Except as provided in GJMC § 10.04.509, it is a traffic infraction for any person to drive or move or for the owner to cause or knowingly permit to be driven or moved on any highway any vehicle or vehicles of a size or weight exceeding the limitations stated in GJMC § 10.04.502 to 10.04.512 or otherwise in violation of said sections or GJMC § 10.04.1407, except as permitted in § 42-4-510, C.R.S. The maximum size and weight of vehicles specified in said sections shall be lawful throughout the City limits, except as express authority may be granted in § 42-4-106, C.R.S.
(Ord. 4759, 9-6-17)
(1) 
The total outside width of any vehicle or the load thereon shall not exceed eight feet, six inches, except as otherwise provided in this section.
(2) 
(a) 
A load of loose hay, including loosely bound, round bales, whether horse drawn or by motor, shall not exceed 12 feet in width.
(b) 
A vehicle and trailer may transport a load of rectangular hay bales if such vehicle and load do not exceed 10 feet, six inches in width.
(3) 
It is unlawful for any person to operate a vehicle or a motor vehicle which has attached thereto in any manner any chain, rope, wire, or other equipment which drags, swings, or projects in any manner so as to endanger the person or property of another.
(4) 
The total outside width of buses and coaches used for the transportation of passengers shall not exceed eight feet, six inches.
(5) 
(a) 
The total outside width of vehicles as included in this section shall not be construed so as to prohibit the projection beyond such width of clearance lights, rearview mirrors, or other accessories required by federal, State, or City laws or regulations.
(b) 
The width requirements imposed by subsection (1) of this section shall not include appurtenances on recreational vehicles, including but not limited to motor homes, travel trailers, fifth wheel trailers, camping trailers, recreational park trailers, multipurpose trailers, and truck campers, all as defined in § 24-32-902, C.R.S., so long as such recreational vehicle, including such appurtenances, does not exceed a total outside width of nine feet, six inches.
(6) 
Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a traffic infraction.
(Ord. 4759, 9-6-17)
No passenger-type vehicle, except a motorcycle, a bicycle, an electric scooter, or an electrical assisted bicycle shall be operated on any highway with any load carried thereon extending beyond the line of the fenders on the left side of such vehicle nor extending more than six inches beyond the line of the fenders on the right side thereof. Any person who violates this section commits a traffic infraction.
(Ord. 5084, 7-20-22; Ord. 4759, 9-6-17)
(1) 
A driver shall not drive a vehicle either unladen or with load that exceeds a height of 14 feet, six inches. A driver shall not drive a vehicle under a structure if the vehicle’s height exceeds the designated vertical clearance for the structure.
(2) 
No single motor vehicle shall exceed a length of 45 feet extreme overall dimension, inclusive of front and rear bumpers. The length of vehicles used for the mass transportation of passengers wholly within the limits of the City, or within a radius of 15 miles thereof, may extend to 60 feet. The length of school buses may extend to 40 feet.
(3) 
Buses used for the transportation of passengers between towns, cities, and municipalities may be 60 feet extreme overall length, inclusive of front and rear bumpers, but shall not exceed a height of 13 feet, six inches, if such buses are equipped to conform with the load and weight limitations set forth in GJMC § 10.04.508; except that buses with a height of 14 feet, six inches which otherwise conform to the requirements of this subsection (3) shall be operated only on highways designated by the Department of Transportation.
(4) 
No combination of vehicles coupled together shall consist of more than four units, and no such combination of vehicles shall exceed a total overall length of 70 feet. Said length limitation shall not apply to unladen truck tractor-semitrailer combinations when the semitrailer is 57 feet, four inches or less in length or to unladen truck tractor-semitrailer-trailer combinations when the semitrailer and the trailer are each 28 feet, six inches or less in length. Said length limitations shall also not apply to vehicles operated by a public utility when required for emergency repair of public service facilities or properties or when operated under special permit as provided in §  42-4-510, C.R.S., but, in respect to night transportation, every such vehicle and the load thereon shall be equipped with a sufficient number of clearance lamps on both sides and marker lamps upon the extreme ends of any projecting load to clearly mark the dimensions of such load.
(4.5) 
Notwithstanding subsection (4) of this section, drivers shall not drive the following combinations of vehicles:
(a) 
Saddlemount combinations consisting of more than four units or saddlemount combinations exceeding 97 feet in overall length;
(b) 
Laden truck tractor-semitrailer combinations exceeding 75 feet in overall length;
(c) 
Stinger-steered vehicle combinations for transporting automobiles or boats and whose total overall length exceeds 80 feet; except that the overall length of these combinations excludes:
(I) 
Safety devices that are not designed or used for carrying cargo;
(II) 
Automobiles or boats being transported;
(III) 
Any extension device that may be used for loading beyond the extreme front or rear ends of a vehicle or combination of vehicles; except that the projection of a load, including any extension devices loaded to the front of the vehicle, must not extend more than four feet beyond the extreme front of the grille of the vehicle and the load or extension device must not extend more than six feet beyond the extreme rear of the vehicle; and
(d) 
Towaway trailer transporter combinations that:
(I) 
Exceed 82 feet in overall length;
(II) 
Carry property;
(III) 
Exceed an overall weight of 26,000 pounds;
(IV) 
Consist of more than a single towing unit and two trailers or semitrailers; or
(V) 
Do not constitute inventory property of a manufacturer, distributor, or dealer of the trailer or semitrailer.
(5) 
The load upon any vehicle operated alone or the load upon the front vehicle of a combination of vehicles shall not extend beyond the front wheels of such vehicles or vehicle or the front most point of the grille of such vehicle; but a load may project not more than four feet beyond the front most point of the grille assembly of the vehicle engine compartment of such a vehicle at a point above the cab of the driver’s compartment so long as that part of any load projecting ahead of the rear of the cab or driver’s compartment shall be so loaded as not to obscure the vision of the driver to the front or to either side.
(6) 
The length limitations of vehicles and combinations of vehicles provided for in this section as they apply to vehicles being operated and utilized for the transportation of steel, fabricated beams, trusses, utility poles, and pipes shall be determined without regard to the projection of said commodities beyond the extreme front or rear of the vehicle or combination of vehicles; except that the projection of a load to the front shall be governed by the provisions of subsection (5) of this section, and no load shall project to the rear more than 10 feet.
(7) 
Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a traffic infraction.
(Ord. 4759, 9-6-17)
(1) 
(a) 
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter to the contrary, the State Department of Transportation, in the exercise of its discretion, may issue permits for the use of longer vehicle combinations. An annual permit for such use may be issued to each qualified carrier company. The carrier company shall maintain a copy of such annual permit in each vehicle operating as a longer vehicle combination; except that, if a peace officer, as described in § 6-2.5-101, C.R.S., or an authorized agent of the State Department of Transportation may determine that the permit can be electronically verified at the time of contact, a copy of the permit need not be in each vehicle.
(b) 
Reserved.
(c) 
As long as State Department of Transportation provides the option to a company filing for a permit under this section to file an express consent waiver that enables the company to designate a company representative to be a party of interest for a violation of this section. The appearance of the company representative in a court hearing without the operator when the operator has signed such waiver shall not be deemed the practice of law in violation of Title 13, Article 93, C.R.S.
(2) 
The permits shall allow operation, over designated highways, of the following vehicle combinations of not more than three cargo units and neither fewer than six axles nor more than nine axles:
(a) 
An unladen truck tractor, a semitrailer, and two trailers. A semitrailer used with a converter dolly shall be considered a trailer. Semitrailers and trailers shall be of approximately equal lengths not to exceed 28 feet, six inches in length.
(b) 
An unladen truck tractor, a semitrailer, and a single trailer. A semitrailer used with a converter dolly shall be considered a trailer. Semitrailers and trailers shall be of approximately equal lengths not to exceed 48 feet in length. Notwithstanding any other restriction set forth in this section, such combination may have up to 11 axles when used to transport empty trailers.
(c) 
An unladen truck tractor, a semitrailer, and a single trailer, one trailer of which is not more than 48 feet long, the other trailer of which is not more than 28 feet, six inches long. A semitrailer used with a converter dolly shall be considered a trailer. The shorter trailer shall be operated as the rear trailer.
(d) 
A truck and single trailer, having an overall length of not more than 85 feet, the truck of which is not more than 35 feet long and the trailer of which is not more than 40 feet long. For the purposes of this subsection (2)(d), a semitrailer used with a converter dolly shall be considered a trailer.
(3) 
(a) 
The long combinations are limited to Interstate Highway 70 west of its intersection with State Highway 13 in Garfield County.
(b) 
Reserved.
(4) 
Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a traffic infraction.
(Ord. 4759, 9-6-17)
(1) 
When one vehicle is towing another, the drawbar or other connection shall be of sufficient strength to pull all weight towed thereby, and said drawbar or other connection shall not exceed 15 feet from one vehicle to the other, except the connection between any two vehicles transporting poles, pipe, machinery, or other objects of a structural nature which cannot readily be dismembered and except connections between vehicles in which the combined lengths of the vehicles and the connection does not exceed an overall length of 55 feet and the connection is of rigid construction included as part of the structural design of the towed vehicle.
(2) 
When one vehicle is towing another and the connection consists of a chain, rope, or cable, there shall be displayed upon such connection a white flag or cloth not less than 12 inches square.
(3) 
Whenever one vehicle is towing another, in addition to the drawbar or other connection, except a fifth wheel connection meeting the requirements of the State Department of Transportation, safety chains or cables arranged in such a way that it will be impossible for the vehicle being towed to break loose from the vehicle towing in the event the drawbar or other connection were to be broken, loosened, or otherwise damaged shall be used. This subsection (3) shall apply to all motor vehicles, to all trailers, except semitrailers connected by a proper fifth wheel, and to any dolly used to convert a semitrailer to a full trailer.
(4) 
Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a traffic infraction.
(Ord. 4759, 9-6-17)
(1) 
The gross weight upon any wheel of a vehicle shall not exceed the following:
(a) 
When the wheel is equipped with a solid rubber or cushion tire, 8,000 pounds;
(b) 
When the wheel is equipped with a pneumatic tire, 9,000 pounds.
(2) 
The gross weight upon any single axle or tandem axle of a vehicle shall not exceed the following:
(a) 
When the wheels attached to said axle are equipped with solid rubber or cushion tires, 16,000 pounds;
(b) 
Except as provided in subsection (2)(b.5) of this section, when the wheels attached to a single axle are equipped with pneumatic tires, 20,000 pounds;
(b.5) 
When the wheels attached to a single axle are equipped with pneumatic tires and the vehicle or vehicle combination is a digger derrick or bucket boom truck operated by an electric utility on a highway that is not on the interstate system as defined in §  43-2-101(2), C.R.S., 21,000 pounds;
(c) 
When the wheels attached to a tandem axle are equipped with pneumatic tires, 36,000 pounds for highways on the interstate system and 40,000 pounds for highways not on the interstate system.
(3) 
(a) 
Vehicles equipped with a self-compactor and used solely for the transporting of trash are exempted from the provisions of subsection (2)(b) of this section.
(b) 
Reserved.
(c) 
A vehicle contracted by or owned and operated by a city, county, municipal utility, or special district is exempt from subsection (2)(c) of this section if the vehicle:
(I) 
Is equipped with a vacuum or jet equipment to load or unload solid, semisolid, or liquid waste for water or wastewater treatment or transportation systems or for the removal of storm water; and
(II) 
Is not operated on the interstate system as defined by §  43-2-101, C.R.S.
(4) 
For the purposes of this section:
(a) 
A single axle is defined as all wheels, whose centers may be included within two parallel transverse vertical planes not more than 40 inches apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle.
(b) 
A tandem axle is defined as two or more consecutive axles, the centers of which may be included between parallel vertical planes spaced more than 40 inches and not more than 96 inches apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle.
(5) 
The gross weight upon any one wheel of a steel-tired vehicle shall not exceed 500 pounds per inch of cross-sectional width of tire.
(6) 
Any person who drives a vehicle or owns a vehicle in violation of any provision of this section commits a misdemeanor.
(Ord. 4759, 9-6-17)
(1) 
(a) 
Except as provided in subsection (1.5) of this section, a person shall not move or operate a vehicle or combination of vehicles on any highway or bridge when the gross weight upon any one axle of a vehicle exceeds the limits prescribed in GJMC § 10.04.507.
(b) 
Subject to the limitations prescribed in GJMC § 10.04.507, the maximum gross weight of any vehicle or combination of vehicles shall not exceed that determined by the formula W = 1,000 (L + 40), where W represents the gross weight in pounds and L represents the length in feet between the centers of the first and last axles of such vehicle or combination of vehicles; except that, in computation of this formula, the gross vehicle weight must not exceed 85,000 pounds. For the purposes of this section, where a combination of vehicles is used, a vehicle must not carry a gross weight of less than 10 percent of the overall gross weight of the combination of vehicles; except that these limitations shall not apply to specialized trailers of fixed public utilities whose axles may carry less than 10 percent of the weight of the combination. The limitations provided in this section must be strictly construed and enforced.
(c) 
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, except as may be authorized under § 42-4-510, C.R.S., a person shall not move or operate a vehicle or combination of vehicles on any highway or bridge that is part of the national system of interstate and defense highways, also known as the interstate system, when the gross weight of such vehicle or combination of vehicles exceeds the amount determined by the formula W = 500 [(LN/N-1) + 12N + 36], up to a maximum of 80,000 pounds, where W represents the overall gross weight on any group of two or more consecutive axles to the nearest 500 pounds, L represents the distance in feet between the extreme of any group of two or more consecutive axles, and N represents the number of axles in the group.
(d) 
For the purposes of this subsection (1), where a combination of vehicles is used, a vehicle must not carry a gross weight of less than 10 percent of the overall gross weight of the combination of vehicles; except that this limitation does not apply to specialized trailers whose specific use is to haul poles and whose axles may carry less than 10 percent of the weight of the combination.
(1.5) 
The gross weight limits provided in subsection (1) of this section increase, but by no more than 2,000 pounds, for any vehicle or combination of vehicles if the vehicle or combination of vehicles contains an alternative fuel system and operates on alternative fuel or both alternative and conventional fuel. For the purposes of this subsection (1.5), “alternative fuel” has the same meaning provided in §  25-7-106.8(1)(a), C.R.S.
(2) 
Reserved.
(3) 
Reserved.
(4) 
Any person who drives a vehicle or owns a vehicle in violation of any provision of this section commits a misdemeanor.
(Ord. 4759, 9-6-17)
(1) 
Any police or peace officer, as described in § 16-2.5-101, C.R.S., having reason to believe that the weight of a vehicle and load is unlawful is authorized to require the driver to stop and submit to a weighing of the same by means of either portable or stationary scales or shall require that such vehicle be driven to the nearest public scales in the event such scales are within five miles.
(2) 
(a) 
Except as provided in subsection (2)(b) of this section, whenever an officer upon weighing a vehicle and load as provided in subsection (1) of this section determines that the weight is unlawful, such officer shall require the driver to stop the vehicle in a suitable place and remain standing until such portion of the load is removed as may be necessary to reduce the gross weight of such vehicle to such limit as permitted under GJMC § 10.04.501 to 10.04.512 and 10.04.1407. All material so unloaded shall be cared for by the owner or operator of such vehicle at the risk of such owner or operator.
(b) 
Whenever an officer upon weighing a vehicle and load as provided in subsection (1) of this section determines that the weight is unlawful and the load consists solely of either explosives or hazardous materials as defined in GJMC § 10.04.102, such officer shall permit the driver of such vehicle to proceed to the driver’s destination without requiring the driver to unload the excess portion of such load.
(3) 
Any driver of a vehicle who fails or refuses to stop and submit the vehicle and load to a weighing or who fails or refuses when directed by an officer upon a weighing of the vehicle to stop the vehicle and otherwise comply with the provisions of this section commits a misdemeanor.
(Ord. 4759, 9-6-17)
(1) 
No person shall drive, operate, or move upon or over any highway or highway structure any vehicle, object, or contrivance in such a manner so as to cause damage to said highway or highway structure. When the damage sustained to said highway or highway structure is the result of the operating, driving, or moving of such vehicle, object, or contrivance weighing in excess of the maximum weight authorized by GJMC § 10.04.501 to 10.04.512 and 10.04.1407, it shall be no defense to any action, either civil or criminal, brought against such person that the weight of the vehicle was authorized by special permit issued in accordance with GJMC § 10.04.501 to 10.04.512 and 10.04.1407.
(2) 
Every person violating the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall be liable for all damage which said highway or highway structure may sustain as a result thereof. Whenever the driver of such vehicle, object, or contrivance is not the owner thereof but is operating, driving, or moving such vehicle, object, or contrivance with the express or implied consent of the owner thereof, then said owner or driver shall be jointly and severally liable for any such damage. The liability for damage sustained by any such highway or highway structure may be enforced by a civil action by the authorities in control of such highway or highway structure. No satisfaction of such civil liability, however, shall be deemed to be a release or satisfaction of any criminal liability for violation of the provisions of subsection (1) of this section.
(3) 
Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a traffic infraction.
(Ord. 4759, 9-6-17)