The new year will mean the arrival of more than 20 new state laws limiting the extra fees landlords can charge, expanding Medicaid coverage for abortion and establishing new requirements for gun shows operating in the state.
Most of the laws were among last spring, after lawmakers concluded their regular legislative session.
The laws will make it across Colorado cities and towns, and they will to cover car seats that are damaged in accidents. Lawmakers also around a newly adopted ballot measure that established veterinary professional associates in veterinary care, and they classified , making them illegal to possess unless authorized.
Some of the laws — including one making it easier to repair cellphones — were passed in 2024 or earlier and are just taking effect.
Here’s a look at seven of the new laws set to become active on Jan. 1:
Junk fees
With , state lawmakers sought to address a common complaint from Colorado tenants and from regulators nationwide: hidden fees.
The law requires many retailers and companies to “clearly and conspicuously” list the full cost of their goods or services in their advertising. It also bans landlords from charging mandatory fees for certain utility- or rent-processing expenses, property taxes, certain landlord expenses like pest control, and for maintenance of common areas.
It also prohibits landlords from charging fees if a tenant is late paying, well, other fees.
Anyone who violates the law commits a deceptive trade practice. The bill was backed by Reps. Emily Sirota and Naquetta Ricks and Sens. Mike Weissman and Lisa Cutter, all Democrats.
Easier electronic repair
Part of a string of “right-to-repair” bills passed in recent years, 2024’s requires the manufacturers of personal electronic equipment — like cellphones — to provide replacement parts, software and repair information to third-party shops and consumers. Similar legislation was passed for electric wheelchairs and for agricultural equipment, like tractors.
The goal, supporters say, is to make it easier — and, they hope, cheaper — to repair devices.
The 2024 legislation has a notable and lengthy list of exceptions. It doesn’t apply to video game consoles, for instance, or to power tools, industrial equipment or any devices manufactured for use in a medical setting.
The bill was sponsored by Democratic Reps. Brianna Titone and Steven Woodrow and Sens. Jeff Bridges and Nick Hinrichsen.
New gun show rules
New security requirements are coming to gun shows. , passed in the spring, requires the events’ promoters to submit plans, listing vendors and the planned number of attendees, to local law enforcement. Gun show promoters must obtain liability insurance, ensure entries and exits are watched by security, and prohibit minors from attending, unless they’re accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Promoters also must set up notices about state gun-control laws, such as those related to background checks and storage in vehicles.
HB-1238 was sponsored by Democratic Reps. Junie Joseph and Sean Camacho and Sens. Cathy Kipp and Jessie Danielson, and it was part of a slew of new gun regulations passed in 2025 and other recent Colorado legislative sessions. (The most prominent law passed last spring, via Senate Bill 3 — which will restrict sales of many semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines unless buyers pass a safety course — won’t take effect until next August.)
New efficiency standards
In 2023, lawmakers passed new and updated efficiency standards for a slew of devices and appliances. Those requirements — prohibiting the sale of the products unless they meet certain standards — will kick in.
The appliances covered in include:
- Air purifiers (excluding industrial models)
- Commercial ovens and “hot food holding cabinets”
- Electric storage water heaters
- Electric vehicle supply equipment
- Faucets, showerheads, certain fluorescent lights, and residential windows and doors
Manufacturers and retailers also won’t be able to make or sell water heaters or “fan-type central furnaces” unless they also meet certain emission limits. New requirements were also implemented for gas fireplaces, including an ability to automatically kill a pilot flame when the main burner isn’t active.
The bill was sponsored by Kipp and Cutter, plus fellow Democrats Rep. Jenny Willford and the late Sen. Faith Winter.
Child care fees
Under 2025’s , child care centers must refund application, deposit or waitlist fees paid by families whose children ultimately aren’t enrolled in the program. They must request the refunds in writing within six months, and the refunds won’t be required to be available for families that declined an enrollment offer.
The facilities can also continue charging a deposit, but SB-4 requires that the deposit be put toward the program’s tuition. Child care centers are also required to provide information about fees and refunds to families.
SB-4 was backed by Winter and Willford, along with Sen. Janice Marchman and Rep. Lorena Garcia, also Democrats.
Security deposit refunds
, passed in the last session, generally requires landlords to refund a tenant’s security deposit within 30 days, and it prohibits keeping any of the money to repair damage that predates a tenant’s time in the apartment. The law calls out new paint and carpet repairs as examples of what landlords can’t use security deposits to cover, unless the damage came about during a tenant’s occupancy and wasn’t a product of normal wear and tear.
Tenants can also request a walk-through to look at any damage, and landlords are required to provide a written statement describing the “exact reasons” why some or all of the deposit is being withheld.
The law provides explicit examples of landlords keeping deposits in “bad faith.” That includes keeping more money than is necessary to repair damage or keeping funds for “retaliatory or discriminatory” purposes. The bill was sponsored by Ricks and Danielson, plus fellow Democrats Sen. Tony Exum and Rep. Jennifer Bacon.
Abortion access
is a product of Colorado voters overwhelmingly approving Amendment 79, which established a constitutional right to abortion in the state, in the 2024 election. SB-183, passed in the last session, implements part of that ballot measure: It requires the state side of Medicaid, the government’s safety-net health insurance program, to cover abortion services for Medicaid patients and Child Health Plan Plus program recipients.
Insurance plans for public employees will also have to cover abortion.
Another recently passed abortion measure, went into effect in the spring. It strengthened Colorado’s shield law that protects health care providers, patients and their data from investigations and enforcement actions of other states.
SB-183 was sponsored by Garcia with fellow Democratic Sens. Robert Rodriguez and Lindsey Daugherty and House Speaker Julie McCluskie.
