Colorado Considers Weight-Based Registration Fee

A proposed Colorado state bill could start adjusting vehicle registration fees based on the weight of the vehicle, reports Nathaniel Minor for Colorado Public Radio.

The new fee could raise up to $20 million a year for road safety projects and improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure in Colorado, where ‘light trucks’ made up 86.9 percent of new vehicle registrations in 2022.

The fees would range from $4.50 to $29.90, with the possibility of higher fees for vehicles weighing over 9,500 pounds. As Minor explains, “Vehicles under 3,500 pounds would be spared the new fee. And the fees would only apply to vehicle owners in the state’s 12 most-populous counties, where most pedestrian and bicycle injuries and deaths occur.”

The policy is primarily aimed at funding road safety projects, though advocates say a higher fee could have more of an impact on consumer choices. “The bill is part of a slate of proposals being considered by the Transportation Legislation Review Committee, a temporary body lawmakers set up to keep working on transportation policies while the legislature is out of session.”