Product Liability in Colorado

Colorado generally bars a product-liability action against a seller unless the seller is also the manufacturer, subject to a statutory rule when the manufacturer cannot be brought into the case. Ten years after a product is first sold for use or consumption, a rebuttable presumption applies that it was not defective, the manufacturer or seller was not negligent, and warnings and instructions were adequate. Some new manufacturing equipment also has a separate seven-year limit with exceptions. These rules affect claim analysis, not insurance coverage.

What Is Product Liability Insurance?

Product liability can cover claims that a product you make, import, distribute or sell injured someone or damaged property. If your business handles products, describe every role in the supply chain and ask how the quote treats product damage and recall costs. Read the national Product liability guide.

What to Watch for With Product Liability in Colorado

Describe whether you make or only sell the product
Colorado generally does not allow a product-liability action against a seller unless it is also the product or relevant-part manufacturer. If a court cannot obtain jurisdiction over a manufacturer, its principal distributor or seller that is subject to jurisdiction may be treated as the manufacturer. Keep accurate records of manufacturing, assembly, private labeling, and distribution roles; ask counsel how the statute applies to your operations. ¹
Treat the ten-year rule as a rebuttable presumption
Ten years after first sale for use or consumption, Colorado applies a rebuttable presumption that the product was not defective, that the manufacturer or seller was not negligent, and that warnings and instructions were adequate. This is not a ten-year cutoff. Preserve first-sale, manufacturing, warning, and product-change records so counsel can assess any claim involving an older product. ²
Check whether the product is new manufacturing equipment
For actions involving new manufacturing equipment, Colorado generally bars a claim arising more than seven years after first intended use by someone outside the equipment business. The definition is narrow: equipment used to produce a commercially sold new product distinct from its input materials. The statute addresses hidden defects, prolonged hazardous-material exposure, and intentional misrepresentation or fraudulent concealment. It also says the seven-year provision does not apply when a manufacturer, seller, or lessor gave an express written warranty against design, manufacture, or materials defects for longer than seven years and both injury and claim arose during that warranty; subsection (1) also does not apply to specified indemnity actions by a manufacturer, seller, or lessor against another person who may be liable for the judgment. Confirm the equipment, claim, warranty, and indemnity posture before relying on this specialized rule. ³
Keep records about product use and the incident
Colorado compares the injured person's causal fault with the fault of other parties in product-liability cases and reduces damages in proportion to that person's fault. Preserve instructions, training, maintenance, incident, and product-condition records; ask counsel which facts matter to a specific claim. ⁴

Which Product Liability Providers Have Colorado License Records?

These providers publish a national listing for Product liability; the license records below name the licensed entities and roles. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Colorado. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

Vouch
Insurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28
Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC
Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. ¹⁸
Vouch lists product liability among the core coverages in its technology-company programs.

Who Regulates Insurance in Colorado?

Colorado Division of Insurance

The Division administers Colorado insurance laws and regulates insurers and insurance producers. You can search producer licenses through Colorado’s official DORA lookup and send insurance complaints to the Division. ^5,^6,⁷

Website: Regulator website
License lookup: Search licensed producers
Complaints: File a complaint
Phone: (303) 894-7499

Surplus-Lines Tax and Stamping Office in Colorado

Reported tax rate. 3% of net premium ^8,^10,⁹

When Colorado is the insured’s home state, its surplus-lines tax is 3% of taxable premium. The Colorado Surplus Lines Association says insurer or broker fees charged in connection with the placement are included in the tax base; federal or other-state taxes and examination fees are excluded. For multistate risks, a tax-sharing agreement may allocate premium tax to other states.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy Product Liability in Colorado

Does our application identify when we act as manufacturer, private-labeler, importer, assembler, or seller in Colorado?
What product records should we keep to document first sale, first use, warnings, and later changes?
How do the policy's product wording and reporting terms address claims involving older products and multiple sellers?

Product Liability Insurance in Colorado: Frequently Asked Questions

Does Colorado’s ten-year product rule automatically bar an older-product claim?

No. Section 13-21-403 creates a rebuttable presumption ten years after first sale for use or consumption; it does not state an automatic filing bar. ²

Can a Colorado product claim name a seller that did not manufacture the product?

Section 13-21-402 generally bars product-liability actions against a seller unless it is also the manufacturer. If jurisdiction cannot be obtained over the manufacturer, its principal distributor or seller over whom jurisdiction can be obtained may be treated as the manufacturer. ¹

Sources for Product Liability Insurance in Colorado

1
Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 13 (2024). Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services; § 13-21-402(1)–(2), seller rule and unavailable-manufacturer exception; checked against the official 2026 Title 13 compilation linked from the current statutes download page. Accessed 2026-09-28.
2
2026 Colorado Revised Statutes, Titles for Download. Colorado General Assembly; Current official title-download page links to 2026 Title 13; § 13-21-403(3) in that full linked compilation states the rebuttable presumption ten years after first sale for use or consumption. Accessed 2026-09-28.
3
Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 13. Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services; § 13-80-107(1)–(4), defined new manufacturing equipment; seven-year period from first intended use by a person outside the equipment trade; hidden-defect, prolonged hazardous-material exposure, intentional-misrepresentation/fraudulent-concealment, express-warranty, and indemnity provisions. Accessed 2026-09-28.
4
2026 Colorado Revised Statutes, Titles for Download. Colorado General Assembly; Official 2026 Title 13 compilation, § 13-21-406(1), comparative-fault allocation in product-liability actions. Accessed 2026-09-28.
5
Colorado Division of Insurance. Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies; Official insurance regulator homepage; DOI oversight and consumer resources. Accessed 2026-09-28.
6
DORA Online Services. Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies; Official DORA online services portal; select Online License Verification and insurance profession. Accessed 2026-09-28.
7
File a Complaint. Colorado Division of Insurance; Official form and instructions for insurance complaints. Accessed 2026-09-28.
8
HB23-1111: Unauthorized Insurance Premium Tax Rate. Colorado General Assembly; Enacted bill harmonizes unauthorized insurance tax rate at 3%, effective January 1, 2024; parity with surplus-lines rate. Accessed 2026-09-28.
9
Frequently Asked Questions. Surplus Lines Association of Colorado; FAQ: Colorado home-state tax; fee charged by insurer or broker in connection with placement included in premium base; qualifying federal/other-state taxes and examination fees excluded; commercial exempt policyholder due-diligence exception. Accessed 2026-09-28.
10
Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 10 (2024). Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services; C.R.S. § 10-5-111.5, surplus-lines premium tax and home-state application. Accessed 2026-09-28.
11
Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
12
Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
13
Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
14
About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
15
Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
16
About Risklytics. Risklytics; What we do; Who we insure; Licensing; Agency licenses table dated 2026-09-10. Accessed 2026-09-16.
17
Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
18
Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Product Liability in Colorado

What Is Product Liability Insurance?

What to Watch for With Product Liability in Colorado

Describe whether you make or only sell the product

Treat the ten-year rule as a rebuttable presumption

Check whether the product is new manufacturing equipment

Keep records about product use and the incident