2026 Regulations Address Gun Shows, Buffalo Hunting, Food Trucks and Much More
Trevor Phipps
Now that the New Year has finally arrived, local leaders are bracing for the 2026 Colorado State legislative session.
Last year, the session proposed more than 600 new laws (and passed 476 of these), with many new regulations aimed at changing the daily lives of Coloradans, including those who live in rural areas such as Teller Country.
With the arrival of 2026, many laws passed previously in the last session, now have gone into effect. In fact, about 20 new laws recently became official, and a number of these could change how local residents live their lives.
Last year, the Teller County Commissioners fought hard against proposed legislation that they believed negatively affected the rural way of life. Many of these bills that the commissioners fought established stricter gun control laws.
The most controversial gun control bill that was passed last year was Senate Bill 25-003, titled “Semiautomatic Firearms & Rapid-Fire Devices.” The bill defines assault weapons and forces a gun owner to jump through hoops and pay for a class in order to purchase certain types of firearms.
This bill, though, won’t go into effect until next July. However, local gun rights groups have already taken the issue to court in an attempt to halt the bill’s implementation. But even though the law hasn’t yet gone into effect, many major chain stores, such as Scheel’s and Sportsman’s Warehouse, have already stopped selling assault rifles and pistols.
But for now, there is at least one more bill that will affect gun ownership and how many people purchase firearms. House Bill 25-1238, titled “Gun Show Requirements,” This changes how gun shows can legally operate.
“The act requires a gun show promoter to prepare a security plan and submit the security plan to each local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the gun show,” the bill’s summary states. “The act places certain requirements on a gun show promoter.”
A gun show promoter must now have liability insurance for the event. These businesses now have to “implement security measures at the gun show, including monitoring all entrances and exits and providing video surveillance of the gun show parking area and main entrance and exit.”
In addition, the gun show promoters must have security in place that prohibits anyone under age 18 unless they have a parent or guardian with them. The gun show promoter must also verify that anyone who purchased a firearm at the event “verify that the firearm has been delivered in compliance with the required the 3-day waiting period.”
If a promoter violates any of the new laws they can be charged with a class two misdemeanor. A second or subsequent charges constitute a class one misdemeanor and in addition to fines and jail time, the culprits are “prohibited from acting as a gun show promoter for five years.”
Other New Controversial Laws
Whereas the gun control laws are strictly focused on public safety, some of the other regs that went into effect, though, were meant to help residents, according to advocates of these changes. For example, House Bill 25-1090: “Protections Against Deceptive Pricing Practices” gets rid of what many call “junk” fees.
This new law bans certain hidden fees that cover up the true price of a product. “These include mandatory costs like minimum utility payments for renters, mandatory charges at restaurants and charges for electronic payments when no other forms of payment are accepted,” The Coloradoan Newspaper reports.
A bill that was passed in 2024 House Bill 24-1121: “Consumer Right to Repair Digital Electronic Equipment” also went into effect on Jan. 1. This law established the consumers’ right to repair their own cell phones, computers and televisions. Manufacturers must now make instructions, physical tools, parts and software available for consumers trying to get their devices repaired independently.
Another law that was passed gives landlords less grounds to keep their security deposits. House Bill 25-1249: “Tenant Security Deposit Protections” changes the definition of normal wear and tear to limit what a landlord can withhold from a security deposit. The new law also requires that landlords offer a walkthrough with the tenant to identify damage that constitutes parts of or the entire security deposit.
A Ban on Wild Bison Hunting
Wild bison within the state also received new protections under Senate Bill 25-053: “Protect Wild Bison” that was pushed by Native Americans Tribes in the state. “The act classifies bison as big game unless the bison are livestock,” the bill’s summary states. “Classifying bison as wildlife means that hunting or taking one is illegal unless authorized by rule of the parks and wildlife commission.”
House Bill 25-1295: “Food Truck Operations” changes the licensing process for mobile food service businesses. Now, if a person receives a license in one jurisdiction in the state, it is valid anywhere in the state. Food truck operators no longer have to get a separate license for each city or county.
More laws will go into effect later this year. And depending on the outcome of the 2026 legislative session, Colorado residents may have to start studying law books to make sure they are in compliance with every new law that gets passed in the near future. This trend is part of the election of many new state progressive Democrats who favored the passage of more laws that favor green technology, public safety and health and gun control. But unfortunately, many of these rules have big impacts on rural areas.
In previous comments, Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams has classified the introduction of this many new laws as an onerous precedent.
