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HB26-1342 • 2026

Negligently Luring Bears

Under Colorado law, a person is guilty of a crime for placing food or edible waste in the open to lure a wild bear. The act: Lowers the mental state requirement from intention to knowingly placing the

Agriculture Crime
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Rep. M. Lukens, Rep. K. Stewart, Sen. J. Marchman, Rep. K. Brown, Rep. L. Goldstein, Rep. J. Joseph, Rep. M. Lindsay, Rep. T. Mauro, Rep. J. McCluskie, Rep. K. McCormick, Rep. E. Sirota, Rep. L. Smith, Sen. J. Coleman, Sen. L. Cutter, Sen. C. Kipp, Sen. T. Sullivan
Last action
2026-05-27
Official status
Governor Signed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Changes to Colorado Law on Luring Wild Bears

This law makes it easier to charge people with a crime for leaving food out that might attract wild bears and increases fines for repeat offenders.

What This Bill Does

  • Lowers the mental state needed for a crime from 'intentional' to 'knowingly placing' food or waste where there is a reasonable probability of luring a bear.
  • Removes the rule that police must give a warning before charging someone with their first offense.
  • Raises the fine amount for a third or later offense from $2,000 to $5,000.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who place food or edible waste in open areas where bears might be attracted.

Terms To Know

Mental state requirement
The level of intent a person must have to be guilty of the crime, such as acting on purpose or knowing what they are doing.
Reasonable probability
A situation where it is likely that leaving food out will attract a wild bear.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The source text does not state the specific date when this law becomes effective.
  • The summary does not explain how police determine if there was a 'reasonable probability' of luring a bear in every case.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.001

HOU Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources

Passed [*]

Plain English: This amendment attempts to change the law about luring bears by adding new words that make the sentence confusing and unclear.

  • The text tries to replace the current rule with a version that includes extra phrases like 'A PERSON THAT WITH CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE'.
  • The amendment text is too technical and contains grammatical errors, making it impossible to explain exactly what new crime or penalty would be created.
  • Because the sentence structure in the official text does not make sense, we cannot confirm if this change actually lowers the mental state requirement as described in the bill title.
L.004

Second Reading

Passed [**]

Plain English: This amendment changes the law so that a person is only guilty of luring bears if they knowingly place food out, rather than just being careless or negligent.

  • Removes the requirement to prove 'criminal negligence' and replaces it with proving the act was done 'knowingly'.
  • Changes the standard for risk from a 'substantial risk' of attracting bears to a 'reasonable probability' that they will be attracted.
  • The amendment text refers to specific page and line numbers in other documents, so it is unclear exactly how these changes affect every part of the full bill without seeing those pages.
  • The exact legal definition of 'reasonable probability' compared to 'substantial risk' depends on court interpretations not included in this short summary.
L.005

Second Reading

Lost [**]

Plain English: This amendment would allow police and wildlife officers to choose giving a warning instead of writing a ticket for people who leave food out that attracts bears.

  • It adds a rule saying nothing in the law stops peace officers from using their judgment.
  • The amendment was voted down and did not pass, so it does not change current laws.
  • The text uses general terms like 'when appropriate' without defining exactly when a warning should be given instead of a ticket.
L.008

Second Reading

Lost [**]

Plain English: This amendment would have changed the law to say that it does not apply to farming activities or people who responsibly place and keep bird feeders.

  • It adds an exception for acts related to agriculture as defined in state law.
  • It adds an exception for the responsible placement or maintenance of bird feeders.
  • The amendment was lost and did not become part of the final bill.
  • The text does not define exactly what counts as 'responsible' placement of feeders.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-27 Governor

    Governor Signed

  2. 2026-05-19 Governor

    Sent to the Governor

  3. 2026-05-19 Senate

    Signed by the President of the Senate

  4. 2026-05-19 House

    Signed by the Speaker of the House

  5. 2026-05-08 Senate

    Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  6. 2026-05-07 Senate

    Senate Second Reading Passed - No Amendments

  7. 2026-05-06 Senate

    Senate Second Reading Special Order - Laid Over Daily - No Amendments

  8. 2026-05-05 Senate

    Senate Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments

  9. 2026-04-30 Senate

    Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole

  10. 2026-04-23 Senate

    Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Agriculture & Natural Resources

  11. 2026-04-22 House

    House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  12. 2026-04-21 House

    House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor

  13. 2026-04-15 House

    House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments

  14. 2026-04-13 House

    House Committee on Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole

  15. 2026-03-27 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources

Official Summary Text

Under Colorado law, a person is guilty of a crime for placing food or edible waste in the open to lure a wild bear. The act:
Lowers the mental state requirement from intention to knowingly placing the food or edible waste in the open in circumstances where there is a reasonable probability of luring a wild bear;
Repeals the requirement that a first offense be given a warning; and
Raises the fine for a third or subsequent offense from $2,000 to $5,000.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)