Colorado § 42-20-305 - Deviation from authorized route - penalty.

§ 42-20-305. Deviation from authorized route - penalty.

(1) No person shall transport hazardous materials by motor vehicle contrary to any route designation approved by the patrol pursuant to this part 3 unless such action is necessary to service a motor vehicle or to make a local pickup or delivery of hazardous materials or unless such action is so required by emergency conditions which would make continued use of authorized routes unsafe or by the closure of an authorized route pursuant to section 42-20-304, and, in such circumstances, the motor vehicle shall remain on authorized routes whenever possible and shall minimize the distance traveled on restricted routes. A person transporting hazardous materials by motor vehicle may make successive local pickups and deliveries without returning to the authorized route between each pickup or delivery when such return would be unreasonable. A person transporting hazardous materials shall not utilize residential streets unless there is no other reasonable route available to reach the destination.

(2) Any person who transports hazardous materials by motor vehicle in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of subsection (1) of this section commits a misdemeanor traffic offense and shall be assessed a penalty of five hundred dollars for each separate violation in accordance with the procedure set forth in section 42-20-105 (2). A person who commits a second or subsequent violation within a twelve-month period of transporting hazardous materials by motor vehicle in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of subsection (1) of this section commits a misdemeanor traffic offense and shall be issued a summons and complaint in accordance with the provisions of section 42-4-1707 (1) and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars.

(3) All penalties collected pursuant to this section by a state agency or by a court shall be transmitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the hazardous materials safety fund created in section 42-20-107.

(4) Every court having jurisdiction over offenses committed under subsection (2) of this section shall forward to the chief a record of the conviction of any person in said court for a violation of any said laws within forty-eight hours after such conviction. The term "conviction" means a final conviction.

Source: L. 94: Entire title amended with relocations, p. 2528, § 1, effective January 1, 1995. L. 2026: (2) amended, (SB 26-035), ch. 178, p. 1023, § 6, effective August 12.

Editor's note: (1) This section is similar to former § 43-6-305 as it existed prior to 1994.

(2) Section 8(2) of chapter 178 (SB 26-035), Session Laws of Colorado 2026, provides that the act changing this section applies to traffic infractions committed on or after August 12, 2026.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 26-035, see section 1 of chapter 178, Session Laws of Colorado 2026.