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HB26-1285 • 2026

Admission to Mental Health Residential Facility

The bill requires the department of human services to include in the admission criteria for admitting a person to a mental health residential facility a prohibition on admitting a person who is requir

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Rep. L. Goldstein, Sen. K. Mullica
Last action
2026-02-20
Official status
Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how existing residents will be handled once the law takes effect.

Admission to Mental Health Residential Facility

This bill requires mental health residential facilities located within 1,000 feet of a school not to admit people who are required to register their residence under the Colorado Sex Offender Registration Act.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Department of Human Services to add criteria prohibiting admission of certain individuals to mental health residential facilities near schools.
  • Defines 'school' as any public, parochial, or private school providing a basic academic education for grades one through twelve.
  • Specifies that the distance between a facility and a school must be measured by the shortest pedestrian route.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who are required to register their residence under the Colorado Sex Offender Registration Act
  • Mental health residential facilities within 1,000 feet of schools

Terms To Know

Colorado Sex Offender Registration Act
A law that requires certain people convicted of sex offenses to register their address with the government.
Mental health residential facility
A place where individuals receive mental health treatment and care while living there.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a person is already admitted to a facility when the law takes effect.
  • It's unclear how this will affect existing facilities near schools that currently have residents who must register under the Colorado Sex Offender Registration Act.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-20 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary

Official Summary Text

The bill requires the department of human services to include in the admission criteria for admitting a person to a mental health residential facility a prohibition on admitting a person who is required to register the person's residence in accordance with the "Colorado Sex Offender Registration Act" to a mental health residential facility that is located within 1,000 feet of a school.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED

LLS NO. 26-0749.01 Chelsea Princell x4335 HOUSE BILL 26-1285
House Committees Senate Committees
Judiciary
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING A PROHIBITION ON ADMITTING A PERSON WHO IS101
REQUIRED TO REGISTER THE PERSON 'S RESIDENCE IN102
ACCORDANCE WITH THE "COLORADO SEX OFFENDER103
REGISTRATION ACT" IN A MENTAL HEALTH RESIDENTIAL104
FACILITY THAT IS LOCATED NEAR A SCHOOL.105
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill requires the department of human services to include in
the admission criteria for admitting a person to a mental health residential
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Goldstein,
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Mullica,
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
facility a prohibition on admitting a person who is required to register the
person's residence in accordance with the "Colorado Sex Offender
Registration Act" to a mental health residential facility that is located
within 1,000 feet of a school.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 27-71-103, amend2
(2)(c) as follows:3
27-71-103. Mental health residential facilities - additional beds4
- definition.5
(2) (c) The state department, in collaboration with the behavioral6
health administration and the department of health care policy and7
financing, shall establish criteria for admissions and discharge planning,8
quality assurance monitoring, appropriate length of stay, and compliance9
with applicable federal law. For the mental health residential facilities10
created pursuant to this section, admission criteria fo r faciliti es must11
include:12
(I) Prioritization of people with serious mental illness who have13
complex or co-occurring conditions as defined by the state department;14
and15
(II) For treatment beds that do not serve individuals covered under16
a home- and community-based waiver, offering priority placement to17
individuals under a certification for short-term or extended short-term18
treatment pursuant to section 27-65-107 or 27-65-108 and long-term care19
and treatment pursuant to section 27-65-109 on an outpatient basis; AND20
(III) F OR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER THEIR21
RESIDENCE PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE "COLORADO SEX22
OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT", ARTICLE 22 OF TITLE 16, A PROHIBITION23
HB26-1285-2-
ON ADMITTING THE INDIVIDUAL TO A MENTAL HEALTH RESIDENTIAL1
FACILITY LOCATED WITHIN ONE THOUSAND FEET OF A SCHOOL . THE2
ONE-THOUSAND-FOOT DISTANCE MUST BE COMPUTED BY DIRECT3
MEASUREMENT FROM THE NEAREST PROPERTY LINE OF THE LAND USED4
FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES TO THE NEAREST PORTION OF THE MENTAL HEALTH5
RESIDENTIAL FACILITY, USING A ROUTE OF DIRECT PEDESTRIAN ACCESS. AS6
USED IN THIS SUBSECTION (2)(c)(III), " SCHOOL" MEANS A PUBLIC ,7
PAROCHIAL, OR PRIVATE SCHOOL THAT PROVIDES A BASIC ACADEMIC8
EDUCATION IN COMPLIANCE WITH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE LAWS FOR9
STUDENTS IN ANY OF GRADES ONE THROUGH TWELVE.10
SECTION 2. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act11
takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the12
ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August13
12, 2026, if adjour nment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a14
referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the15
state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act16
within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect17
unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in18
November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the19
official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.20
HB26-1285-3-