2016 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 24 - Government - State
Administration
Article 10 - Governmental Immunity
§ 24-10-103. Definitions

As used in this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Controlled agricultural burn" means a technique used in farming to clear the land of any existing crop residue, kill weeds and weed seeds, or to reduce fuel buildup and decrease the likelihood of a future fire.

(1.3) "Dangerous condition" means either a physical condition of a facility or the use thereof that constitutes an unreasonable risk to the health or safety of the public, which is known to exist or which in the exercise of reasonable care should have been known to exist and which condition is proximately caused by the negligent act or omission of the public entity or public employee in constructing or maintaining such facility. For the purposes of this subsection (1.3), a dangerous condition should have been known to exist if it is established that the condition had existed for such a period and was of such a nature that, in the exercise of reasonable care, such condition and its dangerous character should have been discovered. A dangerous condition shall not exist solely because the design of any facility is inadequate. The mere existence of wind, water, snow, ice, or temperature shall not, by itself, constitute a dangerous condition.

(1.5) "Health care practitioner" means a physician, dentist, clinical psychologist, or any other person acting at the direction or under the supervision or control of any such persons.

(2) "Injury" means death, injury to a person, damage to or loss of property, of whatsoever kind, which, if inflicted by a private person, would lie in tort or could lie in tort regardless of whether that may be the type of action or the form of relief chosen by a claimant.

(2.5) "Maintenance" means the act or omission of a public entity or public employee in keeping a facility in the same general state of repair or efficiency as initially constructed or in preserving a facility from decline or failure. "Maintenance" does not include any duty to upgrade, modernize, modify, or improve the design or construction of a facility.

(2.7) "Motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle as defined in section 42-1-102, C.R.S., and a light rail car or engine owned or leased by a public entity.

(3) (a) "Operation" means the act or omission of a public entity or public employee in the exercise and performance of the powers, duties, and functions vested in them by law with respect to the purposes of any public hospital, jail, or public water, gas, sanitation, power, or swimming facility. "Operation" does not include any duty to upgrade, modernize, modify, or improve the design or construction of a facility.

(b) The term "operation" shall not be construed to include:

(I) A failure to exercise or perform any powers, duties, or functions not vested by law in a public entity or employee with respect to the purposes of any public facility set forth in paragraph (a) of this subsection (3);

(II) A negligent or inadequate inspection or a failure to make an inspection of any property, except property owned or leased by the public entity, to determine whether such property constitutes a hazard to the health or safety of the public.

(3.5) "Prescribed fire" means the application of fire in accordance with a written prescription for vegetative fuels and excludes a controlled agricultural burn.

(4) (a) "Public employee" means an officer, employee, servant, or authorized volunteer of the public entity, whether or not compensated, elected, or appointed, but does not include an independent contractor or any person who is sentenced to participate in any type of useful public service. For the purposes of this subsection (4), "authorized volunteer" means a person who performs an act for the benefit of a public entity at the request of and subject to the control of such public entity and includes a qualified volunteer as defined in section 24-33.5-802 (9).

(b) "Public employee" includes any of the following:

(I) Any health care practitioner employed by a public entity, except for any health care practitioner who is employed on less than a full-time basis by a public entity and who additionally has an independent or other health care practice. Any such person employed on less than a full-time basis by a county or a district public health agency and who additionally has an independent or other health care practice shall maintain the status of a public employee only when such person engages in activities at or for the county or the district public health agency that are within the course and scope of such person's responsibilities as an employee of the county or the district public health agency. For purposes of this subparagraph (I), work performed as an employee of another public entity or of an entity of the United States government shall not be considered to be an independent or other health care practice.

(II) Any health care practitioner employed part-time by and holding a clinical faculty appointment at a public entity as to any injury caused by a health care practitioner-in-training under such health care practitioner's supervision. Any such person shall maintain the status of a public employee when such person engages in supervisory and educational activities over a health care practitioner-in-training at a nonpublic entity if said activities are within the course and scope of such person's responsibilities as an employee of a public entity.

(III) Any health care practitioner-in-training who is duly enrolled and matriculated in an educational program of a public entity and who is working at either a public entity or a nonpublic entity. Any such person shall maintain the status of a public employee when such person engages in professional or educational activities at a nonpublic entity if said activities are within the course and scope of such person's responsibilities as a student or employee of a public entity.

(IV) Any health care practitioner who is a nurse licensed under article 38 of title 12, C.R.S., employed by a public entity. Any such person shall maintain the status of a public employee only when such person engages in activities at or for the public entity which are within the course and scope of such person's responsibilities as an employee of the public entity.

(V) Any health care practitioner who volunteers services at or on behalf of a public entity, or who volunteers services as a participant in the community maternity services program;

(VI) Any release hearing officer utilized by the department of corrections and the state board of parole pursuant to section 17-2-217 (1), C.R.S. A release hearing officer shall maintain the status of a public employee only when the release hearing officer engages in activities that are within the course and scope of his or her responsibilities as a release hearing officer.

(VII) Any administrative hearing officer utilized by the department of corrections and the state board of parole pursuant to section 17-2-201 (3) (c) (I), C.R.S. An administrative hearing officer shall maintain the status of a public employee only when the administrative hearing officer engages in activities that are within the course and scope of his or her responsibilities as an administrative hearing officer.

(5) "Public entity" means the state, the judicial department of the state, any county, city and county, municipality, school district, special improvement district, and every other kind of district, agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision thereof organized pursuant to law and any separate entity created by intergovernmental contract or cooperation only between or among the state, county, city and county, municipality, school district, special improvement district, and every other kind of district, agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision thereof.

(5.5) "Public sanitation facility" means structures and related apparatus used in the collection, treatment, or disposition of sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature that is operated and maintained by a public entity. "Public sanitation facility" does not include: A public water facility; a natural watercourse even if dammed, channelized, or containing storm water runoff, discharge from a storm sewer, or discharge from a sewage treatment plant outfall; a drainage, borrow, or irrigation ditch even if the ditch contains storm water runoff or discharge from storm sewers; a curb and gutter system; or other drainage, flood control, and storm water facilities.

(5.7) "Public water facility" means structures and related apparatus used in the collection, treatment, or distribution of water for domestic and other legal uses that is operated and maintained by a public entity. "Public water facility" does not include: A public sanitation facility; a natural watercourse even if dammed, channelized, or used for transporting domestic water supplies; a drainage, borrow, or irrigation ditch even if dammed, channelized, or containing storm water runoff or discharge; or a curb and gutter system.

(6) "Sidewalk" means that portion of a public roadway between the curb lines or the lateral lines of the traveled portion and the adjacent property lines which is constructed, designed, maintained, and intended for the use of pedestrians.

(7) "State" means the government of the state; every executive department, board, commission, committee, bureau, and office; and every state institution of higher education, whether established by the state constitution or by law, and every governing board thereof. "State" does not include the judicial department, a county, municipality, city and county, school district, special district, or any other kind of district, instrumentality, political subdivision, or public corporation organized pursuant to law.