HB 1218: Clarifying Validity of Common Law Marriage - Colorado

Final Act → Signed Act · 3 edits · May 5, 2026

MINOR

This bill restores a provision clarifying that common law marriages entered into before September 1, 2006, remain valid in Colorado. It also reinstates the rule that marriages entered into on or after that date must comply with specific statutory requirements to be valid. The changes ensure legal consistency regarding marriage validity across different time periods.

Scope change

The bill restores eligibility for common law marriage recognition for relationships formed before September 1, 2006, which had previously been repealed.

ELIGIBILITY

Reinstates the clause stating that common law marriages entered into prior to September 1, 2006, are not repealed or invalidated.

Reinstates the requirement that common law marriages entered into on or after September 1, 2006, must comply with Section 14-2-109.5 to be valid.

TECHNICAL

Corrects a typo in the explanatory note regarding deletions from existing law.

Rerevised → Final Act · 3 edits · Apr 28, 2026

MINOR

This bill restores a provision previously repealed in 2025 that clarifies the validity of common law marriages in Colorado. It explicitly states that the law does not invalidate common law marriages entered before September 1, 2006, or those entered on or after that date if they comply with specific requirements. The change ensures legal certainty for couples whose relationships were recognized under prior statutes.

Scope change

The bill's scope is limited to clarifying the legal status of existing common law marriages; it does not create new marriage categories or alter general marriage laws.

ELIGIBILITY

Added explicit language confirming that common law marriages entered before September 1, 2006, remain valid.

Added language confirming that common law marriages entered on or after September 1, 2006, are valid if they meet the requirements of Section 14-2-109.5.

TECHNICAL

Removed draft headers, committee lists, and summary notes that were part of the legislative process but not part of the final enacted statute.

Revised → Rerevised · 3 edits · Apr 7, 2026

MINOR

The bill was re-revised to incorporate all amendments adopted by the Senate during its second reading. The primary change is the addition of Senator Coleman to the Senate sponsorship list, reflecting his support for the legislation. The document also includes a new header indicating the bill was read in the Senate without further amendments on April 7, 2026.

TECHNICAL

Senator Coleman was added to the Senate sponsorship list.

A header was added stating the bill was 3rd Reading Unamended in the Senate on April 7, 2026.

The revision status header was updated from 'REVISED' to 'REREVISED' to reflect the inclusion of all Senate amendments.

Reengrossed → Revised · 3 edits · Apr 6, 2026

MINOR

The bill status has been updated from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect that it now includes amendments adopted during the second reading in the second house. A committee name was slightly adjusted to 'State, Veterans, & Military Affairs' to better align with standard naming conventions. Additionally, the document now explicitly displays the '2nd Reading Unamended' and '3rd Reading Unamended' dates, indicating the bill has progressed through the legislative calendar.

Scope change

No substantive policy changes to the bill's scope, eligibility, or requirements were made; the changes are administrative updates to the bill's versioning and committee listings.

TECHNICAL

The header text was changed from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to accurately reflect the legislative stage where amendments were adopted on second reading.

The Senate Committee name was updated from 'State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs' to 'State, Veterans, & Military Affairs'.

Explicit dates for the '2nd Reading Unamended' (April 6, 2026) and '3rd Reading Unamended' (March 9, 2026) were added to the document.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Mar 9, 2026

MINOR

The bill title was updated from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' to reflect that it now includes all amendments adopted during the House of Introduction. A new note was added indicating that a summary for this specific reengrossed version will be available after the third reading, dated March 9, 2026. Additionally, a new co-sponsor, Bradley Carter, was added to the list of House sponsors.

Scope change

No substantive changes to the bill's scope, applicability, or policy provisions were made in this update.

TECHNICAL

The bill status was updated from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' to indicate the inclusion of all amendments adopted in the House of Introduction.

A new informational note was added stating that a bill summary for the reengrossed version will be available after the third reading in the House of Introduction.

A new co-sponsor, Bradley Carter, was added to the House sponsorship list.

Introduced → Engrossed · 2 edits · Mar 6, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to include a 'safety clause' declaration, asserting the law is necessary for public safety or state operations. Additionally, the text was reformatted to align with the official 'Engrossed' status, indicating all amendments have been adopted. These changes clarify the legislative intent regarding the bill's necessity and finalize its procedural status.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a 'safety clause' declaration stating the act is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health, or safety, or for state appropriations.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document header and status from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' to reflect that all amendments have been adopted.

Clarifying Validity of Common Law Marriage

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