Legislative leaders on Tuesday confirmed that the 2027 session of the Colorado General Assembly will begin on Monday, Jan. 11.

Ordinarily, legislative sessions start on the second Wednesday in January. That schedule shifts in years when a new governor is elected, because the General Assembly must first certify the results of the general election.

In past years — most notably in 2007 and 2011 — lawmakers didn’t convene until after the governor had already been sworn in, meaning the election results, including the governor’s race, had not yet been certified before inauguration.

To avoid that scenario, lawmakers now adjust the start date whenever a new governor, or a governor beginning a second term, is about to take office. The earliest start on record was Jan. 4, 2019, ahead of an inauguration the following Tuesday.

For 2027, one proposed start date was Jan. 8, but Senate President James Coleman rejected it. He noted during a March 31 meeting that it would force rural lawmakers to travel to Denver for a single day, then return home until Monday. He specifically said he wouldn’t put Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, through that.

With the session now set to begin on Jan. 11, the 120‑day calendar places the final day on May 10. That late‑session weekend is unlikely to cause much disruption. In recent years, lawmakers — especially in the House — have routinely worked through the final weekend.