{"id":372011,"date":"2016-04-11T01:21:32","date_gmt":"2016-04-11T06:21:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/colorado-law\/colorado-rape-and-sexual-assault-laws.html"},"modified":"2025-02-27T11:23:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T16:23:45","slug":"colorado-rape-and-sexual-assault-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/colorado-law\/colorado-rape-and-sexual-assault-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Rape and Sexual Assault Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 fl-sectionWithSidebar fl-container fl-flex fl-flex-wrap fl-gap30\">\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-page-articles fl-section-main fl-section-main-full-width\">\n        <h1 class=\"fl-no-margin-top\">Colorado Rape and Sexual Assault Laws<\/h1>\n<section class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline\">\n    <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-content\">\n                    By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/samuel-strom-j-d\/\">Samuel Strom, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by <a\n                href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\">FindLaw Staff<\/a>\n                | Last updated\n        <time>\n                            February 27, 2025\n                    <\/time>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-legally-reviewed\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Legally Reviewed\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\">FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/company-history\/editorial-policy.html\">our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-fast-checked\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Fact-Checked\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/contributing-authors.html\">contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/?fli=bylinelink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n<\/section>\n<p>Colorado criminalizes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-charges\/rape.html\">rape<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-charges\/sexual-assault-overview.html\">sexual assault<\/a>. The state differentiates the crimes based on whether penetration happened or only touching of genitals and other intimate parts.<\/p>\r\n<p>The penalties for each crime vary depending on the circumstances. Also, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/factors-considered-in-determining-sentences.html\">aggravating factors<\/a> may increase criminal responsibility. For example, using force or date rape drugs can increase the penalties upon conviction.<\/p>\r\n<p>The following table details Colorado\u2019s rape and sexual assault laws.<\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody><tr><th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Code sections<\/th>\r\n<td><p>Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S.) \u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-402.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-402<\/a> (Sexual assault)<\/p>\r\n<p>C.R.S. \u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-404.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-404<\/a> (Unlawful sexual contact)<\/p>\r\n<p>CRS \u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-401.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-401<\/a> (Definitions)<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Sexual assault<\/th>\r\n<td><p>A person commits sexual assault if they knowingly sexually penetrate or sexually intrude upon a victim and the defendant does any of the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Causes the victim to submit against their will (\u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-402.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-402(1)(a)<\/a>)<\/li>\r\n<li>Knows the victim is incapable of appraising the nature of the victim\u2019s conduct (\u00a7 18-3-402(1)(b))<\/li>\r\n<li>Knows that the victim submitted erroneously, believing the actor to be the victim\u2019s spouse (\u00a7 18-3-402(1)(c))<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>A person also commits sexual assault if they knowingly sexually penetrate or sexually intrude upon a victim and the actor knows the victim is any of the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Less than 15 years of age and the actor is at least four years older than them and is not the spouse of the victim (\u00a7 18-3-402(1)(d))<\/li>\r\n<li>The victim is at least 15 years old but less than 17, and the actor is at least 10 years older than them and is not their spouse (\u00a7 18-3-402(1)(e))<\/li>\r\n<li>The victim is in police custody or detained in a hospital or other institution, the actor is in a position of authority over them, and the actor uses their position to coerce the victim to submit (unless the act is incident to a lawful search) (\u00a7 18-3-402(1)(f))<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor purports to offer a medical service or engages in treatment or examination of the victim for a reason other than a bona fide medical purpose or in a manner substantially inconsistent with reasonable medical practices (\u00a7 18-3-402(1)(g))<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor knows the victim is physically helpless and has not consented (\u00a7 18-3-402(1)(h))<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><b>Penalties<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p>Sexual assault is a Class 4 felony. (\u00a7 18-3-402(2)). But the classification and applicable penalties vary depending on the circumstances listed below.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Violation of \u00a7 18-3-402(1)(e): Class 6 felony<\/li>\r\n<li>Violation of \u00a7 18-3-402(1)(h): Class 3 felony<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>If any of the following circumstances apply to a sexual assault, the actor is guilty of a Class 3 felony:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The actor uses physical force or violence to cause the victim to submit.<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor uses threats of imminent death, serious bodily injury, extreme pain, or kidnapping (to the victim or anyone else) to cause the victim to submit, and the victim believes the actor has the present ability to execute the threats.<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor causes the victim to submit by threatening to retaliate against them (or another person) in the future, and the victim reasonably believes the actor will execute the threat.<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor, without the victim\u2019s consent, used drugs, intoxicants, or other means to cause the victim\u2019s submission and substantially impair their power to appraise or control their conduct.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>The actor is guilty of a Class 2 felony if any of the following circumstances exist:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Another person physically aided or abetted the actor in the commission of the sexual assault.<\/li>\r\n<li>The victim suffers serious bodily injury.<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor is armed with a deadly weapon (or an article that a person would reasonably believe was a deadly weapon) or represents that they have a deadly weapon and uses it to cause the victim to submit.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Unlawful sexual contact<\/th>\r\n<td><p>&quot;Sexual contact&quot; means the following (\u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-401.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-401(4)(a)-(c)<\/a>):<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The knowing touching of the victim\u2019s intimate parts, or of the actor\u2019s intimate parts by the victim, or the knowing touching of the clothing covering the immediate area of the victim\u2019s or actor\u2019s intimate parts if the sexual contact is for sexual arousal, gratification or abuse or<\/li>\r\n<li>The knowing emission or ejaculation of seminal fluid onto the victim\u2019s body or clothing<\/li>\r\n<li>Knowing causing semen, blood, urine, feces, or a bodily substance to contact the victim or their clothing if that contact is for sexual arousal, gratification, or abuse<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Someone commits unlawful sexual contact when someone subjects another person to sexual contact and one of the following factors is true (\u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-404.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-404<\/a>):<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The actor knows the victim does not consent (\u00a7 18-3-404(1)(a))<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor knows the victim is incapable of appraising the nature of the victim\u2019s conduct (\u00a7 18-3-404(1)(b))<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor knows the victim is physically helpless and has not consented (\u00a7 18-3-404(1)(c))<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor has substantially impaired the victim\u2019s power to appraise or control their conduct through the use of alcohol, drugs, intoxicants, or other means without their consent for causing the victim to submit (\u00a7 18-3-404(1)(d))<\/li>\r\n<li>The victim is in law enforcement\u2019s custody or detained in a hospital or other institution, the actor is in a position of authority over them, and the actor uses their authority to coerce the victim to submit (except for lawful searches) (\u00a7 18-3-404(1)(f))<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor engages in treatment or examination of the victim for other than a bona fide medical purpose or in a manner substantially inconsistent with reasonable medical practices (\u00a7 18-3-404(1)(g))<\/li>\r\n<li>The actor knowingly induces or coerces a child by any of the above means to expose intimate parts, with or without sexual contact, or to engage in any sexual contact, intrusion, or penetration with another person for the actor\u2019s own sexual gratification (\u00a7 18-3-404(1.5))<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><b>Penalties<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p>Unlawful sexual contact is a Class 1 misdemeanor (\u00a7 18-3-404(2)(a)). But, it is a Class 4 felony if the actor does the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Compel the victim to submit by using force, intimidation, or threats, or<\/li>\r\n<li>If they engage in the conduct described in either \u00a7\u00a7 18-3-404(1)(g) or (1.5)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Defenses<\/th>\r\n<td><p>It\u2019s not a defense that a defendant was married to the victim when the sexual assault happened unless specifically provided for in the statute. (<a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-409.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a7 18-3-409<\/a>)<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Related statutes<\/th>\r\n<td><ul>\r\n<li>\u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-405.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-405<\/a> (Sexual assault on a child)<\/li>\r\n<li>\u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-405-6.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-405.6<\/a> (Invasion of privacy for sexual gratification)<\/li>\r\n<li>\u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-409.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-409<\/a> (Marital defense)<\/li>\r\n<li>\u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-411.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-411<\/a> (Sex offenses against children)<\/li>\r\n<li>\u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-415.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-415<\/a> (Testing for persons charged with sexual offense)<\/li>\r\n<li>\u00a7 <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/co\/title-18-criminal-code\/co-rev-st-sect-18-3-418.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">18-3-418<\/a> (Unlawful electronic sexual communication \u2014 person in a position of trust)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\r\n<p><i><b>Note:<\/b> State laws change often. Contact a <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/sex-crime\/colorado?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Colorado sex crimes attorney<\/i><\/a><i> or conduct your own legal research to verify the state laws you are researching.<\/i><\/p>\r\n<h2><b>Related Resources<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<p>For more information about Colorado law and criminal cases on sexual abuse, visit the following links:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/colorado-law.html\" style=\"font-size: 0.8125rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Colorado Law<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/colorado-law\/colorado-criminal-laws.html\" style=\"font-size: 0.8125rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Colorado Criminal Law<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/colorado-law\/colorado-criminal-statute-of-limitations-laws.html#\" style=\"font-size: 0.8125rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Colorado Criminal Statute of Limitations Laws<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/colorado-law\/colorado-prohibited-consensual-sexual-activity-laws.html\" style=\"font-size: 0.8125rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Colorado Prohibited Sexual Activity Laws<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/colorado-law\/colorado-prostitution-and-solicitation-laws.html\" style=\"font-size: 0.8125rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Colorado Prostitution and Solicitation Laws<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-charges\/statutory-rape.html\" style=\"font-size: 0.8125rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Statutory Rape<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-charges\/sexual-assault-defenses.html\" style=\"font-size: 0.8125rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Sexual Assault Defenses<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-charges\/the-sex-offender-registry-what-you-need-to-know.html\" style=\"font-size: 0.8125rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">The Sex Offender Registry: What You Need to Know<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><b>Charged With Rape or Sexual Assault? Talk To an Attorney Today<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<p>Rape and sexual assault charges present a challenging situation for defendants. There are often few witnesses, and the penalties can damage your reputation, employability, and liberty for years. Contact an experienced <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/criminal-law\/colorado\/fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colorado criminal defense lawyer<\/a> for help in your sexual assault case. They can give specific legal advice for your case and general information about the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Specific defense strategies for alleged sexual acts<\/li>\r\n<li>Criminal rights during a Colorado sexual assault case<\/li>\r\n<li>Whether to engage in plea bargain negotiations and the consequences of a guilty plea<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>If you are the victim of sexual assault, contact local law enforcement or a <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/sex-crime\/colorado?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colorado sex crimes attorney<\/a>. You can also contact Colorado state or your county for other resources, such as victim advocates and rape crisis centers.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"was-this-helpful\">\n    <div\n            class=\"was-this-helpful__question-container\"\n            aria-labelledby=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n            role=\"group\"\n    >\n        <span\n                id=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__question fl-text-lg-bold\"\n        >Was this helpful?<\/span>\n        <button\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__button fl-text-sm\"\n                aria-label=\"Yes\"\n                value=\"yes\"\n        >\n            <span class=\"was-this-helpful__button-text fl-text-bold\">Yes<\/span>\n            <i class=\"was-this-helpful__button-icon\">\n                <svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n                    <g id=\"thumbs-up\" 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<\/div>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This FindLaw article describes Colorado&#8217;s laws and penalties related to rape, sexual assault, and unlawful sexual contact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41135,"featured_media":0,"parent":371911,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"app\/Http\/Controllers\/Templates\/ArticleWithBreadcrumbsController.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":true,"_modified_date":"","_autodraft_ids":[],"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"_sb_is_suggestion_mode":false,"_sb_show_suggestion_boards":false,"_sb_show_comment_boards":false,"_sb_suggestion_history":"","_sb_update_block_changes":"","_is_real_time_mode":false,"_realtime_collaborators":"","footnotes":"","cf_checklist_status":[]},"categories":[2743],"tags":[],"state_laws_tags":[3668],"flmsa":[],"class_list":["post-372011","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-state","state_laws_tags-statelaws_6_1"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/372011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/372011\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/371911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372011"},{"taxonomy":"state_laws_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/state_laws_tags?post=372011"},{"taxonomy":"flmsa","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/flmsa?post=372011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}