Traffic Stops
C.R.S. 42-2-115 — the license handed over on reasonable suspicion, and proof of insurance on paper or a phone
No one may drive a motor vehicle on a highway in Colorado without a current license or instruction permit in immediate possession.
Who handles this in Colorado: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Colorado directory.
- A driver who has the license on them may not refuse to take it out of a wallet or cover and hand it to an officer who reasonably suspects a traffic violation.
- After a crash, or on request at any lawful traffic contact, the owner or driver presents evidence of a complying insurance policy.
- That evidence includes the policy shown on a cell phone or other electronic device.
The Fourth Amendment sets limits on every stop, and the Supreme Court of the United States has drawn several of them. It has held that a stop is reasonable where the officer has probable cause to believe a traffic violation occurred, whatever the officer's actual motive; that an officer making a lawful stop may order the driver, and the passengers, out of the vehicle; that a passenger is seized by the stop and may challenge it; and that a stop may last no longer than its purpose requires, so it may not be extended for a dog sniff without separate reasonable suspicion. It has also held that consent to a search has to be voluntary, judged on all the circumstances, and that the prosecution does not have to prove the person knew they could refuse. Those holdings are a floor: a state's own constitution and statutes can give more protection than they do, never less.
Sources for this section (9)
- C.R.S. 42-2-101 — Licenses for drivers required - penalty - definition
- C.R.S. 42-2-115 — License, permit, or identification card to be exhibited on demand - penalty
- C.R.S. 42-4-1409 — Compulsory insurance - penalty - legislative intent
- Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806 (1996) — A traffic stop is reasonable when there is probable cause of a traffic violation
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms, 434 U.S. 106 (1977) — An officer may order the driver out of a lawfully stopped car
- Maryland v. Wilson, 519 U.S. 408 (1997) — An officer may order passengers out of a lawfully stopped car
- Brendlin v. California, 551 U.S. 249 (2007) — A passenger is seized by a traffic stop and may challenge it
- Rodriguez v. United States, 575 U.S. 348 (2015) — A stop may not be extended beyond its purpose to run a dog sniff
- Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218 (1973) — Consent to a search must be voluntary
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Colorado attorney.