Colorado statute
C.R.S. § 18-4-512 — Abandonment of a motor vehicle.
Current through 2025 Regular Session
Part of Part 5: TRESPASS, TAMPERING, AND CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, Colorado Revised Statutes.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of C.R.S. § 18-4-512
Statutory text current through the 2025 Regular Session. This is an officially sanctioned publication using the official text of the Colorado Revised Statutes; it is not the official statutes of the State of Colorado.
(1) Any person who abandons any motor vehicle upon a street, highway, right-of-way, or any other public property, or upon any private property without the express consent of the owner or person in lawful charge of that private property commits abandonment of a motor vehicle. (2) To "abandon" means to leave a thing with the intention not to retain possession of or assert ownership over it. The intent need not coincide with the act of leaving. (3) It is prima facie evidence of the necessary intent that: (a) The motor vehicle has been left for more than seven days unattended and unmoved; or (b) License plates or other identifying marks have been removed from the motor vehicle; or (c) The motor vehicle has been damaged or is deteriorated so extensively that it has value only for junk or salvage; or (d) The owner has been notified by a law enforcement agency to remove the motor vehicle, and it has not been removed within three days after notification. (4) Abandonment of a motor vehicle is a petty offense.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is abandonment of a motor vehicle a felony or a misdemeanor in Colorado?
Abandonment of a motor vehicle is a petty offense in Colorado under C.R.S. § 18-4-512.
Which Colorado statute covers abandonment of a motor vehicle?
Abandonment of a motor vehicle is governed by C.R.S. § 18-4-512 (Abandonment of a motor vehicle).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.