Colorado No Chase Law
Agency discretion
Does Colorado have a no-chase law? No — Colorado has no statewide law restricting police pursuits. Each department sets its own chase policy.
What governs pursuits in Colorado
C.R.S. § 18-9-116.5 (vehicular eluding, criminal penalty only)
No statewide statute restricts when Colorado police may initiate a pursuit; C.R.S. 18-9-116.5 only criminalizes a driver's reckless eluding (class 3-5 felony depending on injury/death), it does not limit officer pursuit authority. Pursuit decisions are set by each department's own policy (e.g., Denver PD, Colorado Springs PD, Colorado State Patrol each have separate written pursuit policies). In 2025 advocates pushed for statewide reform after high-profile crashes, but no restrictive statute has passed as of Aug 2026.
Will police chase a motorcycle in Colorado?
No statewide law addresses motorcycles specifically. Whether police pursue a motorcycle is up to the individual department's pursuit policy and officer discretion, weighing rider/public safety, similar to any other vehicle pursuit decision.
No US state has a literal law forbidding officers from chasing motorcycles. What riders call a "no-chase law" is nearly always a department policy that tells officers to break off a pursuit when the danger to the public outweighs the arrest — and fleeing remains a crime in Colorado regardless. See the state-by-state motorcycle guide for how this works everywhere.
Sources
- cldg.legal/laws/eluding-an-officer/
- public.powerdms.com/FORTCOLLINS/documents/1169780
- 9news.com/article/news/investigations/denver-police-pursuit-policy/73-343774887
Verified as of August 2026. Department policies can change without notice — check the agency's published policy for current break-off criteria.