Colorado § 44-10-901 - Suspension - revocation - fines.

§ 44-10-901. Suspension - revocation - fines.

(1) In addition to any other sanctions prescribed by this article 10 or rules promulgated pursuant to this article 10, the state licensing authority or local licensing authority has the power, on its own motion or on complaint, after investigation and opportunity for a public hearing at which the licensee must be afforded an opportunity to be heard, to fine a licensee or to suspend or revoke a license issued by the authority for a violation by the licensee or by any of the agents or employees of the licensee of the provisions of this article 10, or any of the rules promulgated pursuant to this article 10, or of any of the terms, conditions, or provisions of the license issued by the state or local licensing authority. The state or local licensing authority has the power to administer oaths and issue subpoenas to require the presence of persons and the production of papers, books, and records necessary to the determination of a hearing that the state or local licensing authority is authorized to conduct.

(2) The state or local licensing authority shall provide notice of suspension, revocation, fine, or other sanction, as well as the required notice of the hearing pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, by mailing the same in writing to the licensee at the address contained in the license and, if different, at the last address furnished to the authority by the licensee. Except in the case of a summary suspension, a suspension is not for a period longer than six months. If a license is suspended or revoked, a part of the fees paid therefor are not returned to the licensee. Any license, registration, or permit may be summarily suspended by the issuing authority without notice pending any prosecution, investigation, or public hearing pursuant to the terms of section 24-4-104 (4). Nothing in this section prevents the summary suspension of a license pursuant to section 24-4-104 (4). Each patient registered with a medical marijuana store that has had its license summarily suspended may immediately transfer his or her primary store to another licensed medical marijuana store.

(3) (a) Whenever a decision of the state or local licensing authority suspending a license for fourteen days or less becomes final, the licensee may, before the operative date of the suspension, petition for permission to pay a fine in lieu of having the license suspended for all or part of the suspension period. Upon the receipt of the petition, the state or local licensing authority may, in its sole discretion, stay the proposed suspension and cause any investigation to be made that it deems desirable and may, in its sole discretion, grant the petition if the state or local licensing authority is satisfied that:

(I) The public welfare would not be impaired by permitting the licensee to operate during the period set for suspension and that the payment of the fine will achieve the desired disciplinary purposes;

(II) The books and records of the licensee are kept in such a manner that the loss of sales that the licensee would have suffered had the suspension gone into effect can be determined with reasonable accuracy; and

(III) The licensee has not had his or her license suspended or revoked, nor had any suspension stayed by payment of a fine, during the two years immediately preceding the date of the motion or complaint that resulted in a final decision to suspend the license or permit.

(b) The fine accepted must be not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one hundred thousand dollars.

(c) Payment of a fine pursuant to the provisions of this subsection (3) must be in the form of cash or in the form of a certified check or cashier's check made payable to the state or local licensing authority, whichever is appropriate.

(4) Upon payment of the fine pursuant to subsection (3) of this section, the state licensing authority shall enter its further order permanently staying the imposition of the suspension. Fines paid to the state licensing authority pursuant to subsection (3) of this section are transmitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the general fund.

(5) In connection with a petition pursuant to subsection (3) of this section, the authority of the state or local licensing authority is limited to the granting of such stays as are necessary for the authority to complete its investigation and make its findings and, if the authority makes such findings, to the granting of an order permanently staying the imposition of the entire suspension or that portion of the suspension not otherwise conditionally stayed.

(6) If the state or local licensing authority does not make the findings required in subsection (3)(a) of this section and does not order the suspension permanently stayed, the suspension goes into effect on the operative date finally set by the state or local licensing authority.

(7) Each local licensing authority shall report all actions taken to impose fines, suspensions, and revocations to the state licensing authority in a manner required by the state licensing authority. No later than January 15 of each year, the state licensing authority shall compile a report of the preceding year's actions in which fines, suspensions, or revocations were imposed by the state licensing authority. The state licensing authority shall file one copy of the report with the chief clerk of the house of representatives, one copy with the secretary of the senate, and six copies in the joint legislative library.

Source: L. 2019: Entire article added with relocations, (SB 19-224), ch. 315, p. 2929, § 5, effective January 1, 2020.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former §§ 44-12-601 and 44-11-601 as they existed prior to 2020.