Colorado § 42-12-202 - Assignment of a special vehicle identification number by the department.

§ 42-12-202. Assignment of a special vehicle identification number by the department.

The department may assign a special vehicle identification number to any street-rod vehicle whenever required by section 42-12-203 and to any vehicle or commercial vehicle whenever no vehicle identification number is found on the vehicle or whenever a vehicle identification number has been removed, changed, altered, or obliterated. The special number must be affixed to the vehicle or commercial vehicle in the manner and position determined by the department. The special number is the vehicle identification number required to be recorded by an inspector on the inspection form that is transmitted to the department, which shall register and title the motor vehicle using the special vehicle identification number.

Source: L. 2011: Entire article amended with relocations, (SB 11-031), ch. 86, p. 236, § 1, effective August 10.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 42-5-205 as it existed prior to 2011.

ANNOTATION

Annotator's note. The following annotations include cases decided prior to the 2011 amendment to this article.

The provisions of this section are not inconsistent with § 42-5-102 (2), by which the general assembly intended to prohibit intentional alteration of identification numbers. People v. Sequin, 199 Colo. 381, 609 P.2d 622 (1980); People v. Rautenkranz, 641 P.2d 317 (Colo. App. 1982).

Court's determination in motion for return of seized vehicle. In a motion for return of a seized vehicle, the trial court must determine whether the obliteration or alteration of the vehicle identification number was intentional, in which case § 42-5-102 (2) would govern and the vehicle would be subject to forfeiture as contraband, or whether the obliteration or alteration was unintentional, in which case the vehicle would not be contraband and should be released to the owner. People v. Rautenkranz, 641 P.2d 317 (Colo. App. 1982).