En español: Glosario de seguros de auto
CITIZEN GUIDE REFERENCE · AUTO INSURANCE
Plain-English Crash, Insurance, Coverage & Civil Litigation Glossary
A plain-language reference for insurance, coverage investigation, claims, evidence, settlement, lawsuit, trial, judgment, and Colorado auto-insurance terminology. Use it when a policy, insurer letter, crash record, court paper, or legal conversation uses a term that changes how you understand the claim.
Colorado auto-insurance focus · Current-law overlay: 2026 · Public legal education
How to read auto-insurance language
Auto-insurance disputes are often disputes about words. The key question is not what someone assumed the policy meant, but what the policy actually says after the declarations, coverage grants, definitions, exclusions, conditions, limits, schedules, and endorsements are read together.
Start with the declarations
The declarations usually identify the named insured, listed vehicles, policy period, purchased coverages, liability limits, deductibles, and other policy-specific information.
Then read the whole contract
Coverage grants explain the promise to pay. Definitions shape important words. Exclusions remove coverage. Conditions impose requirements. Limits cap payment. Endorsements can change the result.
Main caution: the same word can matter differently depending on where it appears. Insured status, vehicle use, other insurance, exclusions, and endorsements can all change the analysis.
Quick map of an auto policy
Declarations page
Usually the best first stop. It identifies the policy, named insured, listed vehicles, dates, coverages, limits, and deductibles.
Coverage parts
The contractual promises to pay, such as liability, MedPay, collision, comprehensive, and UM/UIM coverage.
Definitions
Special policy meanings. An everyday word may have a narrower or broader contractual definition.
Exclusions & conditions
Exclusions remove otherwise apparent coverage; conditions govern duties such as notice, cooperation, proof, or examinations.
Endorsements. Later-added policy forms can add, delete, restrict, or rewrite coverage and may control over conflicting base-form language.
Coverage investigation vocabulary
VictimsGuide uses the following terms consistently so a preliminary lead is not mistaken for a final coverage conclusion. Record what is known, what the insurer has actually said, and what remains unresolved.
Policy identified
A policy has been located and tied to a person, vehicle, business, or activity. This does not by itself establish that the policy covers the crash.
Coverage accepted
The insurer has affirmatively acknowledged that the policy provides liability or other applicable coverage for the claim, subject to stated terms and limits.
Coverage under investigation
The insurer has not yet taken a final coverage position and is investigating facts, policy provisions, exclusions, conditions, priority, or other insurance.
Coverage reserved / reservation of rights
The insurer is providing some response, often including a defense, while preserving the right to later contend that some or all indemnity coverage does not apply.
Coverage disputed
A policy exists, but applicability is contested because of an exclusion, condition, insured-status issue, vehicle-use issue, priority dispute, cancellation question, or another coverage defense.
Coverage denied
The insurer has taken the position that the policy does not provide the claimed coverage. A denial is a carrier position that should be compared with the actual policy language, facts, endorsements, and governing law.
Policy limit
The maximum amount stated by a particular policy or coverage part, subject to its terms. A policy limit is not necessarily the same as the total insurance available from all policies and layers.
Apparent limit
A limit reported on a declarations page, insurer letter, regulatory record, or other source before the complete coverage structure has been verified. VictimsGuide uses this term to avoid treating an early number as the final available insurance.
Regulatory filing amount
An amount shown in a motor-carrier, transportation, or other financial-responsibility filing. It may establish a required or filed level of financial responsibility but does not necessarily establish the complete contractual insurance available for the crash.
Primary insurance
Insurance intended to respond before an applicable excess or umbrella layer, subject to the policies’ priority and other-insurance provisions.
Excess unresolved
The primary policy or regulatory layer has been identified, but higher excess or umbrella coverage has not yet been confirmed or reasonably excluded.
Insurance unidentified
No applicable insurer has yet been identified. This describes an incomplete investigation, not a conclusion that no insurance exists.
Apparently uninsured
Available records presently indicate no applicable liability coverage, but one or more reasonable coverage paths remain unresolved.
Confirmed uninsured
A reasonable investigation has established that no applicable liability insurance or other qualifying financial-responsibility source covers the loss. This should be a conclusion reached after the major driver, owner, employer, platform, commercial, and other-policy paths have been investigated.
Coverage exhausted
Applicable insurance proceeds have been paid or otherwise consumed to the legally relevant limit. Do not use this term merely because one policy limit has been offered or paid if other primary, excess, umbrella, commercial, or platform coverage remains unresolved.
VictimsGuide rule: Assume good faith. Verify independently. Follow every coverage path.
Related Colorado coverage guides: Find Every Insurance Policy · Policy Interpretation & Exclusions · Work, Employer & Commercial Coverage · Rideshare Coverage
Alphabetical glossary
Expand the letter you need. These definitions are written for readers rather than insurance insiders. They are general explanations unless a Colorado-specific note below says otherwise.
A
Actual cash value
The insurer’s estimate of what a vehicle or property item was worth immediately before the loss, often considering age, condition, mileage, options, and market comparisons.
Why it matters: Actual cash value is central in total-loss disputes.
Adjuster
The insurance-company representative who investigates and evaluates the claim for the insurer, gathers facts, applies policy language and company procedures, and may recommend payment, further investigation, reservation of rights, limitation, settlement, or denial.
Why it matters: The adjuster works for the insurer and is expected to protect the insurer while handling the claim in accordance with the policy and applicable law. That does not imply misconduct; it means the claimant should verify important coverage facts independently.
Appraisal
A process used in some policies to resolve a dispute about the amount of a loss, especially vehicle value or repair amount.
Why it matters: Appraisal may settle a value fight without deciding every legal issue.
At-fault driver
A driver whose conduct is alleged or determined to have legally caused all or part of a crash.
Why it matters: Fault affects liability analysis, comparative negligence, and whether first-party UM/UIM or other coverage may become relevant.
B
Bad faith
A legal theory involving an insurer’s allegedly unreasonable or improper handling of obligations owed to an insured. Colorado common-law and statutory claims have specific elements; an ordinary claim disagreement is not automatically bad faith.
Why it matters: The label should follow the evidence and governing legal standard, not replace them.
Bodily injury liability
Coverage that pays for injuries the insured driver legally caused to other people.
Why it matters: This is the part of the policy most people look to after a serious injury crash.
Business auto policy
A commercial policy issued to a business for vehicles used in business operations.
Why it matters: A business auto policy may matter when a driver was working, transporting tools or materials, traveling between job sites, or using a vehicle for business purposes.
Business use
Use of a vehicle for work, delivery, transporting people, transporting tools or property, job-site travel, or another money-making activity.
Why it matters: Business use can trigger a dispute about whether a personal auto policy applies or whether a commercial policy should respond.
C
Cancellation
The ending of a policy before the policy period naturally expires.
Why it matters: A cancellation dispute can decide whether coverage existed on the day of the crash.
Claim
A request for benefits, defense, settlement, or payment under an insurance policy.
Why it matters: A claim can be made by the policyholder or by someone seeking payment from an insured driver.
Claimant
The person or business asking for insurance money or claim-related information.
Why it matters: In an auto case, the claimant may be the injured person, the vehicle owner, the policyholder, or another person affected by the crash.
Collision coverage
Coverage for damage to your own covered vehicle caused by impact with another car or object, regardless of fault.
Why it matters: This can pay quickly for vehicle damage even while fault is still disputed.
Commercial auto policy
An auto policy designed for business vehicles, business operations, employee driving, hired autos, non-owned autos, or other commercial risks.
Why it matters: Commercial coverage may be the key source of recovery when a crash involves work-related driving.
Comparative fault
A rule that allocates legal responsibility when more than one person contributed to the injury or loss. Colorado uses a modified comparative-negligence framework in negligence actions.
Why it matters: A claimant’s percentage of negligence can reduce damages and, in some circumstances, bar recovery; allocation rules are case-specific.
Comprehensive coverage
Coverage for certain non-collision losses such as theft, hail, fire, vandalism, or hitting an animal.
Why it matters: Many people assume all vehicle damage is collision-related, but comprehensive is a separate coverage part.
Condition
A policy rule the insured may have to follow, such as giving notice, cooperating, producing records, protecting evidence, or attending an examination under oath.
Why it matters: Conditions can affect whether and how the insurer responds to a claim.
Coverage
The protection the policy actually provides after all definitions, exclusions, conditions, limits, and endorsements are read together.
Why it matters: Coverage is not determined by one sentence alone; the whole policy matters.
Covered auto
A vehicle that fits the policy language and any listed vehicle schedule or endorsement.
Why it matters: A claim may fail if the vehicle involved does not qualify as a covered auto.
D
Declarations page
The policy summary page showing the named insured, covered vehicles, dates, limits, and major coverages.
Why it matters: This is usually the best starting point because it tells you what policy you are reading and what was purchased.
Deductible
The amount the policyholder must absorb before the insurer pays under certain coverages.
Why it matters: Higher deductibles reduce premiums but increase out-of-pocket cost after a loss.
Denial letter
A written explanation saying the insurer will not pay all or part of a claim.
Why it matters: The denial letter reveals the insurer’s theory, but it should always be checked against the actual policy wording and the known facts.
Duty to defend
The insurer’s obligation, under some policies and circumstances, to provide or pay for a defense when a covered claim or lawsuit is asserted against an insured.
Why it matters: The duty to defend may be broader than the duty to indemnify, but it depends on policy wording and claim allegations.
Duty to indemnify
The insurer’s obligation to pay a covered judgment or settlement for which the insured is legally responsible.
Why it matters: A policy may defend a claim while still disputing whether it must ultimately pay.
E
Effective date
The date and time when the policy or a particular coverage begins.
Why it matters: Coverage usually depends on whether the crash or loss occurred during the applicable policy period.
Endorsement
A later form that changes the basic policy by adding, removing, or rewriting terms.
Why it matters: Endorsements often control the real result, even when the base policy seems to say something else.
Examination under oath
A formal questioning process requested by an insurer under some policy conditions.
Why it matters: An examination under oath can affect claim handling and should be approached carefully.
Excess policy
Coverage that may apply above another policy’s limits after the underlying policy is exhausted.
Why it matters: Excess coverage may become important when injuries or losses exceed basic auto limits.
Exclusion
Policy language that removes coverage that might otherwise seem to exist.
Why it matters: A claim may appear covered until an exclusion is applied.
Excluded driver
A person specifically excluded from coverage under the policy.
Why it matters: If an excluded driver was operating the vehicle, coverage may be disputed or denied.
F
First-party claim
A claim you make under your own policy for your own benefits, such as MedPay, collision, comprehensive, or UM/UIM coverage.
Why it matters: First-party claims are different from claims made against the other driver’s liability coverage.
Full policy
The complete contract, including declarations, forms, definitions, exclusions, conditions, schedules, and endorsements.
Why it matters: A declarations page alone is not enough to determine coverage.
G
Gap insurance
Optional coverage that may pay the difference between what you still owe on a vehicle loan and the vehicle’s actual cash value after a total loss.
Why it matters: Without it, a total-loss payment may leave the owner owing money on a car that is gone.
General liability policy
A business insurance policy that may cover some non-auto liability risks.
Why it matters: In work-related incidents, general liability may be reviewed with commercial auto coverage, though auto exclusions often matter.
I
Insured
A person or organization protected by the policy as defined by the contract.
Why it matters: Who counts as an insured can decide the entire case.
Insurer
The insurance company that issued the policy.
Why it matters: The insurer’s obligations come from the policy language, state law, and claim-handling duties.
Insurance disclosure
Information identifying available insurance coverage, limits, insured parties, and policy documents that may be relevant to a claim.
Why it matters: Disclosure helps an injured person understand whether liability, UM/UIM, umbrella, excess, or commercial coverage may apply.
L
Liability coverage
Coverage that pays damages the insured becomes legally responsible to pay after causing injury or property damage.
Why it matters: This is usually the first place people look after a crash involving another driver.
Limits
The maximum amount the policy will pay for a covered loss.
Why it matters: A claim may be covered but still underfunded because the limit is too low.
Loss
The event or damage for which insurance benefits are sought.
Why it matters: The date and nature of the loss help determine which policy and which coverage part apply.
Loss of use
The loss of the ability to use a vehicle or property after damage.
Why it matters: Loss of use may affect rental reimbursement, property-damage valuation, or damages in a third-party claim.
M
Medical Payments coverage (MedPay)
First-party coverage that pays qualifying crash-related medical expenses for covered injured people without waiting for a fault decision.
Why it matters: In Colorado, MedPay has its own statutory framework and can provide early treatment funding while liability issues remain unresolved.
Minimum limits
The lowest liability limits allowed by law for a particular type of required auto coverage.
Why it matters: Minimum limits may be far too low for serious injury crashes.
N
Named insured
The person or persons specifically listed on the declarations page.
Why it matters: Named-insured status often controls notice rights, household coverage, and who can change the policy.
Negligence
Failure to use reasonable care under the circumstances.
Why it matters: Most auto liability claims are based on alleged negligence.
Non-owned auto
A vehicle not owned by the named insured but used by an insured person or business under certain circumstances.
Why it matters: Non-owned auto coverage may matter when an employee uses a personal vehicle for work.
Notice of claim
Prompt communication to the insurer telling it that a loss, claim, or lawsuit has happened.
Why it matters: Late notice may lead to a coverage dispute, especially if the insurer says it was harmed by the delay.
O
Other insurance
Policy language describing how one policy interacts with another policy covering the same loss.
Why it matters: This matters when more than one vehicle, policy, owner, driver, household, employer, or umbrella policy may be involved.
P
Permissive user
A person allowed to drive the vehicle with the owner’s permission.
Why it matters: Many policies extend liability coverage to permissive users, but permission is often disputed.
Personal auto policy
An auto policy issued to an individual or household, usually for personal vehicle use.
Why it matters: A personal auto policy may contain limits or exclusions for commercial or business use.
Policy period
The span of time during which the policy is in force, subject to its effective and expiration dates and any valid cancellation or renewal.
Why it matters: A claim may fail if the crash or loss occurred outside the applicable policy period.
Policyholder
The person or entity that purchased or holds the insurance policy.
Why it matters: The policyholder may have duties, rights, and access to policy documents that other people do not have.
Premium
The price charged for insurance coverage.
Why it matters: Premium depends on coverage selections and many underwriting or rating factors. Price alone does not reveal whether a particular claim is covered.
Primary coverage
Coverage intended to respond first before excess or umbrella coverage applies.
Why it matters: When multiple policies exist, priority can affect which insurer must act first.
Property damage liability
Coverage that pays for damage the insured driver caused to another person’s vehicle or other property.
Why it matters: This helps pay for repair or replacement of the other party’s property after a covered crash.
R
Recorded statement
An audio-recorded interview requested by an insurer during claim investigation.
Why it matters: Recorded statements can affect later coverage, liability, injury, and credibility disputes.
Release
A document that gives up claims, usually in exchange for settlement money.
Why it matters: A release may end claims permanently, including claims the signer did not fully understand.
Reservation of rights
A letter saying the insurer will investigate or defend for now while keeping the right to later deny coverage.
Why it matters: This letter is a warning that the insurer sees a possible coverage problem.
Rental reimbursement
Optional coverage that helps pay for a temporary replacement car while a covered vehicle is being repaired after a covered loss.
Why it matters: People often discover too late that this useful benefit was not purchased.
Replacement cost
The cost to replace damaged property with new or comparable property, depending on the policy wording.
Why it matters: Replacement cost is different from actual cash value and may not apply to every auto loss.
S
Settlement
An agreement resolving a claim for money or other terms.
Why it matters: A settlement may end the dispute, so it should not be signed casually or before all possible coverage is identified.
Stacking
Combining limits from more than one policy or vehicle in order to increase available coverage.
Why it matters: Whether stacking is allowed can strongly affect UM/UIM recovery.
Statute of limitations
A legal deadline for filing a lawsuit.
Why it matters: Missing a deadline can destroy otherwise valid rights.
Subrogation
The insurer’s right to seek repayment from the person or company that actually caused the loss after the insurer has paid benefits.
Why it matters: Subrogation can affect who gets repaid first and whether a claim is truly over.
T
Third-party claim
A claim made against someone else’s liability insurer.
Why it matters: A third-party claimant has different rights than a policyholder seeking benefits from their own insurer.
Tortfeasor
The person whose wrongful or negligent conduct caused harm.
Why it matters: In auto cases, the tortfeasor is usually the at-fault driver.
Total loss
A vehicle loss treated as uneconomical or inappropriate to repair under the applicable policy, valuation methodology, repair economics, and governing law.
Why it matters: Total-loss disputes often center on actual cash value, comparable vehicles, condition adjustments, salvage, and the methodology used.
U
Umbrella policy
Extra liability coverage that may sit above underlying auto, home, business, or other liability limits.
Why it matters: An umbrella policy can matter when injuries are serious and basic auto limits are too low.
Underinsured motorist coverage (UIM)
Coverage that may pay when the at-fault driver has insurance, but not enough to fully cover the injured person’s damages.
Why it matters: UIM is often the difference between partial recovery and a catastrophic shortfall.
Underwriting
The process an insurer uses to decide whether to issue a policy and at what price.
Why it matters: Underwriting details sometimes appear later in disputes about misstatements, drivers, garaging, or vehicle use.
Uninsured motorist coverage (UM)
Coverage protecting an insured person when the at-fault driver has no liability insurance or cannot be identified in some circumstances.
Why it matters: UM can be crucial after a hit-and-run or a crash caused by an uninsured driver.
V
Vehicle value
The insurer’s assigned value of a vehicle, often used in total-loss decisions.
Why it matters: Value disputes affect whether the payment is fair and whether a loan balance will remain.
W
Work-use exclusion
Policy language that attempts to limit or deny coverage when a vehicle is being used for certain business, work, delivery, transportation, or commercial purposes.
Why it matters: This issue often arises when a person is driving for an employer but only has a personal auto policy.
Written request
A request made in writing for claim information, policy documents, coverage disclosures, or insurer action.
Why it matters: Some rights and deadlines depend on written requests rather than phone calls.
When a claim becomes a lawsuit
These are the civil-process words citizens most often encounter after a claim becomes disputed. The definitions explain the general idea. Exact procedure, deadlines, burdens, and terminology can vary by state and court.
Starting the lawsuit
Civil action / lawsuit
A formal court case in which one party asks a court for a legal remedy, often money damages after a crash.
Plaintiff
The person or entity who starts the civil lawsuit and asserts claims against another party.
Defendant
The person or entity against whom the civil lawsuit is brought.
Complaint
The pleading that usually starts a civil lawsuit. It identifies the parties, states the claims and factual allegations, and asks the court for relief.
Allegation
A factual assertion made in a pleading. An allegation is not automatically a proved fact.
Service of process
The formal delivery of the summons and complaint in the manner required by court rules so the defendant receives legally sufficient notice of the case.
Answer
The defendant’s formal response to the complaint, usually admitting, denying, or stating insufficient knowledge about allegations and asserting defenses.
Affirmative defense
A defense that can defeat or reduce a claim even if some of the plaintiff’s allegations are true. The available defenses depend on governing law and procedure.
Pleading
A formal court document stating claims, defenses, or responses, such as a complaint or answer.
What must be proved
Burden of proof
The obligation to prove a legal proposition. Different issues can place different burdens on different parties.
Preponderance of the evidence
The ordinary civil standard of proof: the factfinder concludes that a proposition is more likely true than not true.
Causation
The legal and factual connection between conduct and a claimed injury or loss. A diagnosis or bill does not by itself answer whether the crash caused the condition or expense.
Damages
Money the law allows for proved loss. Depending on the governing law, categories can include medical loss, income loss, property damage, pain and other harms.
Evidence
Information used to prove or disprove a fact, including testimony, documents, photographs, video, digital data, physical objects, and properly admitted expert opinions.
Exhibit
A document, photograph, object, record, chart, or other item marked for possible use in a deposition, hearing, or trial. Marking something as an exhibit does not automatically make it admissible evidence.
Discovery and testimony
Discovery
The formal pretrial process for obtaining information and evidence from parties and, through subpoenas or other procedures, from nonparties.
Interrogatory
A written question one party serves on another party in discovery, to be answered in the form required by the governing rules.
Request for production
A discovery request seeking documents, electronically stored information, photographs, records, or tangible things.
Request for admission
A discovery request asking another party to admit or deny a stated fact or proposition so matters that are not genuinely disputed can be narrowed.
Subpoena
A legally authorized command requiring testimony, documents, records, or other material. The issuing court and governing rules determine its reach and how objections are made.
Deposition
Sworn testimony taken before trial, usually with lawyers asking questions and a court reporter creating a transcript.
Privilege
A rule that protects certain communications or information from compelled disclosure, such as qualifying attorney-client communications. Privileges have specific requirements and exceptions.
Expert witness
A witness qualified by specialized knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education who may give opinion testimony when the governing evidence rules permit it.
Rule 35 examination
A physical or mental examination used in civil litigation when the applicable rule’s requirements are met. It is sometimes called an independent medical examination, but the examining professional is ordinarily retained by one side, so the rule-based name is more precise.
Motions and resolution
Motion
A formal request asking the court to make a ruling or enter an order during a case.
Summary judgment
A procedure asking the court to decide a claim or issue without trial because the moving party contends there is no genuine dispute requiring a factfinder on the material facts and the law entitles that party to judgment.
Motion in limine
A pretrial request asking the judge to admit, exclude, or restrict specified evidence, testimony, or argument at trial.
Mediation
A structured settlement process in which a neutral mediator helps the parties negotiate. The mediator ordinarily does not decide who wins.
Arbitration
A dispute-resolution process in which an arbitrator or panel hears the dispute and issues a decision under the governing agreement or law. Arbitration is different from mediation because the neutral decision-maker may have authority to decide the dispute.
Trial, judgment, and appeal
Bench trial
A trial in which the judge, rather than a jury, decides disputed facts and applies the law.
Jury trial
A trial in which a jury decides the factual questions submitted to it under instructions supplied by the judge.
Voir dire
The jury-selection process in which prospective jurors are questioned to determine qualification, impartiality, and grounds for permitted challenges.
Jury instruction
A statement of law the judge gives the jury to explain the legal rules it must apply when deciding the case.
Verdict
The jury’s decision on the factual and legal questions submitted to it. A verdict is usually followed by entry of judgment.
Judgment
The court’s enforceable ruling resolving claims or awarding relief. A judgment can be affected by post-trial motions, interest, appeal, payment, or collection procedures.
Appeal
A request for a higher court to review claimed legal error in the record created below. An appeal is not ordinarily a new trial with new evidence.
Garnishment
A post-judgment collection procedure that can require a third party holding money or property belonging to the judgment debtor to respond and, where permitted, turn over property subject to the judgment.
Death, estate, and protected-party terms
Wrongful death
A statutory civil claim arising from a person’s death and belonging to the people the governing statute authorizes to bring it.
Survival claim
A claim that belonged to the injured person and continues after death to the extent the governing survival statute permits.
Personal representative
The person with court-recognized or otherwise legally established authority to administer a decedent’s estate and act for the estate within the scope of that authority.
Probate
The court-supervised legal process used to administer a decedent’s estate when probate administration is required.
Guardian ad litem
A person appointed by a court for a specific proceeding to protect or represent interests the court determines require separate protection. The role and authority depend on the governing law and appointment order.
Use these terms in context: After a Crash: What Happens Next? · Litigation & Resolution · Evidence Library
Colorado-specific notes
Medical Payments coverage (MedPay)
Colorado’s MedPay statute generally requires $5,000 of medical-payments coverage to be included unless the named insured rejects the coverage in the manner permitted by law. MedPay has separate rules for trauma-related priority, claim submission, and prompt payment.
Comparative negligence
Colorado generally bars recovery in an ordinary negligence action when the claimant’s negligence is 50% or more. With multiple responsible actors, the claimant’s negligence is compared with the combined negligence of the defendants and any properly designated nonparties included in the allocation. If recovery is permitted, the claimant’s negligence reduces the damages, and each defendant’s responsibility is determined under the applicable allocation rules. A defendant is not excused merely because that defendant’s individual percentage of negligence is lower than the claimant’s. See the 2026 Colorado Civil Jury Instructions 9:27 and 9:28.
Minimum liability limits
Colorado’s statutory minimum automobile liability limits are only a floor. They do not establish the actual limits, all available insurance, excess or umbrella coverage, or whether a particular policy applies to the crash.
UM/UIM
Colorado UM/UIM analysis is controlled by current C.R.S. § 10-4-609, the issued policy, and current case law. Older policy forms may contain exhaustion, setoff, stacking, or consent language that should not be assumed to state current law.
Policy disclosure
C.R.S. § 10-3-1117 supplies Colorado’s automobile policy-information disclosure framework. Regulation 5-1-27 is the current implementation rule used by VictimsGuide. Former Regulation 5-2-03 is retained only as historical provenance.
Unreasonable delay or denial
C.R.S. §§ 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116 address first-party unreasonable delay or denial and related remedies. The existence of a dispute, delay, or denial does not by itself establish the elements of a statutory or common-law claim.
Current Colorado legal and consumer references
- C.R.S. § 10-3-1117 — automobile policy-information disclosures.
- 3 CCR 702-5, Regulation 5-1-27 — current automobile policy-information-request implementation rule.
- C.R.S. §§ 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116 — first-party unreasonable delay or denial and statutory remedies.
- C.R.S. § 10-4-609 — uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
- C.R.S. § 10-4-635 — Medical Payments coverage.
- C.R.S. § 13-21-111 — comparative negligence in negligence actions.
- Colorado Division of Insurance — consumer assistance, regulation, and complaint resources.
2026 Colorado Revised Statutes — official source
Colorado Secretary of State — current 3 CCR 702-5 rule source
Colorado Division of Insurance — consumer and regulatory resources
Related VictimsGuide resources
- Sample Colorado PPA Policy — see the glossary terms in the structure of an actual historical policy form.
- Policy Disclosures — obtain the actual policy and limits information.
- Third-Party Liability — driver, owner, employer, commercial, and other liability layers.
- Colorado MedPay — current medical-payments rules and claim workflow.
- UM/UIM — current uninsured/underinsured-motorist analysis.
- Vehicle Damage & Total Loss — valuation, repair, appraisal, and total-loss terminology in context.
- Coverage Disputes — how definitions, grants, exclusions, conditions, and endorsements interact.
- Claims Handling & Delay — claim conduct, investigation, delay, denial, and evidence terminology.
- Clean Claim System — organize the policy, correspondence, proof, coverage map, and claim chronology in one indexed file.
Bottom line
The safest way to read an auto policy is to start with the declarations page, identify the exact coverage part involved, then check definitions, exclusions, conditions, limits, endorsements, coverage position, and other insurance before reaching a conclusion.
Public legal education. This glossary is general and educational. Exact policy language, state law, regulations, deadlines, and claim facts can change the answer in a particular matter. This page is not individualized legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
What should I read next?
Where am I now?
Return to the plain-English crash-to-closure map and see how this issue fits into the whole process.
Continue: Use the Terms in Practical Guides
Return to the Citizen’s Guides and apply the terminology to coverage, evidence, medical bills, claims and settlement questions.
Need the governing law?
Definitions explain vocabulary; statutes, regulations, rules and controlling cases decide the legal question.