While most bills passed in Colorado become law the minute the governor puts pen to paper, many aren’t officially in effect for months or over a year after passage.

Here are the laws passed during the last two legislative sessions that will go into effect on July 1 of this year. 

Laws passed in 2024

• House Bill 1130: Sponsored by then-Rep. Lindsey Daughterty, D-Arvada, former Rep. Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, Sen. Paul Lundeen, R-Colorado Springs, and former Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, the measure requires biometric data such as fingerprints and facial features to be destroyed within two years of collection or once it is no longer needed, whichever comes first, and to be stored securely until destruction. Violation constitutes a deceptive trade practice under the Colorado Privacy Act. Read more about the bill here. 

• House Bill 1133: Sponsored by Reps. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, and Matt Soper, R-Delta, and Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, the bill makes changes to the process to seal or expunge an individual’s criminal record, including allowing a court to grant an attorney access to a sealed record if the defendant in the case provides permission and the attorney is only using the record to provide legal advice. The bill also allows a hearing related to sealing matters to be conducted remotely and requires the state court administrator to compile a list of types of non-conviction records with dispositions prior to 2022, sort them by judicial district, and submit them to the chief judge of each district by July 1. 

• House Bill 1174: Sponsored by Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, and Sens. Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton, and Marc Snyder, D-Colorado Springs, the measure requires applicants for a concealed carry permit to complete eight hours of in-person training taught by a verified instructor. The course must include instruction on topics like safe storage, federal and state laws pertaining to the purchase and possession of guns, and state laws pertaining to the use of deadly force for self-defense. Additionally, applicants are now required to pass a written exam and a live-fire exam.

• House Bill 1269: Sponsored by Rep. Tisha Mauro, D-Pueblo, then-Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, and Sens. Chris Kolker, D-Centennial, and Byron Pelton, R-Sterling, the measure modifies fees collected by county clerk and recorders to be a flat fee of $40 rather than a fee per page. The bill also prohibits clerk and recorders from charging for the filing or recording of a certificate of death, a verification of death document, or a copy of either. The bill also modifies the practice of redacting the first five digits of a Social Security number on public documents by requiring them to be automatically redacted unless an individual or their representative requests it remain unredacted. 

• House Bill 1353: The final portion of House Bill 1353, which requires firearms dealers to obtain a state permit, mandates the Department of Revenue to develop a training or approve training courses for firearms dealers. The training can be either in-person or virtual and includes an exam with a required score of 70% or higher to pass. Also going into effect on July 1 is a section of the law requiring dealers to conduct fingerprint background checks on prospective employees and prohibits them from hiring individuals who have been convicted of an offense that prohibits them from owning or possessing a firearm or has been convicted of certain misdemeanor offenses in the past five years. Additionally, the bill requires firearms dealers who believe someone has purchased or attempted to purchase a firearm illegally to inform law enforcement within 48 hours. The bill was sponsored by Reps. Emily Sirota, D-Denver, Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City. Read more about the bill here. 

• House Bill 1399: Sponsored by Joint Budget Committee members Reps. Emily Sirota, D-Denver, and Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction, and Sens. Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, and Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, the measure repeals the Colorado Indigent Care Program, which provides discounted health care to low-income patients and creates the Hospital Discounted Care Advisory Committee to advise the state on operations and policies of billing for indigent patients. The bill also requires the Medical Services Board and the Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise to determine qualifications for Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments under Medicaid. 

• House Bill 1437: Sponsored by then-Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, former Sen. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, and Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, this bill prohibits municipalities that are prosecuting a domestic violence case and hiring a defense attorney for an indigent defendant from using a fixed or flat-fee payment structure and instead requires them to use the same payment structure and rates as the state uses for attorneys hired by the Office of Alternate Defense Counsel. 

• Senate Bill 025: The only Senate Bill passed in 2024 that goes into effect on July 1, this measure makes adjustments to the state’s sales and use tax collection statutes, including clarifying that the Department of Revenue collects, administers and enforces local government sales and use tax the same way it does state sales tax. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, former Sen. Kevin Van Winkle, R-Highlands Ranch, then-Rep. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, and Rep. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction. 

Laws passed in 2025

• House Bill 1114: Sponsored by Reps. Michael Carter, D-Aurora, and Cecelia Espenoza, D-Denver, and Sens. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, the measure establishes the right of defense attorneys to review physical evidence at least 35 days before a trial. The bill also requires law enforcement to designate a location for the evidence viewing and allows them to record the viewing to ensure the chain of custody, integrity, or safety of the evidence. 

• House Bill 1003: Sponsored by Reps. Rebekah Stewart, D-Lakewood, and Max Brooks, R-Parker, and Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Littleton, this bill merges two existing medical waiver programs for children into one.

• House Bill 1077: Sponsored in the House by Reps. Sheila Lieder, D-Littleton, and Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora, and in the Senate by Sens. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Janice Rich, R-Grand Junction, the measure clarifies regulations regarding work on backflow prevention devices, which are used to protect water supplies from contamination or pollution. 

• Senate Bill 024: A portion of the bill, which changes the number of judges in certain judicial districts, will go into effect on July 1 of this year, adding an additional district court judge to the 4th, 17th, 18th, and 23rd judicial districts, as well as adding a county court judge in La Plata County. Additional jurisdictions will receive one more judge each next July. The bill was sponsored by Sens. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, and Reps. Michael Carter, D-Aurora, and Matt Soper, R-Delta. Read more about the bill here.