Colorado GPS Tracking Laws: Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on a Car? (2026)

Colorado quietly became one of the best states in the country for fighting back against secret GPS tracking. A new civil law that took effect on August 7, 2024 lets you sue anyone who hides a tracker on your car, or pushes a tracking app onto your phone, without your consent.

That law sits on top of Colorado's felony stalking statute, which already reaches electronic surveillance. So is it legal to put a tracker on a car in Colorado? It depends entirely on whose car it is and why you are tracking it.

Is It Legal to Put a GPS Tracker on a Car in Colorado?

You can generally put a GPS tracker on a vehicle you own. That covers your own car, a business tracking its fleet, and a parent who holds the title to a teenager's car.

Ownership is not the whole test, though. C.R.S. 13-20-1301(2)(a) creates liability two separate ways: against an actor who installed a tracking device on the person's personal property without consent, and against one who caused a tracking device or tracking application to track the position or movement of the person without that person's consent. Only the first prong turns on who owns the property. So if you use a car you own, or a tracker you own, to monitor the movements of a specific adult who has not agreed to it, that person can still bring a claim. The section is titled "Actions for tracking a person without consent," not tracking property.

You cannot legally put a tracker on someone else's car without their consent. Since August 2024, the person you track can sue you for damages under C.R.S. 13-20-1301, including noneconomic damages for emotional harm. And if the tracking is part of a pattern that threatens the person or causes them serious emotional distress, prosecutors can charge felony stalking.

Colorado does not have a standalone criminal statute aimed only at tracking devices, the way some states do. Instead, it pairs a broad new civil remedy with one of the tougher stalking laws in the country.

Colorado's New Civil Tracking Law (C.R.S. 13-20-1301)

The General Assembly passed Senate Bill 24-011 in 2024, Governor Polis signed it on June 5, 2024, and the tracking provisions took effect August 7, 2024. That makes Colorado's one of the newest civil tracking laws in the nation.

The statute is broad. A person who was tracked can sue the "actor" who installed a tracking device on their personal property without consent, or who caused a tracking device or tracking application to track them or their property without consent.

Both hardware and software count. A "tracking device" is any electronic or mechanical device that lets someone remotely track another person's position or movement. A "tracking application" is software that does the same thing, which sweeps in phone spyware, stalkerware, and shared-location apps used without permission.

Damages include noneconomic loss or injury, so you can recover for the fear and emotional toll of being followed, not just out-of-pocket costs.

One detail matters a lot in relationship cases: consent can be revoked at any time. If you once agreed to share your location and later withdrew that consent, the statute expressly allows a claim for any tracking after revocation.

Who the Civil Law Does Not Cover

The enrolled bill lists a short set of exceptions. You cannot bring a claim against:

• A law enforcement agency or peace officer for actions taken as part of a criminal investigation
• A peace officer acting within the scope of official duties
• A public highway authority acting within its authority to collect tolls, or the High Performance Transportation Enterprise acting within its authority to collect tolls and enforce toll and safety violations
• A parent or legal guardian of a minor child for tracking that minor child

Notice what is missing. There is no exception for spouses, ex-partners, private investigators, or employers. A suspicious spouse who plants a tracker on the other spouse's car has no statutory safe harbor in Colorado.

When Tracking Becomes Criminal Stalking (C.R.S. 18-3-602)

Colorado's stalking statute, known as Vonnie's Law, is the main criminal tool against GPS tracking. It is named for Vonnie Flores, a Leadville woman murdered in 2010 by a stalker who had been arrested for violating a restraining order, then released on bond within hours without ever appearing before a judge.

A person commits stalking by knowingly making a credible threat and, in connection with it, repeatedly following, approaching, contacting, or placing under surveillance the victim, a family member, or someone close to the victim. The statute also covers a second path that needs no threat at all: repeatedly following, contacting, surveilling, or communicating with someone in a way that would cause a reasonable person serious emotional distress and actually does cause that distress.

The phrase "places under surveillance" is where GPS comes in. Colorado courts and prosecutors treat electronic monitoring, including a hidden GPS unit on a car, as surveillance under the statute. Secretly tracking an ex's movements for weeks can qualify on its own if it causes serious emotional distress.

Stalking is a felony from the first offense. A first conviction is a class 5 felony. It becomes a class 4 felony for a second offense within seven years, or when the stalking occurred while a protection order, bond condition, probation, or parole term prohibiting the conduct was in effect. Stalking is also designated an extraordinary risk crime under C.R.S. 18-1.3-401(10), which raises the top of the sentencing range by one year for the class 5 version and two years for the class 4 version.

Federal law adds another layer. The federal stalking statute, 18 U.S.C. 2261A, criminalizes courses of conduct using electronic monitoring that place a victim in fear or cause substantial emotional distress, with penalties up to five years in prison. And in United States v. Jones (2012), the U.S. Supreme Court held that attaching a GPS device to a car and using it to track the car's movements is a Fourth Amendment search.

Who Can Legally Track a Vehicle in Colorado

• The vehicle's owner. You can track a car titled in your name, including a company tracking its own fleet vehicles. Ownership answers the installation prong, not the person prong. If the real object of the tracking is a specific non-consenting adult's movements, the statute can still reach you.
• Parents and legal guardians of minors. Both the civil statute's exception and ordinary parental authority cover tracking a minor child's phone or car.
• Law enforcement with a warrant. Police can install trackers as part of a criminal investigation, subject to the Fourth Amendment rule from United States v. Jones.
• Toll authorities. Colorado's express-lane and toll enforcement systems are expressly carved out of the civil statute.
• Anyone with genuine, current consent. Written consent is best, and remember that consent can be revoked at any time.

Co-owned vehicles are the gray zone. If both spouses are on the title, installing a tracker is probably not a violation of the installation prong as to that car. That does not make the tracking lawful. The second prong of C.R.S. 13-20-1301(2)(a) reaches causing a device to track the position or movement of the person without their consent, so a co-owner who uses the shared car to monitor the other spouse can still face a civil claim. Covert surveillance can also feed a stalking charge or a protection order, and divorce judges take a dim view of it.

Can My Employer Track My Car in Colorado?

Colorado has no statute specifically governing employer GPS tracking, so the general rules fill the gap.

If you drive a company-owned vehicle, your employer can generally track the vehicle. The company owns the asset, so installing a device on it does not violate the installation prong. That is not unlimited permission to track the driver. Because C.R.S. 13-20-1301(2)(a) separately reaches causing a device to track a person's movements without consent, monitoring that follows an employee's personal movements rather than the vehicle's business use remains exposed. Best practice is written disclosure, employee consent, and tracking tied to business purposes like routing, mileage, and safety.

If you drive your personal vehicle, the calculus changed in August 2024. An employer who installs a tracker on an employee's own car, or requires a tracking app on a personal phone, needs the employee's consent to stay outside C.R.S. 13-20-1301. And because consent is revocable, continued tracking after an employee withdraws it is actionable.

Around-the-clock monitoring of off-duty movements also invites a claim for intrusion upon seclusion, Colorado's common-law privacy tort. Workplace monitoring often overlaps with audio and video rules, covered in our guide to Colorado recording laws.

AirTags and Item Trackers

Apple AirTags, Tile trackers, and Samsung SmartTags all fit Colorado's definition of a tracking device. Dropping an AirTag into someone's bag or magnet-mounting one under their bumper is treated exactly like installing a traditional GPS unit. The victim can sue under C.R.S. 13-20-1301, and a pattern of AirTag tracking that causes serious emotional distress supports a stalking charge.

Both iPhone and Android push unknown-tracker alerts when an unrecognized tracker moves with you. Take those alerts seriously. The alert usually lets you make the tracker play a sound and shows a serial number, which police can use to identify the owner.

Penalties and Damages

Sentencing ranges reflect stalking's status as an extraordinary risk crime, which extends the standard presumptive maximums. Aggravating circumstances can extend them further.

What to Do If You Find a Tracker on Your Car

1. Photograph it in place. Capture where it was mounted before touching it. Location and mounting method are evidence.
2. Do not destroy it. It may carry fingerprints, a serial number, or a registered owner. Destroying it destroys your proof.
3. Call the police and get a report number. Ask the department to trace the device. A documented report supports both criminal charges and your civil claim.
4. Consider a protection order. A discovered tracker is strong evidence of stalking behavior. Our guide to Colorado restraining order laws walks through the process.
5. Talk to a civil attorney. C.R.S. 13-20-1301 gives you a direct claim for damages, including emotional harm, and you do not need to wait for a prosecutor.
6. Check your phone too. Tracking apps are covered by the same statute. Review location-sharing settings and look for unfamiliar apps.

If the tracker came with a hidden camera, different rules apply. See our state-by-state guide to surveillance camera laws.

For rules in other states, see our full guide to GPS Tracking Laws by State.

Sources

• Senate Bill 24-011, signed act (PDF), Colorado General Assembly
• SB24-011 bill page and history, Colorado General Assembly
• Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 18 (C.R.S. 18-3-602, stalking), Office of Legislative Legal Services
• United States v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012), Supreme Court of the United States
• 18 U.S.C. § 2261A, stalking, Office of the Law Revision Counsel

Disclaimer: This article is general legal information, not legal advice. Statutes change and every situation is different. If you are dealing with tracking or stalking, contact a Colorado attorney or call local law enforcement. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

More Colorado Laws

• Colorado Dashcam Laws
• Colorado Data Privacy Laws
• Colorado Drone Laws
• Colorado Employee Monitoring Laws
• Colorado Recording Laws
• Colorado Restraining Order Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put a GPS tracker on my spouse's car in Colorado?

Not without consent. Colorado's civil tracking law, C.R.S. 13-20-1301, has no exception for spouses, so your spouse can sue you for tracking their personal vehicle without permission. If the car is jointly titled, the installation claim is weaker, but the statute's second prong still reaches causing a device to track your spouse's movements without consent, and covert tracking can also support a stalking charge or protection order and will hurt you in divorce court.

Is it illegal to track someone with an AirTag in Colorado?

Yes, if they have not consented. An AirTag meets the statute's definition of a tracking device, so planting one in someone's bag or on their car exposes you to a civil lawsuit under C.R.S. 13-20-1301. A repeated pattern of tracking that causes serious emotional distress can also be charged as felony stalking under C.R.S. 18-3-602.

Can I sue someone for putting a tracker on my car in Colorado?

Yes. Since August 7, 2024, C.R.S. 13-20-1301 gives you a private right of action against anyone who installed a tracking device on your personal property or caused a device or app to track you without consent. You can recover actual damages, including noneconomic damages for emotional harm.

Can my parents legally track my phone or car in Colorado?

If you are under 18, yes. The civil statute expressly exempts a parent or legal guardian tracking their minor child. Once you turn 18, that exception disappears, and a parent who keeps tracking an adult child without consent is in the same legal position as anyone else.

Do Colorado police need a warrant to put a GPS tracker on a car?

Generally yes. In United States v. Jones (2012), the U.S. Supreme Court held that attaching a GPS device to a vehicle and using it to monitor the vehicle's movements is a Fourth Amendment search. Colorado's civil statute separately shields officers from civil claims for tracking done as part of a criminal investigation.

What if I agreed to location sharing but changed my mind?

Colorado law is unusually clear on this. C.R.S. 13-20-1301(2)(b) says a person who consented to tracking may revoke that consent at any time and may sue for any tracking that occurs after revocation. Tell the person clearly, in writing if possible, that consent is withdrawn.

Can a car dealer or lender legally track my financed car?

Usually yes, because the financing or lease agreement you signed typically includes consent to a GPS or starter-interrupt device. That contractual consent takes the lender outside the civil statute. Read your contract; if no consent language exists and a device was hidden on the car, the statute may apply.

Is finding a GPS tracker enough to get a protection order in Colorado?

It is strong evidence. Colorado courts grant civil protection orders based on stalking behavior, and a hidden tracker is direct proof of being placed under surveillance. Pair the device with a police report and any history of following or contact, and you have a solid foundation for an order.