The Denver Post’s Seth Klamann reports that Colorado lawmakers killed House Bill 1114, a proposal that would have limited local governments’ authority over residential lot sizes. The bill would have barred local governments from requiring single-family home lots larger than 2,000 square feet, but it died in a Senate committee on a 7-0 vote.
The article also previews the final stretch of the 2026 legislative session, with 16 days remaining and several major bills still in play, including measures on immigration restrictions, abortion medication access on college campuses, sports betting, data centers, artificial intelligence regulations, and the state budget.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Lawmakers killed the lot-size bill. Every now and then, common sense wanders into the Capitol, looks around confused, and accidentally wins a vote.
- House Bill 1114 would have told local governments they could not require single-family lots larger than 2,000 square feet. Translation: Denver wants to solve housing by grabbing the zoning wheel from communities that actually know their roads, water, schools, and neighborhoods.
- The same Senate committee still plans to hear House Bill 1308, another lot-splitting bill that would generally let homeowners sell off smaller parts of their property without local approval. Apparently one bad idea went down, so they kept a backup in the truck.
- The House is also set to vote on House Bill 1276, which would further limit Colorado officials’ ability to work with federal immigration authorities. Immigration is a federal issue, but that has never stopped the gold dome virtue-signal factory from firing up the fog machine.
- With 16 days left, lawmakers still have plenty of time to rearrange local government, immigration policy, abortion access, sports betting, data centers, artificial intelligence, and the budget. That is not a calendar. That is a warning label.
My Bottom Line
When the state legislature shows a rare glimpse of common sense, I will applaud it. Killing the lot-size bill was the right move. It should never have been introduced in the first place, but I will take the win and try not to look startled.
How many times do I have to say it? Land use and planning are local control issues. Local roads, local water, local schools, local fire districts, local law enforcement, local neighborhoods. Those are not abstract policy toys for the rocket scientists under the gold dome to play with between committee hearings.
Every community is different. What works in Denver may not work in Dacono, Eaton, Greeley, Firestone, or Keenesburg. Local elected officials have to answer to the people who live with the results. State lawmakers get to fly over the wreckage, hold a press conference, and call it “reform.”
And while they are at it, they should stay in their lane on immigration too. That is a federal issue. But here we are again, watching state politicians try to block cooperation with federal immigration authorities so they can polish their progressive merit badges. It is not leadership. It is theater with taxpayer-funded lighting.
Sixteen days remain in the session. That is sixteen days for good bills to survive, bad bills to die, and a few legislative gremlins to crawl out from under the filing cabinet at 10:30 at night. Hold onto your wallet, your property rights, and your local control. The session is not over yet.
Source: The Denver Post
