Contents
Privacy
Terms of use
Legal disclaimer

Privacy policy

Thank you for visiting the Colorado Secretary of State's website and for reviewing our Privacy Policy. This policy addresses the Secretary of State's standardized process for access to and for the collection, storage, use, transfer, and security of personally identifiable information that may be obtained through use of the Secretary of State's website.

Personally identifiable information is information about an individual that could reasonably be used to identify that individual. Examples of personal information include an individual's first and last name, residential address, telephone number, and email address.

The Colorado Secretary of State fully supports the protection of individual privacy and minimizes the collection of personally identifiable information to the least amount of information required to complete a particular transaction. This policy extends to the collection of all personally identifiable information, regardless of the source or the medium.

This Privacy Policy covers the following topics:

• Collection and Use of Personally Identifiable Information
• Public Records
• Cookies
• Security
• Disclaimer
• Contact Information

Collection and use of personally identifiable information

The Colorado Secretary of State automatically collects some information about your visit to our website. This information may include:

• Internet Protocol (IP) address and domain name used (an IP address is a numerical identifier assigned to your Internet Service Provider or directly to your computer)
• Type of browser used
• Date and time that you visited this site
• Web pages or services that you accessed at this site.

This data is used to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how the public is using these services. In addition, we use your IP address to direct Internet traffic to you. This is not considered personally identifiable information.

If you send an email message to us during your visit to our site, the following personally identifiable information will be collected:

• Email address used to send the email message
• Contents of the email.

We collect this information to ensure we respond appropriately. For example, we may need to address issues you identify, make improvements to our website, or forward your email message to another agency for appropriate action.

It is our policy to collect no personally identifiable information about you unless that information is required to complete a particular transaction. In addition, we collect no personally identifiable information about you unless you voluntarily participate in activities that ask for information. Choosing not to participate in these activities will not affect your ability to use any other features of our website.

Finally, personally identifiable information shall not include information collected in furtherance of any regulatory, investigative, or criminal justice purpose; information collected in furtherance of litigation in which the state is a party; or information that is required to be collected pursuant to any state or federal statute or regulation.

Public records

The State Open Records Act is applicable to this Privacy Policy pursuant to the Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 24, Article 72, Part 2, which states the following: "It is declared to be the public policy of this state that all public records shall be open for inspection by any person at reasonable times, except as provided in this part 2 or as otherwise specifically provided by law." A public record is defined here as “all writings made, maintained, or kept by the state, any agency, institution, a nonprofit corporation incorporated pursuant to section 23-5-121 (2), C.R.S., or political subdivision of the state, or that are described in section 29-1-902, C.R.S., and held by any local-government-financed entity for use in the exercise of functions required or authorized by law or administrative rule or involving the receipt or expenditure of public funds.”

If personal information is requested on the website or is volunteered by the user, state and federal law may protect that information. However, all information becomes a public record once it is provided and may be subject to public inspection and copying if not protected by federal or state law.

Furthermore, the information contained in many kinds of documents filed with the Secretary of State is electronically stored and may be made accessible to the public through the Secretary of State's website. Such documents include but are not limited to the following: Lien filings under the Uniform Commercial Code, campaign reports under the Fair Campaign Practices Act, and various business entity filings such as articles of incorporation. Except where disclosure is protected by law, the information that is electronically stored may be purchased by private individuals and entities.

Users are cautioned that the collection of personal information requested from or volunteered by children online or by email will be treated the same as information provided by an adult and may be subject to public access.

Cookies

To better serve our users, we may use "cookies" to customize your browsing experience with us. Cookies are simple text files stored on your computer by your web browser. Cookies provide a method of distinguishing among visitors to our website.

Cookies created on your computer by using this website do not contain personally identifying information and do not compromise your privacy or security. We use the cookie feature only to store a randomly-generated identifying tag on your computer. You can refuse a cookie or delete a cookie file from your computer by using any of the widely-available methods.

Security

The Information Services division, as developer and manager of the Colorado Secretary of State's website, has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its telecommunications and computing infrastructure, including but not limited to authentication, monitoring, and auditing. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day practices of the entire operating environment as part of a continuing commitment to risk management.

Disclaimer

The Colorado Secretary of State's website contains links to other websites, including websites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private businesses. When you link to another website, you leave our site, which means that this Privacy Policy will no longer apply. When you link to another website, you are subject to the privacy policy of that website.

Neither the Colorado Secretary of State nor any employee of the State of Colorado (1) warrants the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any information published by this system or (2) endorses any content, viewpoints, products, or services linked from this system. Neither the Colorado Secretary of State nor any employee of the State of Colorado shall be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of such information. Portions of such information may be incorrect or obsolete. Any person or entity that relies on any information obtained from this system does so at his or her own risk.

Terms of use

The information contained in this website is provided by the Colorado Secretary of State as a service to the public.  Some services provided require the payment of fees, and some services are free.  The mission of the Department of State is to provide quick access to the public of the information maintained by the office.

Use of the information to which access is provided by this website is the responsibility of the user.  The Colorado Secretary of State retains no liability for the misuse, intended or unintended, of the information obtained from this website.

This website is intended for use by natural persons in obtaining information provided by the Secretary of State.  Use of computerized “robots” or “data mining” of the information and images presented here is prohibited.  Misuse of this website is prohibited and may result in the revocation of access to those persons or organizations using this site in a way not intended by the Secretary of State.

Any attempted data mining from the public website without permission will be blocked. Special requests are accepted for consideration, with priority given to entities with a government or educational purpose that have a legitimate business need for the information. When making a special request, your IP address will be required. Additionally, the Department of State reserves the right to regulate the duration, timing and method of data recovery based on available technological capacity. 

Much of the information usually requested is already publicly available on our website:

• Business-related documents
• Elections & voting
• Code of Colorado Regulations (CCR) - state administrative rules

If this publicly available information does not meet the legitimate business need of the entity, an entity agent may make a special request by filling out the Authorization Request for Automated Data Collection (PDF) form. The request will be considered, but may be denied. In its request, the entity must certify that it has searched all publicly available sources for the requested information. The entity agent must include all relevant information in the request, including an IP address and the related legitimate business need, in order to be considered.

Purchase of the information maintained by the Secretary of State is allowed in specific instances.  The Department of State is required to charge for the purchase of data in bulk, to cover the costs incurred in maintaining and producing the information.  Refer to the various subject areas of the website to determine the costs for obtaining data in bulk.  The Secretary of State sets fees on a periodic basis, and a master schedule of these fees is available on the website. 

Text notifications

Elections

The Secretary of State reserves the right to send out text messages to registered voters in the case of emergencies. Recipients may Reply STOP to opt out of emergency election text messages or for further assistance, reply HELP.

Business and Licensing

When you sign up for text notifications, you will receive reminders via SMS messages about due dates and important alerts.

You can cancel the SMS service at any time by texting "STOP" to 25093. After you send "STOP" to us, we will send you an SMS message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After that, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us. If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time and we will start sending SMS messages to you again.

If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can reply with the keyword HELP for more assistance, or you can get help directly at 1-855-428-3555.

Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to you from us, and to us from you. You will receive 2-5 messages per year from us, on average, depending on how many records you are subscribed to. If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, contact your wireless provider.

Legal, business, tax advice, etc.

The Business Division of the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office performs ministerial duties in connection with receiving and filing business and commercial records and documents. Our office holds these records for public inspection and, to a limited extent, enforces associated requirements, all in accordance with applicable law. We provide various electronic filings, search and certification services via our website along with other useful information; and we provide certain forms and related instructions to assist the public with electronic and paper filings and requests. Our office offers general guidance and assistance to the public regarding our duties, functions, procedures, practices and services.

You should not consider any guidance or assistance that you may receive from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, in any medium, to be legal, business or tax advice. Any such guidance or assistance is no substitute for the informed advice of competent legal, business, tax or other professional counsel. If you have substantive questions, you are encouraged to consult your private attorney, business or tax advisor, or other professional. The employees of the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office are not authorized to provide legal, business or tax advice.

Complying with the law pertaining to business entities, business names, trademarks, Uniform Commercial Code and other lien and notice filings, and other areas of law within the jurisdiction of the Colorado Secretary of State, can be challenging. Such compliance begins with ascertaining the relevant facts and circumstances of the particular case. These are often unique and are known only to the party interested in such compliance. The process then involves identifying, analyzing and interpreting all of the law applicable to the case under such facts and circumstances. That law includes the pertinent Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S.), and any relevant rules, regulations and case law, and may include federal law and the law of other jurisdictions. Next, such compliance requires an application of that legal analysis to such facts and circumstances; reaching correct, prudent, legal conclusions, taking into account the intent of the interested party; and, finally, taking appropriate, timely action. Responsibility for such legal analysis and compliance rests solely with the interested party and not with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office has no duty to determine whether a document submitted for filing complies with any or all requirements of any law. Compliance with applicable law remains the responsibility of the user. Questions should be addressed to the user's attorney. If you do not have an attorney, you may obtain a referral from one of the following sources within the Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins area:

• Metropolitan Lawyer Referral Service: Denver/Boulder area, call 303-831-8000. In the Fort Collins area, call 970-226-2455.
• The Denver Bar Association
  • Legal Resource Directory: Information about free or low-cost legal services, including direct representation, clinics and classes.

If you need a referral in another county within Colorado, you can contact the Colorado Bar Association at 303-860-1115.

Publications

All publications made available by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office are provided as a public service. By posting to this website, neither the Colorado Secretary of State nor the author(s) of these publications or articles are providing legal advice. All publications available on the Colorado Secretary of State's website, and any related instructions or documentation, are offered as a public service and no representation or warranty is made concerning the application of the legal or other principles discussed by the authors to any specific fact situation, nor is any prediction made concerning how any particular judge or other official will interpret or apply such principles.

The publications made available by the Secretary of State’s Office have been prepared by a number of authors over a period of years and published at differing times under differing circumstances. The information contained in the publications may be outdated or inaccurate and may be revised from time to time without notice. While the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office updates these materials periodically, no representation or warranty is made regarding the accuracy or reliability or concerning the application of the legal or other principles discussed by the author(s) to any specific fact situation. The proper interpretation or application of the principles discussed is a matter for the considered judgment of the user or his/her legal advisor, and the Colorado Secretary of State, the Colorado Department of State and its’ staff disclaims all liability therefore.

Compliance with applicable law remains the responsibility of the user. Questions should be addressed to the user's attorney.

Copyright

Some of the publications made available on this website are the intellectual property of the Colorado Secretary of State, and are protected by applicable law and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the Colorado Secretary of State. Contact the Colorado Secretary of State

Hyperlinks

The Colorado Secretary of State's website contains hyperlinks to other websites, including websites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private businesses. All hyperlinks are provided solely as a public service and neither the Colorado Secretary of State nor any employee of the State of Colorado warrants or endorses any content, viewpoints, products, or services obtained through hyperlinks from the Colorado Secretary of State website. Neither the Colorado Secretary of State nor any employee of the Colorado Department of State shall be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of such information.

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