Colo. Rev. Stat. » Title 24
Colorado Revised Statutes

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-10-115 (2026)

Authority for public entities other than the state to obtain insurance

✓ current as of July 2026
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(1) A public entity, other than the state, either by itself or in conjunction with any one or more public entities may:

(a) Insure against all or any part of its liability for an injury for which it might be liable under this article;

(b) Insure any public employee acting within the scope of his employment against all or any part of such liability for an injury for which he might be liable under this article;

(c) Insure against the expense of defending a claim for injury against the public entity or its employees, whether or not liability exists on such claim;

(d) Insure against all or part of its liability or the liability of a railroad for claims arising from the passenger rail operations of a public entity on property or tracks owned by, or purchased from, a railroad.

(2) The insurance authorized by subsection (1) of this section may be provided by:

(a) Self-insurance, which may be funded by appropriations to establish or maintain reserves for self-insurance purposes;

(b) An insurance company authorized to do business in this state which meets all of the requirements of the division of insurance for that purpose;

(c) A combination of the methods of obtaining insurance authorized in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection (2);

(d) Any risk management pool of public passenger rail services authorized to be created pursuant to the federal "Product Liability Risk Retention Act of 1981", 15 U.S.C. sec. 3901 et seq., as amended.

(3) A public entity, other than the state and other than a school district, may establish and maintain an insurance reserve fund for self-insurance purposes and may include in the annual tax levy of the public entity such amounts as are determined by its governing body to be necessary for the uses and purposes of the insurance reserve fund, subject to the limitations imposed by section 29-1-301, C.R.S., or such public entity may appropriate from any unexpended balance in the general fund such amounts as the governing body shall deem necessary for the purposes and uses of the insurance reserve fund, or both. A school district shall establish and maintain an insurance reserve fund in accordance with the provisions of section 22- 45-103 (1)(e), C.R.S., for liability and property damage self-insurance purposes, including workers' compensation pursuant to section 8-44-204 (2), C.R.S., using moneys allocated thereto pursuant to the provisions of section 22-54-105 (2), C.R.S. The fund established pursuant to this subsection (3) shall be kept separate and apart from all other funds and shall be used only for the payment of administrative and legal expenses necessary for the operation of the fund and for the payment of claims against the public entity which have been settled or compromised or judgments rendered against the public entity for injury under the provisions of this article and for attorney fees and for the costs of defense of claims and to secure and pay for premiums on insurance as provided in this article.

(4) Policies written pursuant to this section and section 24-10-116 shall insure all of the risks and liabilities arising under this article, including costs of defense, unless the public entity requests in writing and obtains lesser coverage, in which event the policy issued shall conspicuously itemize the risks and liabilities not covered.

(5) A self-insurance fund established by a public entity which is subject to section 29-1- 108, C.R.S., shall not be construed to be unexpended funds for budgetary purposes and shall be accumulated and held over for use in subsequent years.

(6) Repealed.

(7) Policies written, self-insurance funds established, or risk management pools entered into by a public entity for the purpose of insuring a public entity as described in paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of this section shall maintain such levels of insurance as are sufficient to insure against the maximum liability permitted against a railroad or its indemnitor pursuant to 49 U.S.C. sec. 28103.

Source: L. 71: p. 1210, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 130-11-15. L. 77: (5) added, p. 1160, § 1, effective February 16. L. 79: (1)(a) and (1)(b) amended, p. 863, § 5, effective July 1. L. 80: (3) amended, p. 581, § 1, effective April 30. L. 86: (3), (4), and (5) R&RE and (3) amended, pp. 511, 880, 1028, §§ 2, 13, 10, effective July 1. L. 88: (3) R&RE, p. 821, § 30, effective May 24. L. 89: (6) added, p. 1004, § 5, effective October 1. L. 90: (3) amended, p. 567, § 45, effective July 1; (5) amended, p. 1435, § 2, effective January 1, 1991. L. 94: (3) amended, p. 822, § 49, effective April 27. L. 97: (6) repealed, p. 1015, § 24, effective August 6. L. 2007: (1)(d), (2)(d), and (7) added, p. 1026, §§ 3, 4, 5, effective July 1.

Editor's note: Subsection (6) was enacted in House Bill No. 1143, enacted by the General Assembly at its first regular session in 1989, as a conforming amendment necessitated by the authorization for the operation of the university of Colorado university hospital by a nonprofit-nonstock corporation. The Colorado Supreme Court subsequently declared House Bill No. 1143 unconstitutional in its entirety. See Colorado Association of Public Employees v. Board of Regents, 804 P.2d 138 (Colo. 1990). Senate Bill 91-225, enacted by the General Assembly at its first regular session in 1991, authorized the operation of university hospital by a newly created university of Colorado hospital authority. For further explanation of the circumstances surrounding the enactment of Senate Bill 91-225, see the legislative declaration contained in section 1 of chapter 99, Session Laws of Colorado 1991.

Cross references: For authorization for state and counties to procure insurance against liability, see § 24-14-102.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases, 1985–2014 · leading case: The Univ. of Colorado v. Booth, 78 P.3d 1098 (Colo. 2003).
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The Univ. of Colorado v. Booth, 78 P.3d 1098 (Colo. 2003). · cites it 6× “10 GIA section 24-10-115 provides the authority for public entities other than the state to obtain insurance.”
State Pers. Bd. v. Lloyd, 752 P.2d 559 (Colo. 1988). · cites it 4× “Unlike the Employee Protection Act, the Immunity Act specifically provides for a statute of limitations, see sections 24-10-109(5), -118(1)(a); the availability of insurance, see section 24-10-115; the payment of judgments in general, see section 24-10-113, and against public…”
St. Vrain Valley Sch. Dist. RE-1J v. A.R.L. ex rel. Loveland, 325 P.3d 1014 (Colo. 2014). · cites it 2× “, § 24-10-115(8), C.R.S. (2018) (authorizing all public entities "except the state and school districts" to establish insurance reserve funds but mandating that school districts do so).”
In Re Request for Opinion of the Supreme Court Relative to Constitutionality of SDLC, 379 N.W.2d 822 (S.D. 1985). · cites it 2× “Colo.Rev.Stat. § 24-10-115(1)(a), 24-30-1510 (1985 Colo.”
Colorado Sch. Districts Self Ins. Pool v. J.P. Meyer Trucking & Constr., Inc., 996 P.2d 257 (Colo. Ct. App. 2000). · cites it 10× “Any such self-insurance pool may provide such coverage by the methods authorized in sections 24-10-115(2) and 24-10-116(2), by any different methods if approved by the commissioner of insurance, or by any combination thereof.”
Cobbin Ex Rel. Cobbin v. City & Cnty. of Denver, 735 P.2d 214 (Colo. Ct. App. 1987). · cites it 2× “Plaintiff argues that any public entity which elects to insure itself against liability pursuant to § 24-10-115(2)(a), C.R.S. (1982 Repl. Vol.”
City of Arvada v. Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency, 19 P.3d 10 (Colo. 2001). “" § 24-10-115(2). Under the canon expressio unius est exclusio al-terius (the inclusion of one thing implies the *14 exclusion of another), this omission indicates that the legislature did not intend for section 10-4-110.”
— Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-10-115(1)(a) — 1 case
In Re Request for Opinion of the Supreme Court Relative to Constitutionality of SDLC, 379 N.W.2d 822 (S.D. 1985). “Colo.Rev.Stat. § 24-10-115(1)(a), 24-30-1510 (1985 Colo.”
— Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-10-115(2) — 2 cases
Colorado Sch. Districts Self Ins. Pool v. J.P. Meyer Trucking & Constr., Inc., 996 P.2d 257 (Colo. Ct. App. 2000). “Any such self-insurance pool may provide such coverage by the methods authorized in sections 24-10-115(2) and 24-10-116(2), by any different methods if approved by the commissioner of insurance, or by any combination thereof.”
City of Arvada v. Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency, 19 P.3d 10 (Colo. 2001). “" § 24-10-115(2). Under the canon expressio unius est exclusio al-terius (the inclusion of one thing implies the *14 exclusion of another), this omission indicates that the legislature did not intend for section 10-4-110.”
— Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-10-115(2)(a) — 1 case
Cobbin Ex Rel. Cobbin v. City & Cnty. of Denver, 735 P.2d 214 (Colo. Ct. App. 1987). “Plaintiff argues that any public entity which elects to insure itself against liability pursuant to § 24-10-115(2)(a), C.R.S. (1982 Repl. Vol.”
— Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-10-115(8) — 1 case
St. Vrain Valley Sch. Dist. RE-1J v. A.R.L. ex rel. Loveland, 325 P.3d 1014 (Colo. 2014). “, § 24-10-115(8), C.R.S. (2018) (authorizing all public entities "except the state and school districts" to establish insurance reserve funds but mandating that school districts do so).”
— Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-10-115(l)(a) — 1 case
In Re Request for Opinion of the Supreme Court Relative to Constitutionality of SDLC, 379 N.W.2d 822 (S.D. 1985). “Colo.Rev.Stat. § 24-10-115(1)(a), 24-30-1510 (1985 Colo.”
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