child in a restraint in a UTV excepted; eye protection; no more riders than designed; seat belts where fitted; headlights, tail lights, brake lights and a speedometer; an annual city permit; 6 am to 10 pm except plowing snow; 25 mph, 20 in a school zoneFremont County resolutions: OHV use stays governed by Colorado statutes and regulations

Garfield County To confirm

Garfield County opens the county roads on its OHV map under an ordinance not read here, and Parachute lets OHVs use its streets only to reach County Roads 215 and 300.

In town Some

  • Some Parachute. Local streets by the most direct route to reach trails outside town by County Roads 215 and 300, north of I-70 by way of Parachute Avenue or Parachute Park Boulevard. State highway crossings only once the town has CDOT approval. Parachute Municipal Code Chapter 12.03, Ordinance 699 of 2016 as amended by Ordinance 792 of 2021, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Glenwood Springs. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Carbondale. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm New Castle. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Silt. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Rifle. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Some

County roads shown open on the county OHV route map, never state highways. The county names Ordinance 2016-01 of 13 October 2016 and a proposed Ordinance 2022-2 that would add routes. Neither text was read, only the county's page and maps. Ordinance 2016-01, 13 October 2016, not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

County OHV page: a valid driver's licence and age sixteen or olderCounty OHV page: liability insuranceCounty OHV page: 35 mph or the posted limit, whichever is lessCounty OHV page: a front light and a tail light, eye protection and helmets under eighteenParachute 12.03.113: age sixteen with a licence, CPW registration, liability insurance, muffler, USFS spark arrester, brakes, head and tail lamp at night, a rear view mirror, a brake light, hand signals and 25 mph

Gilpin County To confirm

No Gilpin County, Black Hawk or Central City OHV act was found in this pass.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Black Hawk. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Central City. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

No county OHV act turned up in a web search. The county's own records were not searched.

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Grand County Some routes

Grand County opens a list of county roads around Kremmling, Old Park, Hot Sulphur Springs, Parshall and Grand Lake, Granby opens most of its streets and Kremmling allows OHVs on set routes.

In town Some

  • Open Granby. All streets except North 1st Street from East Diamond to East Agate Avenue, North 4th Street from East Garnet to East Agate Avenue and Agate Avenue, US 40. On school days OHVs are barred from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Laplata Drive, the Diamond streets named in the code, Topaz Avenue from 1st to Horn Street and 2nd Street from Diamond to Vista. Granby Municipal Code Chapter 10.21, Ordinance 852 of 2016 and Ordinance 952 of 2021, read 28 October 2026
  • Some Kremmling. OHVs, meaning ATVs and unregistered motorcycles, only on the designated routes to reach public land or the businesses on those routes, under 10.17. Utility type vehicles 40 to 70 inches wide, under 2,200 pounds, with a steering wheel and side by side seats may use town streets other than US 40 and CO 9, by the most direct route to a destination, under 10.18. Read on the town's page, not in the code text. Kremmling Municipal Code 10.17 and 10.18, as the town's page states them, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Grand Lake. Ordinance 03-2017 on OHV operation exists by name and was not read.
  • To confirm Hot Sulphur Springs. County OHV routes start at the town limits. The town's code was not read.
  • To confirm Fraser. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Winter Park. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Some

Near Kremmling: County Road 25 Antelope Pass Road from County Road 22 to US 40, 224 Cow Gulch Road from 22 to 25, 22 West Troublesome Creek Road from the town limits to 224 and 227 Skyline Drive from US 40 to its end. Old Park subdivision: County Roads 160, 161, 162, 1621, 164, 1641, 1642, 165, 19 Red Dirt Road from SH 134 to the forest boundary, 1901, 192, 193, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 194 and 195. Hot Sulphur Springs: 20 Parshall Divide Road from the town limits to US 40, 559 Roosevelt Avenue and 55 Cottonwood Pass Road from the town limits to 555. Parshall: 3 Ute Pass Road from 3080 to the forest boundary. Grand Lake: 451 from County Road 4 to private property. Grand County OHV routes list, approved 12 April 2016, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Granby 10.21: a valid driver's licence (a learner's permit does not count), a lighted head and tail lamp between sunset and sunrise, side and rear reflectors, a rear view mirror, Colorado registration with its decal, occupants as designed and a sound limitKremmling page: a valid driver's licence, Colorado OHV registration for utility type vehicles, a working horn, the far right of the street, supervision for operators ten to sixteen and helmets and eye protection under eighteen

Gunnison County Some routes

Gunnison County opens short designated sections of county road, such as 0.7 mile of County Road 3 below Marble, and its towns' codes were not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Gunnison. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Crested Butte. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Mount Crested Butte. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Marble. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Pitkin. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Some

About 0.7 mile of County Road 3, Marble Road, from the Marble town limit at Beaver Lake to the bottom of Daniel's Hill. Other designated sections may exist and were not found in this pass. Resolution 18-14, adopted 15 May 2018, repealing Resolution 15-15, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Hinsdale County Roads open

Hinsdale County opens every county road and Lake City its streets to OHVs with a licensed and insured driver, and from 1 June to 30 September OHVs may run 3.26 miles of SH 149 through Lake City, the one state highway segment the Transportation Commission has opened.

In town Open

County roads Open

All public roads in unincorporated Hinsdale County under the commissioners' jurisdiction. Ordinance No. 1, Series 2018, recorded 21 February 2018. Amended by Ordinance No. 1, Series 2025 on fines, hours of operation and spark arresters, whose text was not read., read 28 October 2026

State highways Segments open

  • SH 149 from the County Road 30 intersection (MP 69.85) south of Lake City to the Ocean Wave Drive intersection (MP 73.11) in Lake City, 3.26 miles, from 1 June to 30 September each year from 2026 through 2035. The speed limit on that stretch is 30 mph for every vehicle in season, OHVs follow the county and town ordinances and the county and town apply jointly for a special use permit each year. Lake City's Resolution 2025-12 gives the mileposts as 71.44 to 73. Transportation Commission Resolution #20260206, approved 19 February 2026, read 28 October 2026

Ordinance No. 1, Series 2018: a valid driver's or operator's licence in the operator's possessionOrdinance No. 1, Series 2018: insurance to the minimum Colorado requires for automobilesOrdinance No. 1, Series 2018: seat belts where fitted and child seats where built inOrdinance No. 1, Series 2018: eye protection for all operators and passengersOrdinance No. 1, Series 2018: no more occupants than designed, except where a roll over protection device was designed to carry moreOrdinance No. 1, Series 2018: helmets under eighteen unless in a child seatOrdinance No. 1, Series 2018: all traffic laws for motor vehiclesResolution #20260206: on SH 149 Colorado traffic law, the county ordinance and Lake City Ordinance 2025-03County OHV page: a current Colorado OHV permit

Huerfano County Some routes

Huerfano County opens four county roads near SH 69 to reach the national forest, and Walsenburg and La Veta keep OHVs off their streets.

In town Closed

County roads Some

The only county roads open: County Road 630 from SH 69 to County Road 634; County Road 580 from County Road 583 to the national forest; County Road 583 from County Road 580 to the national forest; County Road 559 from SH 69 to the national forest. Use is limited to going to and from the public lands next to them. Huerfano County Code Chapter 16 Article II, Ordinance No. 2014-02 of 6 August 2014, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Huerfano County, Ordinance No. 2014-02: a driver's licence and 16 or older; state registration with the decal on the upper front; muffler, Forest Service spark arrestor and brakes, with head and tail lamps from sunset to sunrise; only to reach adjacent public lands; far right and single file; minimum liability insurance; the Model Traffic Code

Jackson County To confirm

No Jackson County or Walden OHV act was found in this pass.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Walden. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

No county OHV act turned up in a web search. The county's own records were not searched.

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Jefferson County Some routes

Jefferson County lets OHVs on unpaved roads it does not maintain only to maintain them, and no town street was found open.

In town To confirm

County roads Some

OHVs may run for road maintenance only on unpaved county roads in unincorporated Jefferson County that the county has not accepted for maintenance. No county road is open for travel. Jefferson County Policy, Use of Off-Highway Road Maintenance Vehicles, Resolution CC17-230, adopted 18 July 2017, effective 28 August 2017, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Jefferson County, Resolution CC17-230: road maintenance only; a driver's licence and 16 or older; the minimum liability insurance of the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law; state OHV rules and vehicle ordinances; 25 mph or the posted limit, whichever is less

Kiowa County To confirm

No town or county road in Kiowa County was found open to OHVs, and none of its towns publishes a code online to check.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Eads. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Haswell. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Sheridan Lake. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Kiowa County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Kit Carson County To confirm

Burlington and Flagler open no street to OHVs, and the other Kit Carson towns and the county publish no code online to check.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Bethune. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • Closed Burlington. No OHV route. Section 12.18.060 bars ATVs from public parks. Burlington Code of Ordinances, Supplement 14, online 19 August 2026, read 28 October 2026
  • Closed Flagler. The traffic title is the Model Traffic Code alone and names no OHV route. Flagler Code of Ordinances on American Legal, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Seibert. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Stratton. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Vona. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Kit Carson County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

La Plata County To confirm

No La Plata County OHV act was found in this pass and its towns' codes were not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Durango. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Bayfield. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Ignacio. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

No county OHV act turned up in a web search and the county's new site search did not resolve.

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Lake County To confirm

Leadville lets OHVs cross town by the shortest route off Harrison Avenue and bars unguided rentals, and Lake County's 2023 ordinance opening county roads was read only in an unsigned copy.

In town Some

County roads Open

County roads off the state highway system, for direct travel from a starting point to a destination, never for shopping, the post office or general transport, in daylight unless the vehicle has a working head and tail light. Commercial use needs a county special use permit. Ordinance No. 23-01 of 2023, read in an unsigned copy a trail group hosts, with the adoption date blank, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Ordinance No. 23-01: licensed operators sixteen or olderOrdinance No. 23-01: liability insurance at the Colorado minimumOrdinance No. 23-01: single file on the right of the improved surfaceOrdinance No. 23-01: licensed and registered as Colorado law requiresOrdinance No. 23-01: traffic law, posted signs and hand signalsLeadville 10.24: a licence for anyone under sixteen, the equipment of C.R.S. 33-14.5-109, 25 mph, the right side of the road and liability insurance

Larimer County Towns only

Estes Park lets OHVs on its streets only to plow snow, Berthoud, Johnstown and Windsor ban them and no county road was found open.

In town Some

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Larimer County's own code was not read.

State highways Crossings only

Estes Park, Chapter 10.24: 18 or older with a driver's licence; registered and numbered with CPW; an insurance policy under C.R.S. 10-4 part 6; the equipment of C.R.S. 33-14.5-109; hand signals if there are no turn signals; eye protection; snow plowing and removal only

Las Animas County To confirm

Las Animas County says it opens no county road to OHVs, and none of its six towns publishes a code online to check.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Aguilar. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Branson. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Cokedale. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Kim. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Starkville. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Trinidad. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read. Trinidad's code is not hosted on the code libraries searched.

County roads Closed

A county public notice, seen only in a search excerpt and since removed, said County Road 85.5 is closed to ATVs and OHVs and that the county has no public roads designated for them.

State highways Crossings only

Lincoln County Towns only

Limon opens designated slower streets to golf cars and UTVs, and no Lincoln County road was found open.

In town Some

  • To confirm Arriba. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Genoa. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Hugo. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • Some Limon. Golf cars and UTVs may run only on designated town roadways posted 35 mph or less, on maps the police department gives at registration, with state highway crossing maps given the same way. State highways are not town roadways. Limon Code Chapter 72, Ordinance 634 of 3 November 2022, read 28 October 2026

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Lincoln County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Limon, Chapter 72: a current driver's licence for UTVs; designated roadways posted 35 mph or less on police maps; no sidewalks or trails; no more passengers than seats; head lamps, tail lamps and turn signals from sunset to sunrise; insurance at state motor vehicle limits; registration with the police department; parking and traffic rules

Logan County To confirm

Sterling opens its streets to registered ATVs and UTVs, and Logan County appears to have opened all county roads in 2019 though its ordinance could not be read.

In town Some

  • To confirm Crook. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Fleming. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Iliff. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Merino. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Peetz. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • Open Sterling. City streets except any state highway are open to ATVs and OHVs registered with the city. Motor vehicles modified to serve as ATVs or OHVs are not permitted. Sterling Code Chapter 10 Article IV, Ordinance No. 11-2013 of 9 July 2013 and No. 17-2013 of 24 September 2013, read 28 October 2026

County roads To confirm

County records from 2019, seen only in search excerpts, show Ordinance 2019-01 adopted to allow OHVs on all county roads in unincorporated Logan County, never on state highways, with CPW registration. The minutes and the ordinance no longer open on the county site and were not read. Logan County Ordinance 2019-01, adopted on second reading in August 2019, not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Sterling, Chapter 10 Article IV: a licensed driver 18 or older; VIN inspection, a permit and registration at the police department, renewed yearly and on a change of owner; stickers front and rear; liability insurance at the state minimum, proof carried; seat belts for each UTV occupant; wipers with a windshield; no three wheelers; the posted limit or 35 mph at most; headlamp, tail lamp and reflector, stop lamps, horn, muffler and emissions system, rear view mirror, a windshield or eye protection, a helmet for passengers under 18, footrests and handholds, turn signals; no motor vehicles modified to serve as OHVs

Mesa County To confirm

Mesa County's map shows county roads authorized for OHVs under Ordinance 12 of 2014 but the ordinance itself was not read, and Grand Junction allows only one permitted rental route north of H Road.

In town Some

  • Some Grand Junction. One permitted route for the customers of one rental business: Horizon Drive east of I-70, H Road to 27 1/4 Road and 27 1/4 Road north of H Road, by the most direct route to public land, under a police permit. No other street. Ordinance No. 5231, adopted 18 September 2024 and effective 21 October 2024, after Ordinances 4859 of 2019 and 4973 of 2021, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Palisade. Ordinance 2023-04 on OHVs and golf carts exists by title, but the file has been removed from the town's site and was not read.
  • To confirm Fruita. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Collbran. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm De Beque. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Some

The county's road map shows the county roads authorized for OHVs under Ordinance 12 (effective 12 November 2014) and says roads inside Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, De Beque and Collbran need the town's own approval. The ordinance text is not posted and was not read. Ordinance 12, effective 12 November 2014, not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Mineral County Roads open

Mineral County opens all its county roads to registered OHVs with a licensed driver sixteen or older, except inside Creede and where posted.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Creede. The county ordinance leaves the Town of Creede out. A trail group's 2021 list says Creede allows certain roads at 15 mph with a licence and insurance. The town's code was not read.

County roads Open

All county roads and county maintained roads in Mineral County except within the Town of Creede and except roads posted closed to OHVs. Ordinance No. 4, Part 21, adopted on second reading 2 August 2004, read in a signed copy a trail group hosts, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Ordinance No. 4, section 2102: age sixteen or older with a valid licence in possessionOrdinance No. 4, section 2102: all traffic laws for licensed motor vehicles and the Model Traffic CodeOrdinance No. 4, section 2102: no passengers or cargo beyond the vehicle's designOrdinance No. 4, section 2102: no driving in darkness without head and tail lampsOrdinance No. 4, section 2103: registration with Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Moffat County To confirm

Moffat County is recorded as opening all county roads to OHVs unless posted, but its resolution and Craig's street rules were not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Craig. A trail group's 2021 list says all city streets with a city permit and a licence. The ordinance was not read.
  • To confirm Dinosaur. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Open

All county roads unless posted, as Routt County's Resolution 2015-034 records Moffat County Resolution 2010-20. Moffat's 2024 Model Traffic Code ordinance treats OHVs on unincorporated roads as motor vehicles for traffic offenses. Neither Moffat text was read. Resolution 2010-20, not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Montezuma County Roads open

Montezuma County opens all county roads in its unincorporated areas to OHVs at 50 mph or less with a licensed driver sixteen or older and insurance, and the towns' codes were not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Cortez. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Dolores. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Mancos. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Open

All county roads in unincorporated Montezuma County. Not roads under a town, the state or a federal agency. Ordinance No. 1-2015, adopted 23 March 2015 and effective on adoption, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Ordinance No. 1-2015: every state rule for OHVsOrdinance No. 1-2015: a valid operator's licence in possession and age sixteen or olderOrdinance No. 1-2015: a muffler, a USFS approved spark arrester, brakes and a lighted head and tail lamp between sunset and sunriseOrdinance No. 1-2015: the far right, single file and the owner's consent on any property or roadOrdinance No. 1-2015: the minimum liability insurance of the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility LawOrdinance No. 1-2015: 50 mph or the posted limit, whichever is less

Montrose County Roads open

Montrose County opens all its county roads to OHVs at 35 mph or less with a licensed driver sixteen or older and insurance, and the four towns' codes were not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Montrose. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Olathe. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Naturita. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Nucla. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Open

All county roads in unincorporated Montrose County. Not roads under a town, the state or a federal agency. Ordinance 2018-01, recorded 7 February 2018, repealing Ordinances 2015-01, 2015-03, 2016-01, 2016-02 and 2016-03, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Ordinance 2018-01: every state and federal rule for OHVs, including Title 33 Article 14.5Ordinance 2018-01: a valid operator's licence in possession and age sixteen or olderOrdinance 2018-01: a muffler, brakes and one lighted head lamp and tail lamp between sunset and sunriseOrdinance 2018-01: the far right of the road and single fileOrdinance 2018-01: the minimum liability insurance of the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility LawOrdinance 2018-01: 35 mph or the posted limit, whichever is less

Morgan County Towns only

Log Lane Village opens its streets to registered UTVs, Brush, Fort Morgan and Wiggins do not and no Morgan County road was found open.

In town Some

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Morgan County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Log Lane Village, Chapter 16 Article III: a UTV 30 to 70 inches wide, 2,200 pounds dry or less, 350 cc or more with a steering wheel; registration with the police department, stickers front and rear, reviewed yearly, with proof of ownership, insurance and a driver's licence; 16 or older; a helmet and safety glasses unless a windshield; never on a state highway; no sidewalks or trails; a child restraint; insurance at state motor vehicle limits; head lamps, tail lamps and turn signals from sunset to sunrise; no phones or headphones; a muffler

Otero County Towns only

Fowler opens every town street to OHVs, La Junta and Rocky Ford do not and no county road is open.

In town Some

  • To confirm Cheraw. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • Open Fowler. OHVs may run on all streets and public rights of way in town. State highways only to cross. The town requires no permit of its own. Fowler Code Chapter 10.20, Ordinance No. 728-16 of 25 April 2016, read 28 October 2026
  • Closed La Junta. The code was searched for off-highway, OHV, all-terrain, UTV, side-by-side and utility terrain. It opens no street to OHVs. La Junta Municipal Code, Supplement 25, online 1 July 2025, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Manzanola. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • Closed Rocky Ford. The code was searched for off-highway, OHV, all-terrain, UTV, side-by-side and utility terrain. It opens no street to OHVs. Rocky Ford Municipal Code, Supplement 6, online 20 April 2023, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Swink. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. The Otero County Municipal Code was searched and only limits ATVs at Holbrook Reservoir to designated roadways. Otero County Municipal Code, republication online 29 May 2019, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Fowler, Chapter 10.20: a current Colorado driver's licence in possession; liability insurance covering the OHV; head and tail lamps from sunset to sunrise; brakes, muffler and spark arrester; no town permit

Ouray County Roads open

Ouray County opens its county roads to registered OHVs with a licensed and insured driver, apart from paved roads closed by resolution, while Ridgway and the City of Ouray keep their streets closed and US 550 and CO 62 are crossing only.

In town Closed

County roads Open

Public roads in unincorporated Ouray County, the primary and secondary roads on the official county road map of Resolution 2014-014, less the hard surfaced roads Resolution 2007-034 closes to OHVs. Colona is unincorporated, so this ordinance governs there. Resolution 2007-034 was not found online, so the paved roads it closes are not listed here. Ordinance 2021-01, signed and recorded 28 April 2021, keeping Resolution 2007-034 of 2 July 2007 in force, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Ordinance 2021-01: registered or permitted with the State under C.R.S. 33-14.5-102 with the registration or permit displayedOrdinance 2021-01: at least one lighted head lamp and one lighted tail lamp between sunset and sunriseOrdinance 2021-01: a valid driver's licenceOrdinance 2021-01: the minimum liability insurance Colorado law requiresOrdinance 2021-01: a safety belt for each occupant where the maker fitted oneOrdinance 2021-01: a child restraint for any child under eightOrdinance 2021-01: eye protection for every occupant unless the vehicle has a full windshieldOrdinance 2021-01: a DOT motorcycle helmet for every occupant under eighteenOrdinance 2021-01: no more occupants than the vehicle was designed to holdOrdinance 2021-01: Colorado traffic law

Park County To confirm

Park County's site carries no act opening county roads to OHVs and Fairplay's and Alma's codes were not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Fairplay. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Alma. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

A search of the county's site for off-highway returns no act opening county roads. The county's own records beyond its site were not searched. not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Phillips County Towns only

Haxtun opens every town street to registered ATVs and UTVs, Holyoke opens its streets to UTVs by police permit and no Phillips County road was found open.

In town Some

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Phillips County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Haxtun, Chapter 71: an ATV of 40 inches or wider and 250 cc or more, or a UTV of 70 inches or less, 2,200 pounds dry or less and 350 cc or more with side by side seats and a steering wheel; CPW registration with the decal; a complying insurance policy, proof carried; a licensed driver 18 or older; passenger limits and seat belts; no three wheelers; the posted limit or 35 mph at most; no sidewalks; headlamp lit while moving, tail lamp and reflector, stop lamps, horn, muffler and emissions system, rear view mirror, eye protection, a helmet for passengers under 18, footrests and handholds, turn signals or hand signals and a flag at least seven feet up; no motor vehicles modified to serve as OHVsHolyoke, Chapter 10.16: a written police permit, one UTV per permit, renewed yearly; a valid driver's licence; use for a commercial or industrial business and the holder's recreation; other drivers only as the holder's employee, agent or volunteer; 5 am to 8 pm; no phones or headphones; two headlamps, a tail lamp, stop lamp, turn signals, horn, muffler and a 200 foot mirror; belts where fitted; Model Traffic Code insurance plus a general liability policy of 150,000 per person and 500,000 per incident; no parks, airport or sidewalks; a five foot pole with an orange reflective flag; the permit carried

Pitkin County To confirm

Pitkin County says unlicensed OHVs are illegal on all its roads, and the towns' codes were not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Aspen. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Snowmass Village. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Basalt. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Closed

No county road is open. The county's OHV page says unlicensed off-highway vehicles are illegal on all Pitkin County roads. No county act opens a road, so C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 governs, as the county's OHV page states, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Prowers County Towns only

Holly opens four streets to permitted golf carts, field utility vehicles and ATVs with a CDOT crossing of US 50 at 10th Street. Granada's 2018 ordinance, which Holly copied, could not be read.

In town Some

  • To confirm Granada. Holly's Ordinance No. 564 says it copies Granada Ordinance No. 2018-004 on golf carts, field utility vehicles and ATVs on town streets. Granada's own text was not found online. Granada Ordinance No. 2018-004, as recited in Holly Ordinance No. 564, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Hartman. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • Some Holly. Golf carts, neighborhood electric vehicles, field utility vehicles and ATVs, each defined as a vehicle that carries persons and property and cannot pass 25 mph in a mile, may run by police permit on Park Street, Santa Fe Street, County Road 35 and 1st Street only. The ordinance says the only CDOT approved crossing of US 50 is at 10th Street. Holly Ordinance No. 564, adopted on second reading 1 October 2025, read 28 October 2026
  • Closed Lamar. The code was searched for off-highway, OHV, all-terrain, UTV, side-by-side and utility terrain. It opens no street to OHVs. Lamar Municipal Code, Supplement 4, online 15 May 2026, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Wiley. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Prowers County's own records were not read. Holly's ordinance lists County Road 35 among its streets.

State highways Crossings only

Holly, Ordinance No. 564: a police permit, renewed each 1 June, after a police inspection and proof of insurance; a valid driver's licence and the permit in possession; headlamps, tail and stop lamps, mirror, parking brake, front windshield, a seat belt for each occupant, two rear reflectors, a seat at least 28 inches up, a slow moving vehicle emblem and a four foot pole with a red flag; no more people than seats; a liability policy of at least 100,000 property, 100,000 one person and 300,000 all persons; at night only with lamps, flag and emblem; not in bad weather or under 500 feet of visibility; no sidewalks

Pueblo County Some routes

Pueblo County opens its roads inside the Colorado City Metropolitan District through 2026, and the city of Pueblo keeps OHVs off its streets.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Boone. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • Closed Pueblo. The code was searched for off-highway, OHV, all-terrain, UTV, side-by-side and utility terrain. It opens no street to OHVs. Pueblo Code of Ordinances, Supplement 110, online 10 September 2026, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Rye. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Some

All county roads within the Colorado City Metropolitan District and no others. The ordinance expires 31 December 2026 unless the board acts. Pueblo County Code Chapter 10.08, Ordinance No. 2025-33, adopted 22 December 2025, effective 26 January 2026, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Pueblo County, Chapter 10.08: a driver's licence and 16 or older; a helmet under 18; belts where standard; a child restraint where designed for one; occupant limits; eye protection for everyone; CPW registration and numbering; muffler, Forest Service spark arrestor and brakes, with head lamps, tail lamps and turn signals at night; a red or orange flag 5 to 7 feet up; far right and single file; minimum liability insurance; the posted speed or 20 mph where none is posted

Rio Blanco County To confirm

Meeker and Rangely open every town street off the state highway to OHVs, and Rio Blanco County opens designated county roads but not County Roads 1, 5 or 7, under a resolution not read here.

In town Open

County roads Some

The county allows OHVs on designated county roads and names County Roads 1 (Blue Mountain Road), 5 (Piceance Creek Road) and 7 (Strawberry Creek Road) as not designated. No resolution number or text was found. not read, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Meeker 10.5.103 and 10.5.104: a valid driver's licence, 25 mph, a head lamp, a red tail lamp, brakes, a spark arrester and a mufflerRangely 10.14.030: 15 mph, a DOT helmet for operators and passengers under eighteen, passengers seated as designed and an operator under sixteen needs a police safety certificate

Rio Grande County To confirm

South Fork opens its streets to permitted OHVs at 15 mph by day and keeps them off Highways 149 and 160, and no Rio Grande County act opening county roads was found.

In town Open

  • Open South Fork. City maintained streets unless posted, by the most direct path to a destination with no cruising, from 7 a.m. to sunset, with a town permit and safety flag. Never along Highways 149 or 160 except straight across at the designated crossings. The town defines an OHV by C.R.S. 42-6-102(11.5) and 33-14.5-101. Town rules sheet issued by the South Fork police department, citing an ordinance by no number, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Del Norte. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Monte Vista. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Center. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

No Rio Grande County act opening county roads turned up in a web search. The county's own records were not searched.

State highways Crossings only

  • South Fork allows OHVs to cross Highways 149 and 160 only at ninety degrees at the designated crossings. South Fork rules sheet, rule 5, read 28 October 2026

South Fork rules: a valid driver's licence and proof of liability insurance, seat belts, eye protection without a windshield, a DOT helmet for riders sixteen and under, passengers as built, a town permit and flag, Colorado Parks and Wildlife registration and 15 mph

Routt County Some routes

Routt County opens three linked county road segments near Black Mountain to OHVs with a licensed driver sixteen or older and insurance, and its towns' codes were not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Steamboat Springs. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Hayden. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Oak Creek. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Yampa. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Some

County Road 1W from County Road 82 to the national forest boundary, County Road 80 from the southern forest boundary near mile marker 19 to County Road 82 near mile marker 32 and County Road 82 from County Road 80 west to the Moffat County line. No other county road. Resolution 2015-034, recorded 23 June 2015, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Resolution 2015-034: age sixteen or older with a valid driver's licence in possessionResolution 2015-034: the minimum liability insurance of the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility LawResolution 2015-034: the Model Traffic Code as Routt County adopts itResolution 2015-034: 35 mph or the posted limit, whichever is lessResolution 2015-034: a lighted head lamp and tail lamp between sunset and sunrise, brakes, a muffler and a spark arresterResolution 2015-034: registration with a valid decal under C.R.S. 33-14.5-104 and 112

Saguache County To confirm

No Saguache County OHV act was found in this pass and its towns' codes were not read.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Saguache. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Center. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Crestone. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Bonanza. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Moffat. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

No county OHV act turned up in a web search. The county's own records were not searched.

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

San Juan County To confirm

San Juan County opens only the county roads its commissioners name by resolution, Silverton has kept OHVs off its streets since its October 2021 vote and the current route resolution was not read.

In town Closed

County roads Some

Only roads the commissioners designate by resolution. The county names Resolution 2022-02 as the current list and says County Roads 2 and 20 come closest to town on the northeast and County Road 110 stops at Hancock Gulch, about 1.5 miles above town, by a vote of 12 April 2022. The resolution itself was not found. Ordinance 2017-02, 10 May 2017, read. Resolution 2022-02 not read., read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Ordinance 2017-02: no OHV on any public road unless it is designated an OHV route by resolutionOrdinance 2017-02: a valid driver's or operator's licence in the operator's possessionOrdinance 2017-02: insurance to the minimum Colorado requires for automobilesOrdinance 2017-02: seat belts where fitted and child seats where the vehicle was built for themOrdinance 2017-02: eye protection without a full windshieldOrdinance 2017-02: no more occupants than seatsOrdinance 2017-02: helmets under eighteenOrdinance 2017-02: all traffic laws for motor vehicles and OHVsCounty OHV page: Colorado Parks and Wildlife registration displayed

San Miguel County Some routes

San Miguel County opens only the Ophir, Imogene and Black Bear pass roads to OHVs with a licensed and insured driver, and Telluride and Ophir keep OHVs out of town.

In town To confirm

  • Closed Telluride. No OHV route in the town's vehicles and traffic chapter, so state law keeps OHVs off town streets. Section 8-2-10 bars any vehicle that must be registered under Title 42 from town rights of way unless it is. Telluride Municipal Code Chapter 8, Ordinance 1513 of 2020, read 28 October 2026
  • Closed Ophir. The county ordinance says OHV travel is prohibited through the Town of Ophir and OHVs must turn around before the town limits. The town's own code was not read. San Miguel County Ordinance 2018-01, Section 3.1.A, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Mountain Village. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Norwood. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Sawpit. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads Some

Three pass roads only. Ophir Pass Road, County Road D65, from the San Juan County line west to the east boundary of the Town of Ophir, where OHVs turn back. Imogene Pass or Tomboy Road, County Road K68, from the Ouray County line west to the historic Marshall Creek route. Black Bear Pass Road, County Road K69, from the San Juan County line west to the Valley View Parking Area east of the Pandora mill, where OHVs must be picked up. The ordinance keeps Resolution 1994-1 and the Wrights Mesa (2010-23) and Egnar (2010-37) resolutions, which were not read. Ordinance 2018-01, adopted 25 July 2018, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Ordinance 2018-01: no OHV on any public road unless that road is designated openOrdinance 2018-01: a valid driver's or operator's licence in the operator's possessionOrdinance 2018-01: insurance to the minimum Colorado requires for automobilesOrdinance 2018-01: seat belts where the maker fitted them and child seats where the vehicle was built for themOrdinance 2018-01: eye protection for everyone aboard an OHV without a full windshieldOrdinance 2018-01: no more occupants than the vehicle was designed and built forOrdinance 2018-01: helmets for operators and passengers under eighteenOrdinance 2018-01: all traffic laws that apply to motor vehiclesOrdinance 2018-01: no owner may let an unlicensed person under sixteen drive

Sedgwick County To confirm

Julesburg appears to open its streets to registered golf carts and OHVs, but its code no longer opens online and no Sedgwick County road was found open.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Julesburg. Municode's search index shows Chapter 10.06, from Ordinance No. 12-433 of 9 January 2012, letting registered golf carts and OHVs run on town roads and streets with exceptions. The code page now redirects to the town's site, which returns not found, so the text was not read. Julesburg Code Chapter 10.06, Ordinance No. 12-433 of 9 January 2012, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Ovid. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
  • To confirm Sedgwick. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Sedgwick County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Summit County To confirm

No Summit County act opening county roads to OHVs was found, and the Forest Service says OHVs are not permitted on Boreas Pass Road, County Road 10.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Breckenridge. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Frisco. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Dillon. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Silverthorne. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Blue River. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Montezuma. The town's code was not read in this pass.
  • To confirm Keystone. The town's code was not read in this pass.

County roads To confirm

No county act opening roads to OHVs turned up. The Forest Service's Dillon district page says OHVs are not permitted on County Road 10, Boreas Pass Road.

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Teller County Some routes

Cripple Creek and Victor open their streets to OHVs, and Teller County opens five short county road links to Forest Service roads.

In town Some

County roads Some

Five stretches for trail connectivity: County Road 3 from County Road 51 for 5.6 miles to Forest Service Road 367; County Road 33 from County Road 3 west 1.18 miles to Forest Service Road 360.A; County Road 33 from County Road 51 for 2.43 miles to Forest Service Road 367; County Road 51 from Forest Service Road 363 for 0.85 mile to County Road 3; County Road 78 from Forest Service Road 357 west 0.2 mile to Forest Service Road 340.B. Teller County Ordinance No. 19, adopted 13 April 2017, effective 26 May 2017, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Teller County, Ordinance No. 19: the state OHV regulations, 2 CCR 405-5 Chapter P-5; single file; keep right; posted speed limits; yield and pull over for motor vehiclesCripple Creek, Chapter 8 Article 5: a valid driver's licence from any state; 25 mph at most unless signed; proof of insurance with the vehicle; no three wheelers; C.R.S. 33-14.5 compliance and its equipment; a windshield or eye protection; a seat belt for each occupant of a side by side; a helmet for passengers under 16; a footrest and handhold for each passenger; brake lights; accidents reported to police and to CPW within 48 hoursVictor, Chapter 8 Article 3: a slow moving vehicle emblem or a red flag 5 to 7 feet up; headlights, tail lights and turn signals from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise; belts where standard; a seat for every passenger; liability insurance in possession; never 10 pm to 5 am; state registration, licensing and insurance

Washington County To confirm

Akron appears to allow ATVs and UTVs on town streets by a newer ordinance that could not be read, and no Washington County road was found open.

In town To confirm

  • To confirm Akron. The codified code on American Legal opens town streets to golf cars only, off CO 63 and US 34. The town's former website carried Ordinance 600 on golf car, ATV and UTV operations with a matching permit form. Search excerpts show they add ATVs and UTVs inside town limits. Both files now redirect to the new town site and Ordinance 600 was not read. Akron Ordinance 600, not read; Akron Code Title 7 Chapter 4, Ordinance 519 of 3 November 2014, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Otis. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Washington County's own records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Weld County Towns only

Keenesburg and Milliken open their own streets to OHVs and UTVs, most other Weld towns keep them off and the county code opens no county road.

In town Some

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. The Weld County Charter and County Code, Supplement 96 online 8 October 2026, was searched and names no OHV route. Weld County Charter and County Code, read 28 October 2026

State highways Crossings only

Keenesburg, Chapter 8 Article V: a driver's licence in possession; an insurance policy under C.R.S. 10-4-601; safety belts where fitted and a child restraint where the vehicle supports one; eye protection unless a helmet visor or windshield; no more occupants than designed; a helmet under 18; Title 42 traffic rules; 25 mph at mostMilliken, Chapter 8 Article V: private non-commercial UTVs only, 30 to 70 inches wide with side by side seats, a steering wheel and 350 cc or more; CPW registration with decals; operator 21 or older with a driver's licence; 7 am to 10 pm; proof of insurance in the vehicle at 25,000 one person, 50,000 all persons and 15,000 property; the lesser of the posted limit or 35 mph; a seat belt for every occupant; a helmet for passengers under 18; wipers with a windshield or eye protection without one; turn signals, headlamp, red tail lamp with brake light, rear reflectors, brakes and a CPW muffler, horn and rear view mirror; no town trails

Yuma County Towns only

Wray opens its streets to UTVs by police permit, the city of Yuma does not and no Yuma County road was found open.

In town Some

County roads Closed

No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. Yuma County's Municode entry holds no code and the county's records were not read.

State highways Crossings only

Wray, 10.29.010: UTVs by written police permit only, 1 January to 31 December, with a city decal or flag; a driver's licence carried; proof of state law compliance; sunrise to sunset only; no phones; the posted limit; Model Traffic Code insurance plus a general liability policy of 100,000 per person and 500,000 per incident; headlamp, red tail lamp, rear mirror, horn, brakes and a Forest Service spark arrestor; a police inspection; a safety flag eight feet from the ground

Engines and EPA

Why the engine decides which truck comes in.

The same three facts hold in Colorado and every other state.

The 25 year truck

It comes in on age

A 25 year old kei truck in original configuration clears both agencies on age. No Registered Importer and no Independent Commercial Importer is needed.

EPA's provision asks only that the truck is in its original configuration with the same model of engine it left the factory with.

40 CFR 85.1511(f)(2)eCFR, read 28 October 2026

The newer truck

EPA asks for a certified engine

A newer kei truck comes in as nonroad equipment, permanently modified so its top speed is 25 mph or less, with its engine covered by an EPA certificate of conformity before it reaches US Customs. The governor stays for the life of the truck, and removing it is tampering, a federal offense.

Mini-trucks, importing used motor vehicles as nonroad vehiclesEPA, read 28 October 2026

Engine size

Why 30 kilowatts decides a newer truck's engine

EPA sorts nonroad gasoline engines by maximum power, not size. Every kei engine is under 1,000 cc, so an engine of 30 kW or less may certify to the small engine standards, and 30 kW is the line that decides. Today's stock kei engines are rated above it, and a speed governor does not lower an engine's maximum power.

Every kei engine family EPA has certified for mini trucks is a lower power certified configuration, between 14.46 and 29.9 kW, under part 90 or part 1054. A certified mini truck engine is that configuration, not the stock engine.

40 CFR 1054.1, the small engine ruleseCFR, read 28 October 2026Small nonroad spark ignition engine certificatesEPA, read 28 October 2026

Colorado, the five answers

Road, title, land, inspection and what is next.

The roadCan I drive it on the road?

Colorado made kei vehicles a legal road class in 2025 and title and registration open on 1 January 2028.

  • Until 1 January 2028 the DMV says kei vehicles are not legal to title or register for on-highway use.
  • From 1 January 2028 a kei vehicle may be titled, registered and driven on roads with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour or less.
  • A kei vehicle may never be driven on a limited-access highway.
  • The class covers an imported vehicle with an enclosed cab on four or more tires, 67 inches wide or less, 140 inches long or less, with a top speed of at least 50 miles per hour.
  • Power is a combustion engine of 1,000 cc or less or an electric motor of 56 kW or less.
  • The vehicle must have been 25 years old or older when imported or be 25 years old or older with a prior US title.

C.R.S. 42-1-102(45.3) as enacted by HB25-1281, 2025 Session Laws chapter 176, sections 3 and 13

The road ruledmv.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026

TitleHow do I title and register it?

A kei truck cannot be titled for the road in Colorado before 1 January 2028. The DMV says it will publish the registration process closer to that date.

The steps

  1. Before 2028 keep the truck on private land, the farm or the ranch.
  2. From 1 January 2028 apply for title and registration at the county motor vehicle office under the kei vehicle class, following the process the DMV publishes.
  3. Expect VIN verification at first Colorado title. Where an emissions test applies, the act sets a two-speed idle test.

The documents

  • Proof of ownership with a complete chain from the Japanese export record to the buyer
  • Federal entry papers showing the truck was imported at 25 years or older
  • VIN verification
  • The kei specific documents the DMV publishes before 1 January 2028

Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, title and registration through the county motor vehicle office

Title and registrationdmv.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026

Read from a secondary source or an older page. Confirm it with the office before you rely on it.

LandCan I use it on a farm or private land?

Colorado Parks and Wildlife registers off-highway vehicles that run on public land and trails. A vehicle used strictly on private property or strictly for agriculture needs no OHV registration.

Class. Today no class fits cleanly. Colorado's OHV class covers vehicles designed primarily for use off public highways for recreation and leaves out motor vehicles and vehicles designed for farm, logging or mining work. From 1 January 2028 an imported kei truck that fails the 25 year test is a kei off-road vehicle, which the law lists as an off-highway vehicle.

Registration. None for use strictly on private property or strictly for agriculture under C.R.S. 33-14.5-102(6). Public land and trail use needs Colorado Parks and Wildlife OHV registration if the truck is accepted as an OHV.

Off road usecolorado.public.law, read 28 October 2026

Read from a secondary source or an older page. Confirm it with the office before you rely on it.

On the farm

An off-highway vehicle used strictly for agricultural purposes is exempt from OHV registration. The DMV also gives a no surety bond path to an ownership record for an OHV owned by an agricultural producer and used strictly for agriculture.

Farm usedmv.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026

Read from a secondary source or an older page. Confirm it with the office before you rely on it.

InspectionWhat inspection or insurance applies?

Safety. HB25-1281 bars the Department of Revenue and the State Patrol from requiring an inspection because a vehicle is a kei vehicle and from declaring it not roadworthy for its kei design.

Emissions. From 2028 a kei vehicle that must pass emissions takes a two-speed idle test in place of a dynamometer test, measured against the standards for its model year.

Inspectionleg.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026

Insurance. HB25-1281 adds kei vehicles to the motor vehicle definition in Colorado's auto insurance law, so from 2028 a kei vehicle carries the liability insurance Colorado requires of every motor vehicle.

Insurancecontent.leg.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026

NextWhat is coming?

HB25-1281 takes effect.

1 July 2027

The bill or ruleleg.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026

The act applies to applications submitted on or after this date, so kei title, registration and road use open.

1 January 2028

The bill or rulecontent.leg.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026

The DMV publishes the kei registration process.

Before 1 January 2028

The bill or ruledmv.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026

Questions

Asked about Colorado.

When does the Colorado kei law start?

HB25-1281 takes effect on 1 July 2027 and applies to applications submitted on or after 1 January 2028. The DMV opens title and registration for kei vehicles from 1 January 2028, so a 25 year truck can be titled for roads posted 55 miles per hour or less from that day. A kei vehicle must be able to reach at least 50 miles per hour, so a truck governed below that titles in the kei off-road class instead.

Can I drive a kei truck on Colorado roads today?

No. The Colorado DMV says kei vehicles cannot be titled or registered for on-highway use until 1 January 2028. Until then the truck works on private land.

Which roads open in 2028?

Roads with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour or less. Limited-access highways stay closed to kei vehicles.

Which trucks qualify for the kei class?

An imported vehicle with an enclosed cab on four or more tires, no wider than 67 inches and no longer than 140 inches, with a top speed of at least 50 miles per hour and an engine of 1,000 cc or less. It must have been 25 years old when imported or be 25 years old now with a prior US title.

Do I need to register it to use it on my ranch?

No. Colorado requires no OHV registration for a vehicle used strictly on private property or strictly for agriculture.

Will an emissions test apply in 2028?

Where a kei vehicle must pass emissions, the law sets a two-speed idle test against the standards for the truck's model year, not a dynamometer test.

What about a truck 25 years or older?

It is a kei vehicle. From 1 January 2028 it titles and registers for roads with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour or less. It may cross a faster road at an at-grade intersection and never uses a limited-access highway.

What about a newer truck imported as off-road equipment?

From 1 January 2028 Colorado names it a kei off-road vehicle, an off-highway vehicle titled at the county office and registered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife for public land and trails. It runs on roads only where a state agency or a city or county opens them to off-highway vehicles. On private property or in strictly agricultural use it needs no OHV registration.

Upgrades

Upgrades in Colorado.

Height and lift. No lift height number is set, but driving with the front or rear suspension changed from the maker design is barred unless it follows department specifications (42-4-233). Headlamp centers must be 24 to 54 inches high (42-4-205).

Tires and fenders. Splash guards are required but not on a registered truck with an empty weight of 10,000 pounds or less (42-4-1407.5). Tread under two thirty-seconds of an inch makes a tire unsafe (42-4-228). No maximum tire size or fender trimming rule found.

Lights. Up to two fog lamps at 12 to 30 and two driving lamps at 16 to 42 inches (42-4-212). Four front lamps at most lit at once (42-4-219). No red or blue front light (42-4-238). Yellow warning lamps are reserved for authorized service vehicles (42-4-214).

Modification and inspection. No inspection, retitle or notice rule found for a suspension change, larger tires or lamps. A vehicle materially altered by removing, adding or substituting essential parts is reconstructed (42-1-102). A reconstructed commercial vehicle needs a vehicle identification number inspection before titling (42-5-202). (Unsure.)

From the upgrades chapter of Mini Truck Roadbook, the 2026 to 2027 edition, with the statute after each rule. A rule marked (Unsure.) rests on a source the book could not read in full.

Getting it there

Where Colorado's truck comes ashore.

From the nearest port where a sailing from Japan is on record. Road miles are an estimate, the straight line times 1.2, not a routed drive.

Nearest port with a sailing from Japan on record

Port of Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the California door. Three container services sail from Kobe, Nagoya, Tokyo and Yokohama to San Pedro, and from there I-10 runs east to Phoenix and Texas, I-15 climbs north to Las Vegas and Utah and I-40 leaves Barstow for the middle of the country.

The road. I-10 to Las Cruces, New Mexico, then I-25 into Colorado, read from the federal route log, not a routed drive.

about 1,000 road miles, straight line times 1.2

Sources

Every source read, 28 October 2026

The public record of Colorado as read on 28 October 2026, not legal advice. Every kei truck pays the 25 percent truck duty, the chicken tax, whatever its age.

Dealers near you

Mini truck sellers for Colorado.

This is a guide. We do not import, sell, source or broker vehicles. We are not a registered importer, customs broker or dealer.

Nobody below pays to be listed. They are read from the public record, and we have not tested their trucks or checked their paperwork.

Listed, not affiliated

Mile Hi Mini Trucks

Commerce City

Newer Daihatsu Hijet HD Dump and Deck Van trucks of model years 2024 to 2026, described as brand new, sold as off road vehicles. Its brands page says it sells pre-owned through current new model years.

milehighminitrucks.com720 354 6590

Read 28 October 2026Send a correction

Listed, not affiliated

KeiCraze Customs

Windsor

Honda Acty kei trucks and vans of 2000 and older, imported under the 25 year rule, sold as is or customized.

keicrazecustoms.com970 988 5588

Read 28 October 2026Send a correction

Listed, not affiliated

US Mini Trucks

Glenwood Springs

Its banner says it is no longer selling complete trucks. It sells Honda and Subaru mini truck parts and offers service. Its earlier trucks were 25 year Honda Acty and Subaru Sambar imports.

usminitrucks.com

Read 28 October 2026Send a correction

Listed, not affiliated

JPM Mini Trucks

Miami, Florida

25 year trucks of 1991 to 2001 and newer trucks of 2024 and 2025 in its USA stock, plus Japan and Australia stock.

jpmminitrucks.com321 666 1462

Read 28 October 2026Send a correction

Listed, not affiliated

Oiwa

Long Beach, California

A direct import service for kei trucks from Japanese auctions, with a kei parts store. It does not usually hold trucks for sale.

oiwa.co562 661 8859

Read 28 October 2026Send a correction

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Neighbouring states.

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