(1) Any city, town, village, county, metropolitan recreational district, or park and recreation district organized under article 1 of title 32, C.R.S., may acquire, sell, own, exchange, and operate public recreation facilities, open space and parklands, playgrounds, and television relay and translator facilities; acquire, equip, and maintain land, buildings, or other recreational facilities either within or without the corporate limits of such city, town, village, or county; and expend funds therefor and for all purposes connected therewith.
(2) Any county through its board of county commissioners shall have the power, authority, and jurisdiction to regulate and control public recreation lands and facilities owned or operated by the county by the promulgation of rules and regulations pursuant to a lawfully adopted resolution. The rules and regulations may include but are not limited to the following: Removal, destruction, mutilation, or defacing of any natural object or man-made object owned by the county; explosives or any form of firearm; animal control; any public use, including boating, fishing, camping, or hunting; and polluting or littering. Any person violating any rule or regulation lawfully adopted pursuant to this subsection (2) commits a civil infraction. It is the duty of the sheriff and the sheriff's undersheriff and deputies, in their respective counties, as well as any county enforcement personnel authorized and appointed as described in subsection (3) of this section, to enforce the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this subsection (2), and the county courts in their respective counties have jurisdiction in the prosecution of any violation of a rule or regulation adopted pursuant to this subsection (2). If authorized by resolution, the penalty assessment procedure provided in section 16-2-201 may be followed by any arresting law enforcement officer for any violation of a rule or regulation adopted pursuant to this subsection (2). As part of a resolution authorizing the penalty assessment procedure, the board of county commissioners may adopt a graduated fine schedule for violations. The graduated fine schedule may provide for increased penalty assessments for repeat offenses by the same person. All fines and forfeitures for the violation of county regulations adopted pursuant to this subsection (2) shall be paid into the treasury of the county at such times and in such manner as may be prescribed by resolution; or, if there is no resolution providing for the payment, they shall be paid to the county treasurer at once.
(3) (a) In addition to the enforcement of the rules and regulations by the sheriff, an undersheriff, or a deputy sheriff, a board of county commissioners may by resolution designate specific other county personnel, however titled or administratively assigned, to enforce rules and regulations duly adopted by the county to control and regulate the use of county public lands and recreation facilities, by issuance of citations or summonses and complaints.
(b) Personnel designated pursuant to this subsection (3):
(I) Shall not be subject to peace officer certification or any other requirements of part 3 of article 31 of title 24, C.R.S.;
(II) Shall be included within the definition of "peace officer or firefighter engaged in the performance of his or her duties" found in section 18-3-201 (2), C.R.S.; and
(III) Shall not have the power to arrest or to execute warrants and shall not have authority to enforce any other resolution, ordinance, or statute, unless otherwise provided by law.
Source: L. 35: p. 1115, § 1. CSA: C. 136, § 1. L. 47: p. 696, § 1. CRS 53: § 114-1-1. L. 60: p. 180, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 114-1-1. L. 75: Entire section amended, p. 987, § 1, effective July 14. L. 81: (1)(b) amended, p. 1413, § 1, effective May 18; (1)(a) amended, p. 1612, § 7, effective June 19. L. 96: (2) amended and (3) added, p. 587, § 1, effective May 1. L. 97: (3)(b)(II) amended, p. 1026, § 55, effective August 6. L. 2021: (2) amended, (SB 21-271), ch. 462, p. 3245, § 494, effective March 1, 2022.
ANNOTATION
Law reviews. For article, "Legal Classification of Special District Corporate Forms in Colorado", see 45 Den. L.J. 347 (1968). For comment, "People v. Emmert (198 Colo. 137, 597 P.2d 1025 (1979)): A Step Backward for Recreational Water Use in Colorado", see 52 U. Colo. L. Rev. 247 (1981).
County has implied power to sell beer as part of operation of golf clubhouse, as this is incident to the expressly conferred power to operate a public recreational facility, the golf course. Adams County Golf, Inc. v. Colo. Dept. of Rev., 199 Colo. 423, 610 P.2d 97 (1980).
Statute does not explicitly or implicitly authorize extraterritorial condemnation of stream fishing rights. Aurora v. Commerce Groups Corp., 694 P.2d 382 (Colo. App. 1984).