New housing laws taking effect on Aug. 12 in Colorado aim to boost affordability, improve homelessness response and ensure safer water systems for mobile‑home communities.

The first bill, Senate Bill 001, allows municipalities to sell county- or town-owned property to affordable housing developers and use certain property tax revenue for housing authorities and workforce housing projects.

Additionally, the measure allows government entities to transfer the middle-income housing tax credit to any taxpayer.

“I’m proud of this law to unlock local governments’ ability to meet their own housing needs,” said bill sponsor Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco. “This law will cut red tape and give counties, municipalities and housing authorities more tools to help them build and maintain housing for more working families and individuals. This means more opportunities for Coloradans to stay in their communities and stable housing for the workers who keep our rural and mountain towns running.”

Senate Bill 001 was also sponsored by Sen. Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, Rep. Chris Richardson, R-Elizabeth, and Speaker Pro Tempore Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins. It passed on a vote of 28-6 in the Senate and 53-10 in the House.

A second housing bill, House Bill 1202, allows local governments to create multijurisdictional homelessness response authorities. The bill also requires the Department of Local Affairs to develop a statewide strategy for homeless prevention and resolution.

“Housing is a basic need for anyone to live a healthy life,” said Gov. Jared Polis when he signed the bill into law last month. “While the state has a limited role in addressing homelessness, this new law will help us be the best partner we can for local governments to ensure everyone has a safe place to call home.”

House Bill 1202 was sponsored by Reps. Manny Rutinel, D-Commerce City, and Emily Sirota, D-Denver, and Sens. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, and Janice Marchman, D-Loveland. It passed the House on a vote of 38-23 and the Senate on a vote of 23-12.

A third bill, House Bill 1145, requires mobile home park owners to remediate welfare-related water quality violations without passing the costs on to residents.

The measure builds on a 2023 law that created a water-testing program for mobile home parks, administered by the Department of Public Health and Environment’s Water Quality Control Division. According to the health department, more than 200 mobile home parks have had their water tested since the law’s passage.

“Growing up in a mobile home park in my district, I saw firsthand how much more difficult it can be to get access to the safe, clean water that every Coloradan deserves,” said sponsor Sen. Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton. “This new law is another crucial step forward in ensuring that access by ensuring CDPHE can prevent water issues and advance the health and safety of all Colorado communities.”

House Bill 1145 was sponsored by Reps. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, and Jacque Phillips, D-Thornton and Sens. Lisa Cutter, D-Evergreen. It passed on a vote of 42-22 in the House and 25-8 in the Senate.