SB 61: Publication Counties Without Legal Newspapers - Colorado

Rerevised → Final Act · 5 edits · Apr 6, 2026

MODERATE

This bill clarifies the rules for publishing legal notices in Colorado counties that lack a qualified local newspaper. It establishes a strict priority order for where notices must be published, allowing alternative newspapers in the same county if they meet specific criteria, and permits publication in neighboring counties only if no valid options exist locally.

Scope change

The bill expands the definition of acceptable newspapers to include those that meet mailing requirements but lack paid circulation, and it creates a specific fallback process for counties without any qualifying local newspapers.

REQUIREMENT

Reorganized the publication requirements into a strict priority list (First, Second, Third) to clarify the order in which newspapers should be used.

Added a new category allowing newspapers that satisfy mailing privileges but lack paid circulation to be used if they have been published for one year.

Created a specific provision for municipalities or special districts that span two counties, allowing them to publish notices in either qualifying newspaper.

Established a fallback procedure for counties with no local newspapers, permitting publication in adjoining counties or newspapers with general circulation if no local options are available.

DEFINITION

Clarified that a newspaper does not need to be a traditional 'legal newspaper' if it meets the new priority criteria, expanding the pool of acceptable publications.

Revised → Rerevised · 2 edits · Apr 2, 2026

MINOR

The bill was re-revised to incorporate additional amendments adopted by the House during its second reading. The primary substantive change is the addition of three new co-sponsors (Duran, McCluskie) to the House sponsorship list, expanding the coalition supporting the legislation. Additionally, the document now explicitly marks the version as '3rd Reading Unamended' with a specific date of April 2, 2026, clarifying the legislative status and timeline.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains unchanged; the revision is procedural, adding sponsors and updating the reading status.

ELIGIBILITY

Three new individuals (Duran, McCluskie) were added to the House sponsorship list, broadening the group of legislators supporting the bill.

TIMELINE

The document was updated to reflect a '3rd Reading Unamended' status dated April 2, 2026, providing a clearer record of the bill's progress.

Reengrossed → Revised · 4 edits · Mar 31, 2026

MODERATE

The bill header was updated to reflect that this is a 'Revised' version incorporating amendments from the second house, rather than a 'Reengrossed' version from the House of Introduction. Additionally, the bill's title was expanded to explicitly include requirements for counties that lack a requisite legal newspaper. A significant procedural change was made to the publication rules, allowing legal notices to be published in newspapers with general circulation within the county if no other specific options are available.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded by adding 'Transportation' to the House committee jurisdiction and clarifying the title to cover counties without a legal newspaper.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was changed from 'REENGROSSED' to 'REVISED' to indicate the source of amendments.

SCOPE

The House committee assignment was updated to include 'Transportation' alongside Housing and Local Government.

REQUIREMENT

The bill title was amended to explicitly state it concerns requirements for counties without a requisite legal newspaper.

A new provision was added allowing legal notices to be published in any newspaper with general circulation within the county if no other specific publication options exist.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Mar 3, 2026

MINOR

The bill title was updated from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' to reflect that it now includes all amendments adopted in the House of Introduction. Additionally, the bill summary was updated to clarify that the current text applies to the 3rd Reading Unamended version and that a new summary will be released later for the reengrossed version. A list of new co-sponsors (Carson, Coleman, Kipp, Liston, Marchman, Pelton R.) was added to the Senate sponsorship section.

Scope change

The bill's substantive scope and applicability remain unchanged; these are procedural updates regarding the bill's status and sponsorship.

TECHNICAL

Added new co-sponsors: Carson, Coleman, Kipp, Liston, Marchman, and Pelton R.

Changed the bill status header from 'ENGROSSED' to 'REENGROSSED' to indicate inclusion of House amendments.

Inserted a notice stating the current summary applies to the 3rd Reading Unamended version and a future summary will cover the reengrossed version.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 2, 2026

MINOR

The bill modifies the rules for publishing legal notices in Colorado by establishing a strict priority order for newspaper selection. It clarifies that if a legal newspaper does not exist in a county, the county must first attempt to publish in an adjoining county before using a local newspaper with general circulation. Additionally, it creates a new exception for municipalities or special districts spanning two counties, allowing them to publish notices in either county's legal newspaper.

Scope change

The scope of applicability was expanded to explicitly include municipalities and special districts with territory in two counties, granting them flexibility in newspaper selection that was previously less clear.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory hierarchy for newspaper selection: legal newspapers in the county first, then legal newspapers in adjoining counties, and finally general circulation newspapers within the county.

Replaced the previous discretionary language regarding alternative publication methods with a structured, sequential list of options to ensure consistent application.

ELIGIBILITY

Created a new subsection allowing municipalities or special districts crossing two counties to publish legal notices in either county's qualifying newspaper.

Publication Counties Without Legal Newspapers

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