This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
Starting July 1, several new Colorado laws take effect from legislation passed during the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions.
These include two high-profile gun laws and protections for the LGBTQ community that push back against a recent Supreme Court decision.
Gun laws
One law that passed in 2025 adds some friction to the process of buying ammunition. It creates a new minimum age of 21 to buy ammunition at retail stores and through mail order. The law also requires stores to keep ammunition behind a counter or on a locked shelf, so it can’t be accessed without help from a salesperson.
Backers said they wanted to make it harder for young people to use guns to commit violent crimes or take their own lives. But opponents argued against raising the age limit, saying it was unconstitutional, and said changing the way stores sell ammunition was just a meaningless roadblock that wouldn’t cut down on crime or suicides.
The law carves out an exception for firing ranges, which are allowed to continue selling ammunition to people as young as 18.
Another law, which passed this year, bans 3D-printed guns and gun components. The measure expands existing state prohibitions of untraceable firearms, sometimes called “ghost guns,” by explicitly making it a crime for anyone other than a federally licensed gun manufacturer to use 3D printers and similar computer-aided manufacturing machines to make guns or gun parts and accessories.
Backers said the legislation was important for public safety while opponents called it heavy-handed overreach that will interfere with gun owners’ constitutional rights.
Recourse for conversion therapy and beyond
A third new law takes aim at conversion therapy - a discredited method of trying to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The measure gives victims the power to sue conversion therapy practitioners for lasting psychological harm, with no statute of limitations.
The law, passed earlier this year, is the State Legislature’s response to a recent Supreme Court decision overturning Colorado’s statewide ban on conversion therapy for minors, which was passed in 2019. The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 against the ban on the grounds that it impinged on free speech.
Insurance costs
Measures in a fourth law could bring some financial relief to homeowners facing rising insurance costs. Starting now, insurance companies need to develop a ‘wildfire risk score’ for the properties they cover and make owners aware of how it factors into what they’re paying for their premium, or why the company refuses to insure them.
Insurers are now also required to incorporate fire mitigation efforts in their premium-setting models, so efforts like brush removal or using fire-resistant materials get factored into home insurance costs.
Backers hope this will push insurers to reward mitigation efforts with lower premiums, which will, in turn, encourage homeowners and communities to do more mitigation work.
The following is a partial list of other notable new laws now taking effect:
SB26-040 — Affordable Home Ownership Program: This law gives state housing officials more flexibility to use existing affordable housing funds to support lower-income first-time home buyers and affordable housing developments.
HB 26-1328 — Medicaid Nonemergency Medical Transportation: This law creates new oversight for nonemergency medical transportation under Medicaid. It is a response to widespread Medicaid fraud and state overpayments that were recently uncovered in an audit of the nonemergency transportation industry.
HB26-1250 — Procedures Related to Civil Asset Forfeiture: This law reforms parts of civil asset forfeiture law, which currently allows law enforcement to confiscate property without a criminal conviction. The measure ensures a right to legal counsel in civil asset forfeiture cases and creates a fund to pay for attorneys' fees.
SB25-168 — Prevention of Wildlife Trafficking: This law bans the sale of wild animals in Colorado, with increased penalties for trafficking endangered or threatened species. It also expands the list of species considered endangered or threatened and requires state wildlife officials to investigate wildlife trafficking.
