2016 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 42 - Vehicles and Traffic
Regulation of Vehicles and Traffic
Article 4 - Regulation of Vehicles and Traffic
Part 3 - Emissions Inspection
§ 42-4-305. Powers and duties of executive director - automobile inspection and readjustment program - basic emissions program - enhanced emissions program - clean screen program - rules

(1) (a) The executive director is authorized to issue, deny, cancel, suspend, or revoke licenses for, and shall furnish instructions to, inspection and readjustment stations, inspection-only facilities, fleet inspection stations, motor vehicle dealer test facilities, and enhanced inspection centers. The executive director shall provide all necessary forms for inspection and readjustment stations, inspection-only facilities, and fleet inspection stations. Motor vehicle dealer test facilities and enhanced inspection centers shall purchase necessary inspection forms from the vendor or vendors identified by the executive director. Said inspection and readjustment stations, inspection-only facilities, fleet inspection stations, motor vehicle dealer test facilities, and enhanced inspection centers shall be responsible for the issuance of certifications of emissions control. The executive director is authorized to furnish forms and instructions and issue or deny licenses to, or cancel, suspend, or revoke licenses of, emissions inspectors and emissions mechanics. The initial biennial fee for an inspection and readjustment station license, an inspection-only facility license, a fleet inspection station license, a motor vehicle dealer test facility license, and an enhanced inspection center authorization shall be thirty-five dollars, and the biennial renewal fee shall be twenty dollars. The initial biennial fee for issuance of an emissions inspector license or an emissions mechanic license shall be fifteen dollars, and the biennial renewal fee shall be ten dollars. The fee for each transfer of an emissions inspector license or an emissions mechanic license shall be ten dollars. The moneys received from such fees shall be deposited to the credit of the AIR account in the highway users tax fund, and such moneys shall be expended by the department of revenue only for the administration of the inspection and readjustment program upon appropriation by the general assembly.

(b) Notwithstanding the amount specified for any fee in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1), the executive director of the department by rule or as otherwise provided by law may reduce the amount of one or more of the fees if necessary pursuant to section 24-75-402 (3), C.R.S., to reduce the uncommitted reserves of the fund to which all or any portion of one or more of the fees is credited. After the uncommitted reserves of the fund are sufficiently reduced, the executive director of the department by rule or as otherwise provided by law may increase the amount of one or more of the fees as provided in section 24-75-402 (4), C.R.S.

(2) The executive director shall supervise the activities of licensed inspection and readjustment stations, inspection-only facilities, fleet inspection stations, motor vehicle dealer test facilities, authorized enhanced inspection centers, licensed emissions inspectors, and licensed emissions mechanics and shall cause inspections to be made of such stations, facilities, centers, inspectors, and mechanics and appropriate records for compliance with licensing requirements.

(3) The executive director shall require the surrender of any license issued under section 42-4-308 upon cancellation, suspension, or revocation action taken for a violation of any of the provisions of sections 42-4-301 to 42-4-316 or of any of the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto. In any such actions affecting licenses, the executive director may conduct hearings as a result of which such action is to be taken. Any such hearing may be conducted by a hearing officer appointed at the request of the executive director in accordance with the "State Administrative Procedure Act", article 4 of title 24, C.R.S., which shall govern the conduct of such hearings and action on said licenses, except as provided in section 42-4-312 (4).

(4) The executive director shall promulgate rules and regulations consistent with those of the commission for the administration and operation of inspection and readjustment stations, inspection-only facilities, fleet inspection stations, motor vehicle dealer test facilities, and enhanced inspection centers and for the issuance, identification, and use of certifications of emissions control and shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to the effectiveness of the automobile inspection and readjustment program.

(5) The executive director shall promulgate rules and regulations which require that each licensed inspection and readjustment station, inspection-only facility, or enhanced inspection center post in a clearly legible fashion in a conspicuous place in such station, facility, or center the fee charged by such station, facility, or center for performing an emissions inspection and, within the basic program area, the fee charged by any such inspection and readjustment station for performing the adjustments and any repairs required for the issuance of a certification of emissions waiver.

(6) (a) The executive director shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement an ongoing quality assurance program to discover, correct, and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse and to determine whether proper procedures are being followed, whether the emissions test equipment is calibrated as specified, and whether other problems exist which would impede the success of the program.

(b) (I) The department shall conduct overt performance audits as follows:

(A) At least twice per year at each inspection and readjustment station, inspection-only facility, and motor vehicle dealer test facility;

(B) At least twice per year at each fleet inspection station;

(C) At least twice per year for each test lane at each enhanced inspection center.

(II) In addition to regularly scheduled overt performance audits, the department may perform additional risk-based overt performance audits for stations and facilities employing inspectors or mechanics suspected of violating rules as a result of an audit, data analysis, or consumer complaint.

(c) (I) The department shall conduct covert audits using unmarked motor vehicles at least once per year per number of inspectors at each inspection-only facility and enhanced inspection center;

(II) In addition to regularly scheduled covert audits, the department may perform additional risk-based covert audits for stations and facilities employing inspectors or mechanics suspected of violating rules as a result of an audit, data analysis, or consumer complaint.

(d) Record audits to review the performance of inspection-only facilities, motor vehicle dealer test facilities, and enhanced inspection centers, including compliance with record-keeping and reporting requirements, shall be performed on a monthly basis.

(e) (I) The department shall perform equipment audits to verify quality control and calibration of the required test equipment as follows:

(A) At least twice per year at each inspection and readjustment station;

(B) At least twice per year on each test lane at each inspection-only facility, motor vehicle dealer test facility, and enhanced inspection center, to be performed contemporaneously with the overt performance audit;

(C) At least twice per year at each fleet inspection station.

(II) In addition to regularly scheduled equipment audits, the department may perform additional risk-based equipment audits for stations and facilities employing inspectors or mechanics suspected of violating rules as a result of an audit, data analysis, or consumer complaint.

(f) The executive director shall transfer quality assurance activity results to the department of public health and environment at least quarterly.

(7) The executive director shall implement and enforce the emissions test requirements as prescribed in section 42-4-310 by utilizing a registration denial-based enforcement program as required in the federal act including an electronic data transfer of inspection data through the use of a computer modem or similar technology for vehicle registration and program enforcement purposes. All inspection data generated at licensed inspection and readjustment stations, inspection-only facilities, fleet inspection stations, motor vehicle dealer test facilities, and enhanced inspection centers shall be provided to the department of public health and environment on a timely basis.

(8) The executive director shall, by regulation, establish a method for the owners of motor vehicles which are exempt pursuant to section 42-4-304 (20) from the AIR program to establish their entitlement to such exemption. No additional fee or charge for establishing entitlement to such exemption shall be collected by the department.

(9) The executive director shall be responsible for the issuance of certifications of emissions waiver as prescribed by section 42-4-310 and shall be responsible for the resolution of all formal public complaints concerning test results or test requirements in the most convenient and cost-effective manner possible.

(10) (a) The executive director and the department of public health and environment are authorized to enter into a contract or service agreement with a contractor to provide inspection services at enhanced inspection centers for vehicles within the enhanced program area required to be inspected pursuant to section 42-4-310. Any such contract or service agreement shall include such terms and conditions as are necessary to ensure that the contractor shall operate enhanced inspection centers in accordance with the requirements of this article and the federal act, shall include provisions establishing liquidated damages and penalties for failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the contract, and shall be in accordance with regulations adopted by the commission and the department of revenue. Any such contract or service agreement shall include provisions specifying that inspection and readjustment stations, inspection-only facilities, fleet inspection stations, and motor vehicle dealer test facilities shall have complete access to electronic data transfer of inspection data through computer services of the contractor at a cost equal to that of enhanced inspection centers.

(b) Upon the approval of the executive director and the department of public health and environment, the contractor shall provide inspection services for vehicles within the enhanced program area required to be inspected pursuant to section 42-4-310.

(11) The executive director shall report to the transportation legislation review committee annually on the effectiveness of the quality assurance and enforcement measures contained in this section, the overall motorist compliance rates with inspections for registration denial, and the status of state implementation plan compliance pertaining to quality assurance. This annual report shall be submitted to the commission in May of each year for incorporation into appropriate annual and biennial reporting requirements. Reports shall cover the previous calendar year.

(12) The executive director shall promulgate such rules consistent with those of the commission as may be necessary for implementation, enforcement, and quality assurance and for procedures and policies that allow data collected from the clean screen program to be matched with vehicle ownership information and for such information to be transferred to county clerks and recorders. Such rules shall set forth the procedures for the executive director to inform county clerks and recorders of the emission inspection status of vehicles up for registration renewal.