Colorado 2022 2022 Regular Session

Colorado House Bill HB1242 Introduced / Fiscal Note

Filed 03/24/2022

                    Page 1 
March 23, 2022  HB 22-1242  
 
 
Legislative Council Staff 
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature 
 
Revised Fiscal Note  
(replaces fiscal note dated February 27, 2022)  
 
Drafting Number: 
Prime Sponsors: 
LLS 22-0415  
Rep. Kipp; Exum 
Sen. Ginal; Hisey  
Date: 
Bill Status: 
Fiscal Analyst: 
March 23, 2022 
House Appropriations 
Clare Pramuk | 303-866-2677 
clare.pramuk@state.co.us  
Bill Topic: REGULATE TINY HOMES MANUFACTURE SALE & INSTALL  
Summary of  
Fiscal Impact: 
☒ State Revenue 
☒ State Expenditure 
☐ State Transfer 
☒ TABOR Refund 
☒ Local Government 
☐ Statutory Public Entity 
 
This bill expands the authority of the State Board of Housing in the Department of 
Local Affairs to set standards for tiny homes.  It increases state expenditures beginning 
in FY 2022-23 and state revenue beginning in FY 2023-24. 
Appropriation 
Summary: 
For FY 2022-23, the bill requires an appropriation of $314,558 to multiple state 
agencies. 
Fiscal Note 
Status: 
The revised fiscal note reflects the introduced bill, as amended by the House 
Transportation and Local Government and Finance committees, and includes new 
information from DOLA. 
 
 
Table 1 
State Fiscal Impacts Under HB 22-1242 
 
  
Budget Year 
FY 2022-23 
Out Year 
FY 2023-24 
Revenue 	Cash Funds 	-       $924,464       
 	Total Revenue 	-       $924,464              
Expenditures 	General Fund 	$227,612  	- 
 	Cash Funds 	$86,946  	$668,092 
 	Centrally Appropriated 	$80,471  	$207,235  
 	Total Expenditures 	$395,029  	$875,327  
 	Total FTE 	1.7 FTE 	4.1 FTE 
Transfers  	-       	-       
Other Budget Impacts TABOR Refund 	-       $924,464 
 	General Fund Reserve 	$34,142 	-       
 
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March 23, 2022  HB 22-1242  
 
 
Summary of Legislation 
This bill expands the authority of the State Board of Housing (board) in the Department of Local 
Affairs (DOLA) to promulgate rules establishing standards for tiny homes that cover the manufacture, 
assembly, and installation of tiny homes; and uniform foundation construction standards for 
factory-built structures or tiny homes in areas of the state where no standards exist. The rules must 
be promulgated by July 1, 2023.  The bill exempts tiny homes from sales and use tax to conform to the 
exemption of manufactured homes and defines tiny homes certified by the Division of Housing in 
DOLA as residential improvements for assessing property taxes. 
 
Certification. Sellers and installers of tiny homes are required to be certified by the Division of 
Housing and pay fees to cover the direct and indirect costs of the division for regulating the industry.  
Fees for sellers are subject to a maximum of $200 per year and installers to a maximum of $250 per 
year, paid to the Building Regulation Fund.  
 
Manufacturers. Manufacturers of factory-built structures are required to comply with escrow 
requirements for down payments set by the board in rule and provide a form of security to the division 
in case the manufacturer fails to deliver the structure, fails to refund a down payment, or ceases 
business operations or files for bankruptcy. 
 
Inspectors. The division is required establish the qualifications for an inspector to inspect tiny homes 
and to provide training for independent contractors to perform installation inspections so they can be 
certified by the division.  The division may accept gifts, grants, or donations for this training. 
 
Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee on Residential and Nonresidential Structures that 
advises the board is renamed the Advisory Committee on Factory-built Structures and Tiny Homes 
and expanded in size to include two members from the tiny home industry and one from energy 
conservation. 
 
Local governments. A local government may require the inspection of a tiny home manufactured 
before July 1, 2023, if the tiny home is not manufactured in accordance with the standards set by the 
board.  A state electrical or plumbing inspector or a local government may approve the connection of 
a tiny home for utility services, if the tiny home is in compliance with applicable codes and standards. 
 
Violations.  Selling or installing a tiny home without complying with the provisions of the bill is a 
deceptive trade practice, with civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation credited to the Building 
Regulation Fund.  
Assumptions 
The fiscal note assumes that 1,300 tiny homes will be constructed and installed in FY 2023-24, and that 
the industry will grow 7.0 percent per year. 
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March 23, 2022  HB 22-1242  
 
 
State Revenue 
This bill increases state cash fund revenue by $924,464 in FY 2023-24 and ongoing to multiple cash 
funds.  This revenue is subject to TABOR. The bill will also decrease state sales and use tax and may 
increase civil penalties collected, but those amounts have not been estimated. Finally, the bill allows 
DOLA to accept gifts, grants, and donations; however, none have been identified as of writing. 
 
Fee impact on tiny home manufacturers, buyers, sellers, inspectors and installers. Colorado law 
requires legislative service agency review of measures which create or increase any fee collected by a 
state agency.  Fees will be collected by the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) and the 
Department of Local Affairs to cover the expenditures in the bill beginning in FY 2023-24. Table 2 
below identifies the fee impact of this bill.   
 
 DORA fees. The current fee for electrical permits for structures of less than 1,000 square feet is 
$96.00. This is expected to increase to $100.55 to cover the expenditures in the bill.  With the 
addition of 1,300 tiny homes to an average of 42,000 permits annually, the revenue increase is 
expected to be $321,815.  The current fee for plumbing inspections is $26.00. This is expected to 
increase to $27.23.  With the addition of 1,300 tiny homes to an average of 18,000 permits annually, 
the revenue increase is expected to be $57,539.  These fee amounts are estimates only, actual fees 
will be set administratively by DORA.  Fees collected will be deposited into the Professions and 
Occupations Cash Fund. 
 
 DOLA fees. The division will conduct a survey to estimate the volume of tiny home construction, 
shipments, and installations prior to the implementation of the program to determine what fees 
will be assessed.  To cover the cost of the program and establish a fund balance, the division is 
expected to collect $545,110 that will be deposited into the Building Regulation Fund.   
 
Table 2 
Fee Impact on Tiny Home  
Manufacturers, Buyers, Sellers, Inspectors and Installers  
 
Fiscal Year Type of Fee 	Total Fee Impact 
FY 2023-24 
DORA – Electrical permit 	$321,815 
DORA – Plumbing inspection 	$57,539 
DOLA – Certifications for tiny home sellers, installers, 
and independent inspectors 
$545,110 
 	Total $924,464 
State Expenditures 
The bill increases state expenditures in by $395,029 in FY 2022-23 and $875,327 in FY 2023-24 from the 
General Fund, the Division of Professions and Occupations Cash Fund, and the Building Regulation 
Fund.  Expenditures are shown in Table 3 and detailed below.  
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March 23, 2022  HB 22-1242  
 
 
Table 3 
Expenditures Under HB 22-1242 
 
 	FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 
Department of Local Affairs              
Personal Services 	$96,682  $309,682  
Operating Expenses 	$2,295  $5,400  
Capital Outlay Costs 	$24,800  	-  
Legal Services 	$51,256  $20,503  
Computer Programming 	$46,906  	- 
Vehicle Lease 	$2,379  $9,517  
Vehicle Operating 	$3,293  $13,174  
Centrally Appropriated Costs
1
 	$58,669  $124,491  
FTE – Personal Services 	1.4 FTE 4.0 FTE 
FTE – Legal Services 	0.3 FTE 0.1 FTE 
DOLA Subtotal 	$286,281  $482,766  
Department of Regulatory Agencies   
Personal Services 	$50,440  $214,465  
Operating Expenses 	$1,215  $4,590  
Capital Outlay Costs 	$12,600  	-  
Vehicle Lease 	$9,517  $38,068  
Vehicle Operating 	$13,174  $52,694  
Centrally Appropriated Costs
1
 	$21,802  $82,744  
FTE – Personal Services 	0.9 FTE 3.4 FTE 
DORA Subtotal 	$108,748  $392,561  
Total $395,029  $875,327  
Total FTE 2.6 FTE 7.5 FTE 
1
 Centrally appropriated costs are not included in the bill's appropriation. 
 
Department of Local Affairs.  Expenditures for DOLA will be paid from the General Fund in 
FY 2022-23 and cash funds thereafter.   
 
 Staffing. The Division of Housing will have an administrator begin September 1, 2022, to oversee 
the program implementation, including working with the advisory committee and the board to 
develop tiny home standards, support rulemaking, work with the Office of Information 
Technology (OIT) on database development, conduct stakeholder outreach and fee setting.  This 
staff person will be responsible for ongoing program management and enforcement. 
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March 23, 2022  HB 22-1242  
 
 
Additional staff will begin April 1, 2023, including an engineer for plan review, an inspector for 
construction and installation inspections, and a program assistant to process certification 
applications, data entry and fee collection. Standard operating costs and one vehicle are included. 
 
 Computer programming.  In FY 2022-23, the division will have a one-time expenditure for 
software development costs to expand its existing Salesforce system which will act as the business 
software application for this program.  Services will be provided by the OIT at a rate of $94 per 
hour.    
 
 Legal services.  Based on experience implementing the Mobile Home Park Oversight Program, 
the fiscal note includes 520 hours of legal services hours from the Department of Law in FY 2022-23 
and 208 hours in FY 2023-24 and thereafter.  The legal services are required for rulemaking and 
the development of standards, and are provided at a rate of $98.57 per hour. 
 
Department of Regulatory Agencies.  The Division of Professions and Occupations requires 
additional inspectors for plumbing and electrical inspections and a program assistant to process 
permits. The division will add 1.5 FTE each of an electrical inspector and plumbing inspector to 
conduct inspections of the increased number of homes requiring inspection prior to being hooked up 
to utilities.  Each inspector requires a rugged laptop for fieldwork and a vehicle but no office furniture.  
Vehicle costs are reappropriated to the Department of Personnel and Administration.  Standard 
operating costs are included. 
 
Centrally appropriated costs. Pursuant to a Joint Budget Committee policy, certain costs associated 
with this bill are addressed through the annual budget process and centrally appropriated in the Long 
Bill or supplemental appropriations bills, rather than in this bill.  These costs, which include employee 
insurance and supplemental employee retirement payments, are shown in Table 3. 
Other Budget Impacts 
TABOR refunds.  The bill is expected to increase the amount of state revenue required to be refunded 
to taxpayers by the amount shown in the State Revenue section above for FY 2023-24.  This estimate 
assumes the March 2022 LCS revenue forecast.  A forecast of state revenue subject to TABOR is not 
available beyond FY 2023-24.  Because TABOR refunds are paid from the General Fund, increased 
cash fund revenue will reduce the amount of General Fund available to spend or save. 
 
General Fund reserve.  Under current law, an amount equal to 15 percent of General Fund 
appropriations must be set aside in the General Fund statutory reserve beginning in FY 2022-23.  Based 
on this fiscal note, the bill is expected to increase the amount of General Fund held in reserve by the 
amount shown in Table 1 for FY 2022-23, which will decrease the amount of General Fund available 
for other purposes. 
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March 23, 2022  HB 22-1242  
 
 
Local Government  
Local governments that conduct plumbing and electrical inspections will have an increase in revenue 
and expenditures to issue permits and conduct inspections.  The bill may also affect future property 
tax collections because the addition of a tiny home to a land parcel may change its current classification 
to a residential classification. This amount has not been estimated. These impacts will vary by 
jurisdiction.   
Effective Date 
The bill takes effect 90 days following adjournment of the General Assembly sine die, assuming no 
referendum petition is filed.  It applies to acts committed on or after that date. 
State Appropriations 
For FY 2022-23, the bill requires the following appropriations: 
 
 $227,612 to the Department of Local Affairs from the General Fund with 1.4 FTE, of which $46,906 
is reappropriated to the Office of Information Technology, $51,256 is reappropriated to the 
Department of Law with 0.3 FTE, and $5,673 is reappropriated to the Department of Personnel 
and Administration for fleet vehicle services; and 
 
 $86,946 to the Department of Regulatory Agencies from the Division of Professions and 
Occupations Cash Fund and 0.9 FTE, of which $22,691 is reappropriated to the Department of 
Personnel and Administration for fleet vehicle services. 
State and Local Government Contacts 
Counties        Information Technology  
Law         Local Affairs  
Municipalities       Property Tax Division  
Regulatory Agencies     Revenue 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each 
fiscal year.  For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit:  leg.colorado.gov/fiscalnotes.