Alcohol Beverages Entertainment Districts

Second Regular Session Seventy-fifth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO ENGROSSED This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted on Second Reading in the House of Introduction HOUSE BILL 26-1330 LLS NO. 26-0735.01 Yelana Love x2295 HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Woodrow and Soper, SENATE SPONSORSHIP Ball and Bright, House Committees Senate Committees Transportation, Housing & Local Government A BILL FOR AN ACT CONCERNING THE OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS OF ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS.

Bill Summary (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.) Current law allows the governing body of a local licensing authority to create an entertainment district for the purpose of the service and consumption of alcohol beverages. The bill amends the laws governing entertainment districts by: ! Specifying that an entertainment district may exist only within a single municipality or city and county or the Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.

Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law. Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.

HOUSE Amended 2nd Reading March 30, 2026 unincorporated portion of a single county; Removing the requirement that an entertainment district be no larger than 100 acres; Reducing the minimum square footage that licensed premises are required to contain from 20,000 square feet of premises to 5,000 square feet; Allowing a local licensing authority to establish the days and hours of operation for the entertainment district and licensees within the entertainment district; and Specifying that only licensed premises authorized to attach to a common consumption area may sell or serve alcohol beverages for consumption within the common consumption area.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 44-3-103, amend (15)(a) and (15)(c) introductory portion; and repeal (15)(b) as follows:

44-3-103. Definitions.

As used in this article 3 and article 4 of this title 44, unless the context otherwise requires:

(15) "Entertainment district" means an area that:

(a) Is located within a SINGLE municipality a OR city and county or the unincorporated area of a SINGLE county and is designated in accordance with section 44-3-301 (11)(b) as an entertainment district;

AND

(b) Comprises no more than one hundred acres; and

(c) Contains, at least twenty thousand square feet of premises that, at the time the district is created, is A COMBINED TOTAL LICENSED PREMISES OF AT LEAST FIVE THOUSAND SQUARE FEET FOR TWO OR MORE LICENSEES THAT ARE licensed pursuant to this article 3 as:

SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 44-3-301, amend (11)(b) and (11)(f) as follows:

Licensing in general - rules - tastings - entertainment district - promotional association - educational classes.

(11) (b) A governing body of a local licensing authority may create an entertainment district by adopting an ordinance or resolution.

An entertainment district shall not exceed one hundred acres. The ordinance or resolution may impose stricter limits than required by this subsection (11) on the size, security or hours of operation of any common consumption area created within the entertainment district.

(f) (I) A local licensing authority may establish application procedures and a fee for certifying a promotional authority or authorizing attachment to a common consumption area. The authority shall establish the fee in an amount designed to reasonably offset the cost of implementing this subsection (11).

(II) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article 3 TO THE CONTRARY, THE GOVERNING BODY OF a local LICENSING authority may set the DAYS AND hours during which a common consumption area and attached licensed premises IN OR ON THE PERIMETER OF A COMMON CONSUMPTION AREA AND AUTHORIZED TO BE ATTACHED TO A COMMON CONSUMPTION AREA may SELL OR serve alcohol BEVERAGES and the DURING WHICH THEIR customers may consume alcohol BEVERAGES EITHER IN THE COMMON CONSUMPTION AREA WHEN THE COMMON CONSUMPTION AREA IS IN OPERATION OR ON THEIR LICENSED PREMISES; EXCEPT THAT THE DAYS AND HOURS ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION (11)(f)(II) MUST NOT BE MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN THE DAYS AND HOURS ALLOWED IN SECTION 44-3-901 (6)(b)(I).

(III) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THIS ARTICLE 3 TO THE CONTRARY, THE GOVERNING BODY OF A LOCAL LICENSING AUTHORITY MAY ESTABLISH THE DAYS AND HOURS OF OPERATION FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT AND, WHEN IN OPERATION, THE DAYS AND HOURS DURING WHICH LICENSEES IN THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT THAT ARE LISTED IN SECTION 44-3-103 (15)(c) MAY SELL OR SERVE ALCOHOL BEVERAGES IN THEIR LICENSED PREMISES; EXCEPT THAT THE DAYS AND HOURS ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION (11)(f)(III) MUST NOT BE MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN THE DAYS AND HOURS ALLOWED IN

SECTION 44-3-901 (6)(b)(I).

(IV) Before certifying a promotional association, the local licensing authority shall consider the reasonable requirements of the neighborhood, the desires of the adult inhabitants as evidenced by petitions, remonstrances, or otherwise, and all other reasonable restrictions that are or may be placed upon the neighborhood by the local licensing authority.

(V) PRIOR TO THE HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER TO APPROVE THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT, THE CITY COUNCIL OR BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SHALL CONSULT THE COUNTY SHERIFF AND ANY MUNICIPAL POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT HAS JURISDICTION OVER THE AREA WHERE THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT IS TO BE LOCATED.

ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION THAT WOULD CREATE THE

SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 44-3-910, amend (1)(b) and (1)(f); repeal (1)(c) and (1)(d); and add (5) and (6) as follows:

44-3-910. Common consumption areas - rules.

(1) A promotional association or attached licensed premises shall not: (b) Sell or provide an alcohol beverage to a customer for consumption within the common consumption area but not within the licensed premises in a container that is larger than sixteen ounces PERMIT INDIVIDUALS TO ENTER AN ATTACHED LICENSED PREMISES FROM THE COMMON CONSUMPTION AREA WITH AN ALCOHOL BEVERAGE PURCHASED FROM A DIFFERENT ATTACHED LICENSED PREMISES;

(c) Sell or provide an alcohol beverage to a customer for consumption within the common consumption area but not within the licensed premises unless the container is disposable and contains the name of the vendor in at least twenty-four-point font;

(d) Permit customers to leave the licensed premises with an alcohol beverage unless the beverage container complies with subsections (1)(b) and (1)(c) of this section;

(f) Operate the common consumption area in an area that exceeds the maximum SIZE authorized by this article 3 or by the local licensing authority;

(5) THE STATE LICENSING AUTHORITY MAY ADOPT RULES TO PRESERVE PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE PROPER REGULATION AND CONTROL OF THE SALE AND SERVICE OF ALCOHOL BEVERAGES UNDER THIS SECTION.

THE STATE LICENSING AUTHORITY MAY, BY RULE, ESTABLISH DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSED PREMISES WITHIN AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT THAT ARE NOT ATTACHED TO A COMMON CONSUMPTION AREA AND LICENSED PREMISES WITHIN AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT THAT ARE ATTACHED TO A COMMON CONSUMPTION AREA.

(6) ONLY LICENSED PREMISES AUTHORIZED TO ATTACH TO A COMMON CONSUMPTION AREA BY THE LOCAL LICENSING AUTHORITY UNDER SECTION 44-3-301 (11)(e) AND (11)(f) MAY SELL OR SERVE ALCOHOL BEVERAGES FOR CONSUMPTION WITHIN THE CONSUMPTION AREA.

COMMON

SECTION 4. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August 12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.