New Colorado Inoperable Vehicle law

[SteveH]

Am I the only one who didn't see this?

The Vehicle Registration and Certificate of Title law (HB22-1388) went into effect on March 1, 2023.

Inoperable Vehicles | Department of Revenue - Motor Vehicle

A new law (House Bill 22-1388) requires owners of an inoperable vehicle undergoing maintenance, repair, restoration, rebuilding, or renovation, to pay an annual specific ownership tax (SOT). Upon payment, the owner will receive a decal as proof of payment which needs to be placed on the...

dmv.colorado.gov

 

[DaveInDenver]

I'd never heard of it either.

 

[RayRay27]

State of Colorado

Me

 

[RDub]

So…if one follows the rules and submits the special form and receives the glorious decal, does that now put the vehicle into some weird category that requires more than just an emissions test (for those of us in that zone)? The faqs talk about needing some sort of inspection by something called a P.O.S.T. certified person. I may just be dense, but anyone know wtf that means?

 

[DaveInDenver]

@RDub P.O.S.T. I believe means a police officer or State Trooper. I think the presumption is inoperable probably means under reconstruction so a road worthiness inspection actually kind of makes sense. Emissions, that I don't know. I think it might bite someone who lets a collector plate lapse.

 

[RDub]

Ah. That’s simple enough. Thanks.

Not sure what sort of inspection that requires. Maybe just a VIN verification?

 

[MountainGoat]

Pay
Or
Shut
The

f-up

Just my educated guess.

 

[DaveInDenver]

P.O.S.T. in Colorado refers to Peace Officer Standards and Training. It's a fancy name for the police academy.

Home | Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training

post.colorado.gov

 

[RDub]

Thanks, @DaveInDenver. The form has several options to choose from regarding why it’s inoperable. Maintenance, restoration, rebuilding, reconstruction…not sure how they all differ, at least other than maintenance. At least there is a way to officially avoid late fees and back reg fees.

 

[Hulk]

If your vehicle is from 1975 or older, or otherwise eligible for Collector Status, you can use the Inoperable Collector’s Item Registration. Cost is $3.25.

I think this is stupid but at $3.25, I'm not inclined to argue with great vigor.

 

[nakman]

How much revenue actually comes from this? enough to offset the cost of the program? unclear on what issue this is trying to solve here.

 

[ScaldedDog]

Solutions don't need a problem around here.

Mark

 

[LARGEONE]

At least they were honest with this one and called it a Tax (not a sneaky ”fee”!

But really…this is stupid! It’s just one more reason why you see so many fake temp tags driving around.

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

One step closer to Comifornia
They do this there to, it a “non-op” status.

 

[nuclearlemon]

so, if you buy an inop rig and just don't register it in your name, how would they know you have it? or is it like commiefornia where the p.o. is responsible for registration until the rig is sold, so they'll go and show you bought the rig on such-&-such date?

going thru that now with a camper my bro and sis-in-law gave me. they want me to sign paperwork that the vehicle is out of their possession and register it in my name asap because even though it never left their property (it was a home for a caretaker), they had to plate and insure it every year. f the gov't!

 

[gr8fulabe]

Legally you are supposed to transfer title on a vehicle in something like 48-72 hours (weekends excluded). Assuming you follow the law, they l ow when you bought the vehicle. You can go this route, and avoid most fees, or you can skip this and pay all fees due for the vehicle as if it had been on the road, for the ensuing years that you weren’t driving it. Seems like a win to me, to avoid all those taxes/fees when you weren’t using the car.

 

[DaveInDenver]

so, if you buy an inop rig and just don't register it in your name, how would they know you have it? or is it like commiefornia where the p.o. is responsible for registration until the rig is sold, so they'll go and show you bought the rig on such-&-such date?

going thru that now with a camper my bro and sis-in-law gave me. they want me to sign paperwork that the vehicle is out of their possession and register it in my name asap because even though it never left their property (it was a home for a caretaker), they had to plate and insure it every year. f the gov't!

I guess I don't see the whole thing clearly. Transfer of title shows ownership. Although not all states issue titles for trailers, so might not apply in your case but does in Colorado. Getting the plates is a separate step that this I guess substitutes.

I dunno that I see exactly who benefits, is harmed or what is good or bad. As it is if you have a license plate that you let lapse it's $25 per month up to max of $100 late fee. If this sticker is a few Dollars per year so that's cheaper if you know it's gonna take a while to fix.

But at the end when you get the vehicle going again with the late fee there's no need for a road worthy check or any of that.

I dunno. Ultimately I suspect Mark is mainly on it. Solutions looking for problems to solve.

The only thing I can think is there's enough old vehicles sitting that could be put back into service and the DMV wants to know about them. You know, carb'd vehicles with points and thick sheet metal that are hard to shut down remotely but could get running again on old Coleman fuel.

 

[nuclearlemon]

I guess I don't see the whole thing clearly. Transfer of title shows ownership. Although not all states issue titles for trailers, so might not apply in your case but does in Colorado. Getting the plates is a separate step that this I guess substitutes.

sorry, million things going on in my head right now...i meant if you don't title it. in the case of my bro and sister in law, they have to prove to the state of commiefornia that they no longer own the camper.

 

[Cruisertrash]

@nakman Possible conspiracy theory: EV automakers are supporting our politicians with campaign donations, who in turn make laws to suit their financiers. The more old junk off the road, and in conjunction with EV tax incentives (which they got people hooked on and are slowly phasing out), the more people will buy new EVs. Hurray for supporting third world warlords enslaving children to mine lithium at gunpoint!!!! What a victory for everybody! I doubt the Salton Sea mining project will ever come to fruition, it'll get NIMBY'd to death in CA. At the very least it's an effort to push folks towards buying or leasing new vehicles so sales numbers stay high. Because sales is more important than vehicle longevity or quality. Nobody is a manufacturer anymore; every company is a sales company (that may happen to manufacture stuff to sell).

This is already done in California, so maybe a post on Mud to tie in some California folks would help us understand some better ways to navigate this.

@Hulk good find on the Collector Vehicle form.

 

[LARGEONE]

The problem is the Government should not have any control over what I have sitting in my yard and not on OUR roadways.

LEGALIZE FREEDOM