Colorado 2025 Regular Session

Colorado House Bill HB1096 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		First Regular Session
2	2		Seventy-fifth General Assembly
3	3		STATE OF COLORADO
4		-	~~REENGROSSED~~
5		-	This Version Includes All Amendments
6		-	~~Adopted~~ in the House of Introduction
	4	+	ENGROSSED
	5	+	This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted
	6	+	on Second Reading in the House of Introduction
7	7		LLS NO. 25-0666.01 Christopher McMichael x4775
8	8		HOUSE BILL 25-1096
9	9		House Committees Senate Committees
10	10		Energy & Environment
11	11		Finance
12	12		A BILL FOR AN ACT
13	13		C
14	14		ONCERNING AUTOMATED PERMITTI NG FOR RESIDENTIAL CLEAN101
15	15		ENERGY TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS .102
16	16		Bill Summary
17	17		(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
18	18		not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
19	19		passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
20	20		applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
21	21		http://leg.colorado.gov
22	22		.)
23	23		The bill requires counties with a population of more than 5,000
24	24		residents in unincorporated areas and municipalities with a population of
25	25		more than 5,000 residents to adopt an ordinance or resolution that would
26	26		implement an automated residential solar permitting platform (platform).
27	27		The platform would automatically review an application for a residential
28	28		solar panel installation and issue a permit for the residential solar panel
29	29		HOUSE
30		-	3rd Reading Unamended
31		-	March 31, 2025
32		-	HOUSE
33	30		Amended 2nd Reading
34	31		March 27, 2025
35	32		HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
36		-	Smith and Brown, ~~Bacon, Boesenecker, Froelich, Rutinel, Titone, Valdez~~
	33	+	Smith and Brown,
37	34		SENATE SPONSORSHIP
38	35		Ball and Kipp,
39	36		Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
40	37		Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
41	38		Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law. installation project if the project is code-compliant and meets certain
42	39		criteria.
43	40		The platform utilized by a county or municipality must be used for
44	41		at least 75% of the residential solar panel installation permit applications
45	42		submitted to the local jurisdiction. The platform will only be used for
46	43		solar panel installations that will be installed on existing residential
47	44		buildings, have a maximum capacity of 200 amperes main service
48	45		disconnect, and provide electrical power to single-family or 2-family
49	46		residential property.
50	47		A county or municipality required to implement the platform must
51	48		notify the Colorado energy office (office) of its compliance with the
52	49		requirements of the bill and submit an annual report to the office related
53	50		to the use of the platform and the type of software used.
54	51		Counties and municipalities are also eligible to receive funding
55	52		and technical assistance from the office to implement platforms.
56	53		The office is required to submit a report to the general assembly
57	54		related to the use of automated permitting software for other residential
58	55		electrification projects, such as electric vehicle charging stations and heat
59	56		pump space heaters, and the costs and benefits of implementing the
60	57		automated software. The office must submit the report by July 1, 2026.
61	58		The state electrical board in the department of regulatory agencies
62	59		is also required to implement a platform for use in its issuance and review
63	60		of electrical permits related to residential solar panel installations. The
64	61		board must also notify the office of its compliance with adopting the
65	62		platform and submit an annual report to the office related to the board's
66	63		use of the platform.
67	64		Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
68	65		2
69	66		SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-38.5-119, amend3
70	67		(2)(b), (3)(b), (3)(c), and (4) as follows:4
71	68		24-38.5-119. Streamlined solar permitting and inspection5
72	69		grant program - creation - eligibility - fund created - gifts, grants, or6
73	70		donations - reporting - legislative declaration - definitions - repeal.7
74	71		(2) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:8
75	72		(b) "Automated permitting and inspection software" OR9
76	73		"AUTOMATED PERMITTING SOFTWARE" means a web-based portal that10
77	74		1096-2- implements automated plan review, verifies local code compliance, and1
78	75		issues permits for electric power systems that is developed by a national2
79	76		organization focused on clean energy research, development, and3
80	77		deployment in collaboration with building and safety industry experts.4
81	78		(3) The grant program is created to allow an authority having5
82	79		jurisdiction to apply to the office for a grant to help provide6
83	80		implementation support to the authority having jurisdiction for7
84	81		implementation of automated permitting software. In administering the8
85	82		grant program, the office shall:9
86	83		(b) Develop procedures to award a grant to an authority having10
87	84		jurisdiction for expenses expected to be incurred in adopting automated11
88	85		permitting software, including necessary expenses for staff time,12
89	86		information technology, training, installation, third-party consulting,13
90	87		ongoing maintenance for up to three years AFTER THE GRANTEE14
91	88		IMPLEMENTS THE AUTOMATED PERMITTING SOFTWARE, and hardware or15
92	89		equipment;16
93	90		(c) Not award money to an authority having jurisdiction for:17
94	91		(I) Expected costs associated with software other than automated18
95	92		permitting software;19
96	93		(II) Activities occurring before being awarded grant program20
97	94		money; or more than one hundred eighty days after receiving grant21
98	95		program money,22
99	96		(III) Food and OR beverage costs;23
100	97		(IV) Fines OR penalties;24
101	98		(V) Advertising; or25
102	99		(VI) Permit processing fees, including fees charged by the26
103	100		operator of automated permitting software;27
104	101		1096
105	102		-3- (4) (a) The office may use up to nine percent of the money in the1
106	103		fund to cover PAY FOR the direct and indirect costs that the office incurs2
107	104		in administering the grant program.3
108	105		(b) THE OFFICE MAY USE UP TO NINE PERCENT OF THE MONEY4
109	106		REMAINING IN THE FUND AS OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2025, TO PAY FOR THE5
110	107		DIRECT AND INDIRECT COSTS THAT THE OFFICE INCURS IN ADMINISTERING6
111	108		THE GRANT PROGRAM.7
112	109		SECTION 2. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act8
113	110		takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the9
114	111		ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except10
115	112		that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V11
116	113		of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this12
117	114		act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take13
118	115		effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in14
119	116		November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the15
120	117		official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.16
121	118		1096
122	119		-4-