A bill designed to raise Colorado’s accessibility standards became law on March 11 when Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, acting as governor, signed House Bill 25-1030.
The bill was brought to the chamber by Democratic Reps. Junie Joseph and Rebekah Stewart and Sens. Lisa Cutter and Faith Winter. Stewart said that while the Americans with Disabilities Act has been the law of the land for more than three decades, there is still a large gap between its mandates and what happens in local communities. The bill is an effort to fix that.
Stewart said that the bill creates a pathway to remediate accessibility errors in buildings prior to any litigation. She also noted the bill doesn’t require municipalities to update their codes but that whenever they do choose to update their codes, their accessibility standards must be updated to one of the two most recent international building codes standards.
“That does not mean that the entire building codes need to be updated to two of the most recent years, but just that that particular section needs to keep up with the standards of the times,” Stewart added.
Republican Rep. Carlos Barron asked the sponsors at the initial committee hearing if the bill would make it more expensive to build multifamily homes. Barron was not the only Republican throughout the bill’s journey who raised concerns about the bill’s potential costs to municipalities and builders, with Republican lawmakers in both chambers expressing worry that the bill would raise building and home prices.
Stewart said that she didn’t believe the measure would significantly increase the cost of construction, and she posited that the codification of the standards in this bill could end up being a cost benefit.
Rep. Jacque Phillips, a Democrat and disability rights attorney, thanked the sponsors for bringing the bill but said that the legislation didn’t go far enough. “We have a dismal, in my opinion and experience, record of providing for people with disabilities in the state of Colorado. It’s frankly an embarrassment,” said Phillips. She asked the sponsors for specific examples of how children and seniors would be impacted by the legislation.
Joseph said that the bill will help community members have access to businesses, government services and properly-fitted homes.
Jack Johnson, an attorney from Disability Law Colorado, told the committee that there were two layers of accessibility requirements, one at the federal level and one at the state level. He said that the bill tries to ensure that the state layer of accessibility requirements meets the federal ADA requirements so no mismatch occurs.
“We’re actually hoping this will drive down overall costs, because we’re trying to save folks money through planning inspection, rather than having to sue,”Johnson said. He noted the bill may benefit businesses in particular by lowering risks related to costly lawsuits.
Heather Stauffer, advocacy manager at the Colorado Municipal League, said that while she appreciated the intent of the bill and that it didn’t require code updates, CML’s board believes that the measure shouldn’t apply to municipalities. “We do believe that local building codes are a matter of local concern and would ask the committee to defer to locals in this space,” Stauffer said.
“It’s also very important that we retain the flexibility to amend codes in order to respond to local conditions,” Stauffer said. “So we would very much appreciate any amendments to the bill that make it clear that municipalities can continue to amend the codes as long as they do not decrease accessibility.”
Nicholas Remus, testifying on behalf of the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, testified at the first committee hearing in an amend position, and he said wanted to work with the sponsors to add friendly amendments to the bill. That work resulted in an amendment at the bill’s second reading, which was passed.
That amendment, according to the sponsors, better defined what a substantial update was in reference to building codes, clarified that the international building codes only applied to multifamily and commercial buildings and not single family homes and clarified that the accessibility baseline was in line with the ADA.
Remus testified again at the bill’s committee hearing on the Senate side, and told lawmakers that with the changes, the AIA was now in support of the bill.
Two other amendments were added in that committee hearing. The first added regional building departments to the bill’s scope and the second involved grammatical and technical fixes to ensure consistency in the bill’s language.
The bill is set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2026. In a press release, Primavera noted that the bill reinforces Colorado’s commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity.
“This bill is about eliminating barriers so that individuals with disabilities, including those aging into disabilities, can live in spaces designed for everyone no matter where in the state they choose to reside,” Primavera said. “I’m proud to sign this legislation into law and grateful to the advocates and leaders who made it possible as we continue to build a Colorado for All.”