Colorado Revised Statutes: How to Read and Cite C.R.S.

What are the Colorado Revised Statutes?

The Colorado Revised Statutes, or C.R.S., are what the Colorado General Assembly describes as its codified general and permanent statutes. Codified means organized by subject rather than by the year a law passed. Bills passed each session are published as Session Laws, and most of them add, amend or repeal sections of the C.R.S.

The Office of Legislative Legal Services (OLLS), the legislature's legal staff, edits the laws enacted each session, with annotations, and publishes the statutes every year. Its 2026 edition is current with changes made through the 2026 regular session.

Statutes are one layer of Colorado law. The U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution sit above them. State agencies write rules under authority the legislature delegates, cities and counties adopt local laws, and courts decide what all of these mean in real cases.

How C.R.S. titles, articles and sections work

A C.R.S. number has three parts joined by hyphens. Take 6-1-105:

Title 6 is the broad subject, here Consumer and Commercial Affairs. Titles run from 1 to 44, with a few inserted between, such as 25.5 and 26.5.
Article 1 is a narrower topic within the title, here the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. Articles can be inserted too, such as article 2.5.
Section 105 is the individual statute, here on unfair or deceptive trade practices. Sections added later get decimals, such as 6-1-105.5.
Subsections are the numbers and letters in parentheses, such as 6-1-105(1)(a), which point to one part of a section.

The Colorado State Library explains the same pattern with 24-90-201: title 24, Government – State; article 90, libraries; section 201. When you read a section, also check the definitions, which often have their own section near the start of the article, and the source note at the end, which lists the session laws that created or changed it.

Where to read Colorado laws free from official sources

Read and search online: the General Assembly's C.R.S. page links to the statutes hosted by LexisNexis, the state's current printer. The State Library notes that this version is free and searchable by keyword or citation.
Download: OLLS offers every title, the Colorado Constitution and the index in DOCX, PDF and HTM for personal use from its statutes page.
Printouts and certified copies: OLLS provides electronic copies of specified sections without charge, and certified copies for a fee. It does not research which sections apply to you.
Libraries: the printed set can be used at the State Library and at libraries across Colorado.

Many other websites republish the statutes. They can be handy, but their text may lag behind, and under Colorado's republishing rules (§ 2-5-118, C.R.S.) a republisher using the official data may not present its copy as the official statutes. When the exact wording matters, confirm it in the official sources above.

Statutes vs. regulations, local codes and court decisions

Searches for Colorado laws often mix four kinds of law. Knowing which one you need saves time:

Statutes (C.R.S.): the state's codified laws. They set the rule and often direct an agency to fill in the details.
Agency rules (Code of Colorado Regulations, or CCR): written by state agencies under authority the legislature delegates. The Colorado Secretary of State publishes them, along with the Colorado Register, which comes out twice a month with rulemaking notices, proposed rules and adopted rules. Fees, forms and licensing details often live here.
Municipal and county codes: cities, towns and counties adopt their own ordinances and resolutions, which apply only in that place. Look for them on the local government's website or ask its clerk.
Court decisions: the Colorado Supreme Court and Court of Appeals interpret statutes and rules. State law (§ 13-2-122, C.R.S.) requires their opinions to be published online, and the General Assembly links to them on the Judicial Branch's site.

Policy Lens, described near the end, searches the rules, court opinions and Session Laws side of this picture, but not the statute text itself.

How to find the current version and recent changes

Check which edition you are reading. The downloads and printed volumes are annual, and each edition is current only through a stated session.
Look up the current year's Session Laws. Each act is listed by bill number with its chapter, page and effective date, and links to its text.
For a bill you heard about, use the legislature's bill search by number, sponsor or keyword. Numbers look like HB26-1116 or SB26-080, and results show the latest action, such as the governor signing it.
Read the effective date, not just the signing date. An act can take effect well after it is signed, and some sections carry a scheduled repeal date in their own text.
Check the agency rules and recent court decisions that apply the section.

A change can appear in the Session Laws before it reaches the next annual edition of the statutes, so when timing matters, read both.

How to cite the Colorado Revised Statutes

There is more than one accepted style, so use the one your court, school or publication requires. The same section can be written several ways:

C.R.S. § 6-1-105: the common short form. The § sign means section.
§ 6-1-105, C.R.S. 2026: the form Colorado court opinions typically use, ending with the year of the edition.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 6-1-105 (2026): Bluebook style, common in law reviews and in courts outside Colorado.

Add the subsection when you mean only part of a section, as in § 6-1-105(1)(a). When you request a certified copy, OLLS asks for the section and the publication year, as in its example "section 1-1-101 C.R.S. 2025."

Colorado cases have their own format. Under Chief Justice Directive 12-01, published opinions since 2012 carry a public domain citation, such as the directive's illustrative Smith v. Jones, 2012 CO 22, ¶ 13 for the Supreme Court, or 2012 COA 35 for the Court of Appeals, with numbered paragraphs for pinpoints. The directive permits this format but does not require it.

General information, not legal advice

This guide explains how to find and read Colorado statutes; it is not legal advice. Reading a section is not the same as knowing how it applies to your situation: definitions, exceptions, deadlines, agency rules and court decisions can change the answer.

Colorado Legal Services offers free civil legal help to eligible low-income Coloradans and seniors, including help in Spanish.
The Colorado Judicial Branch publishes court forms and self-help resources.
For an agency rule, contact the agency that adopted it; the Secretary of State refers subject-matter questions there.
When a deadline, money, a license or your liberty is at stake, talk to a lawyer licensed in Colorado.

Where Policy Lens fits

Policy Lens is a search of Colorado public law that answers plain-language questions in English or Spanish, with no account, sign-in or paywall for the public search. It searches authority-separated collections, including current agency rules and the Colorado Register rulemaking record, enacted Session Laws, current published appellate opinions, Attorney General opinions, judicial rule changes, department guidance and manuals, and municipal and county jail sources.

Supported answers name the issuing authority and link to the official document; when the evidence is missing or thin, it withholds the answer and says what is missing. Know its limits for this topic. Policy Lens does not include the full text of the Colorado Revised Statutes, so use the official sources above to read a C.R.S. section.

Historical Session Laws are catalog records without full text, municipal sources were located for 128 of the 270 municipalities inventoried, and coverage is Colorado only. It is independent of the government and is not legal advice or an official determination. See what Policy Lens covers.

Frequently asked questions

Are the Colorado Revised Statutes free to read online?

Yes. The General Assembly links to a free LexisNexis-hosted version, and its legal staff office offers every title as a download for personal use. You do not need a paid legal database to read a section.

What does C.R.S. § 6-1-105 mean?

It points to title 6, article 1, section 105: Consumer and Commercial Affairs, the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, and its section on unfair or deceptive trade practices. The § sign means section.

What is the difference between Colorado statutes and regulations?

Statutes in the C.R.S. come from the legislative process. Regulations in the Code of Colorado Regulations are rules adopted by state agencies under authority those statutes give them, and the Secretary of State publishes them.

How do I know if a Colorado law changed this year?

Check the current year's Session Laws and the legislature's bill search, then read the effective date of any act that touches your section. Agency rules change on their own schedule, so check the Colorado Register too.

Can I read Colorado laws in Spanish?

The official statutes are published in English. Colorado Legal Services offers help in Spanish, and Policy Lens takes questions and shows results in Spanish, but official document titles stay in English and it does not include the statute text.

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Colorado Revised Statutes: How to Find, Read and Cite Colorado Laws