Property Disconnection from Statutory Municipalities
Summary
Colorado HB26-1253 proposes to modify the process for disconnecting property from statutory municipalities by restricting court decree disconnection for tracts within urban renewal areas or served by special districts. The bill adds new notice and meeting requirements for disconnection applications, requiring owners to notify affected urban renewal authorities. Affected landowners in urban renewal zones or special districts would no longer use the court decree process and must instead apply through the municipality ordinance process.
What changed
The bill modifies two existing disconnection pathways. First, it removes court decree disconnection as an option for tracts of land that are within an urban renewal area or within a special district that provides or will provide services to the tract. These owners must instead use the disconnection by ordinance application process. Second, the bill expands the disconnection by ordinance process by requiring owners to provide notice and a copy of their application to any affected urban renewal authority in addition to existing requirements (county commissioners and affected special districts). Upon receiving notice, these entities may request a meeting to discuss negative impacts including service level changes or interference with urban renewal plans. Failure to request a meeting constitutes acknowledgment that disconnection will not adversely affect the entity.
Landowners owning agricultural or farm land within or adjacent to a statutory municipality that is within an urban renewal area or within a special district's service area should be aware that they can no longer use the court decree process and must use the ordinance application process instead. All owners seeking disconnection by ordinance must now notify affected urban renewal authorities. Entities including urban renewal authorities, special districts, and county commissioners should understand that their failure to request a meeting upon receiving notice constitutes acknowledgment of non-adverse impact. The bill represents proposed legislation that will require compliance monitoring.
What to do next
- Identify any owned tracts within urban renewal areas or special district service areas that may need disconnection and note the shifted process from court decree to ordinance application
- Update disconnection application procedures to include notice to affected urban renewal authorities
- Notify affected special districts and urban renewal authorities of pending disconnection applications to allow for meeting requests
Source document (simplified)
HB26-1253
Disconnection from Statutory Municipality
| Type | Bill |
| --- | --- |
| Session | 2026 Regular Session |
| Subjects | Local Government |
Concerning the process for disconnection of property from a statutory municipality.
Recent Bill (PDF) Recent Fiscal Note (PDF) Bill Summary:
Under current law, the owners of certain tracts of agricultural or farm land within and adjacent to the boundary of a statutory town or statutory city may petition the district court for the county to have the land disconnected from the town or city (disconnection by court decree). The bill changes which tracts of land are eligible to be disconnected from a statutory town or statutory city using the disconnection by court decree process, so that this process is not available for any tract of land that is included within the boundaries of an urban renewal area described in an urban renewal plan of an urban renewal authority (affected urban renewal authority) or a special district that, by its service plan or pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement, is or will be expected to provide service to the tract of land (affected special district). Instead of using the disconnection by court decree process, owners of these tracts of land must use the process for applications for disconnection from a statutory municipality.
Under current law, the owner of a tract of land within and adjacent to the boundary of a statutory municipality may apply to the governing body of the municipality for the enactment of an ordinance disconnecting the tract of land from the municipality (disconnection by ordinance). The bill also modifies this disconnection by ordinance process by requiring that, in addition to the existing requirement that an owner provide notice and a copy of the application for disconnection to the board of county commissioners of the county in which the tract of land is located and to the board of directors of any affected special district, the owner seeking disconnection must also provide notice and a copy of the application for disconnection to ~~the commissioners of~~ any affected urban renewal authority. Upon receiving the notice and application, these entities may request a meeting with the owner of the land and the governing body of the municipality to discuss and address any negative impacts that would result from the disconnection, including any change in the level or extent of services being provided to the tract of land that is the subject of the disconnection application or any interference with the implementation of an urban renewal plan of an affected urban renewal authority. The failure of the board of county commissioners, the board of any affected special district, or ~~the commissioners of~~ any affected urban renewal authority to request a meeting constitutes an acknowledgment that the disconnection will not adversely affect the county, the affected special district, or the affected urban renewal authority.
(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)
(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Prime Sponsors
Scott Slaugh
Senator
Barbara Kirkmeyer
Committees
House
Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources
Senate
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Status
Under Consideration
Introduced
Under Consideration
Upcoming Schedule
1 meeting
Apr 1
Senate General Orders - Second Reading of Bills
9:00 AM Senate Chamber
Related Documents & Information
| Date | Version | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 03/17/2026 | Reengrossed | PDF |
| 03/16/2026 | Engrossed | PDF |
| 02/18/2026 | Introduced | PDF |
| Date | Version | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 03/16/2026 | PA1 | PDF |
| Date | Version | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 03/04/2026 | Initial Fiscal Note | PDF |
| Activity | Vote | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Refer House Bill 26-1253 to the Committee of the Whole. | The motion passed on a vote of 5-1. | Vote summary |
Hearing Summary | Committee Report: PDF
| Activity | Vote | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Adopt amendment L.001 | The motion passed without objection. | Vote summary |
| Refer House Bill 26-1253 to the Committee of the Whole. | The motion passed on a vote of 11-1. | Vote summary |
Hearing Summary | Committee Report: PDF
| Date | Calendar | Motion | Vote | Vote Document |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 03/17/2026 | Third Reading | BILL | 48 AYE 11 NO 6 OTHER | Vote record |
| Date | Amendment Number | Committee/ Floor Hearing | Status | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 03/12/2026 | L.001 | HOU Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources | Passed [*] | PDF |
* Amendments passed in committee are not incorporated into the measure unless adopted by the full House or Senate.
** The status of Second Reading amendments may be subsequently affected by the adoption of an amendment to the Committee of the Whole Report. Refer to the House or Senate Journal for additional information.
| Date | Location | Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 03/31/2026 | Senate | Senate Second Reading Laid Over to 04/01/2026 - No Amendments |
| 03/26/2026 | Senate | Senate Committee on Local Government & Housing Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole |
| 03/20/2026 | Senate | Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Local Government & Housing |
| 03/17/2026 | House | House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments |
| 03/16/2026 | House | House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee |
| 03/12/2026 | House | House Committee on Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole |
| 02/18/2026 | House | Introduced In House - Assigned to Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources |
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(None) Co-Sponsor
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