Page 34 - Law

Old Colorado Almanac - page 31
law

*Links to:* Colorado Laws – State statutes Colorado Regulations – Regulations issued by State government agencies


	Purchase Colorado Legal Forms Power of Attorney, Bill of Sale, Promissory Note, Rental Application, Lease Agreement, Will and more

Selected Colorado Statutes

*Important:* The listing below briefly summarizes selected statutes. The summaries are highly simplified and we don't guarantee their accuracy. We wouldn't rely on this almanac for legal decision-making (by the same token, we wouldn't go to a law office for almanac information).
Marriage (Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 14, Article 10)
	Common-law marriages recognized?	Yes
	Minimum legal age for marrying:	16 with parental consent, 18 without.
	Blood tests required?	Yes
	Waiting period before getting license?	No
	Waiting period after getting license?	No
	Community property state?	No, Colorado is a "common law" state, meaning income shared by spouses is not usually treated as if each spouse earned half of it unless each spouse actually did earn half.

Divorce (Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 14, Article 10)
	Grounds for annulment:	Mental incapacity, intoxication, not-of-age, sexual impotence, fraud, force, duress, marriage was in jest or on dare.
	Grounds for divorce:	Irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.
	Time of residence required before initiating divorce proceedings:	90 days (by one spouse).
	Grounds for separation:	Any ground authorizing divorce.
Wills and Probate (Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 15, Article 11)
	Minimum age for making a will:	18
	Holographic (handwritten) wills allowed?	Yes
	Number of witnesses required for a will:	2
	Designation of nonprobate transfer-on-death beneficiary allowed on:
	Investment or bank account?	Yes
	Real estate deed (beneficiary deed)?	Yes
	Automobile title?	No
	Intestate succession (order of inheritance without a will):	In descending order - spouse, children, parents, brothers/sisters.
Statutes on Miscellaneous Topics
	Cooling-off rule for in-home purchases:	Can cancel a contract to purchase merchandise of more than $25 if: 1) bought on credit other than with a credit card, 2) the contract was made in your home, 3) you did not have any previous negotiation about the sale in a business establishment, and 4) you notify seller in writing within 3 days after you sign the contract that you want to cancel the contract. If you agree to use your home as credit security for a purchase, it is not necessary to make the contract in your home to exercise your right to cancel and the credit contract must be for more than $1,000 (typical example would be for remodeling expenses). (Uniform Commercial Code)
	Real estate leases:	Must be in writing if for more than a year.
	Recording of in-state telephone calls:	Only one-party consent is required for recording (the party can be the caller).
	Highway speed limits:	Speed limits posted on certain state highways are “presumed” speed limits (rather than “absolute” speed limits) and driving faster than the posted limit where the speed limit is only "presumed" may be allowed if it’s safe to do so.
	Drinking while driving:	Law passed in 2005 prohibits open-container while driving in Colorado
	Labor unions:	Colorado is not a "right to work" state, meaning a worker is generally required to join the union in a unionized workplace.
	Sales tax on internet sales:	No sales tax is collected by seller unless both seller and customer are in Colorado.
	State usury rate (maximum allowed interest rate) for credit card accounts:	21% per annum (An out-of-state card issuer is subject to their state’s usury rate; consequently, Colorado has no large credit card issuers because its usury rate is lower than many other states).
	Water rights:	“Prior appropriation” (first in time/first in right), meaning the first water user gains the right to use of water, rather than the riparian water rights system used in eastern, wetter states where water use is assumed to be the right of a landowner as long as other landowners are not harmed.
	Water courts:	Colorado may be the only state that has a water court (a court whose main purpose is to resolve disputes over water rights).