Bill to allow Colorado bars stay open past 2 a.m. advances in state House
Mar 28, 2026, 9:21 AM
Maybe I am just getting old, but I don’t need the bar to stay open past 2 a.m… There are others in Colorado who would like a little more time, and it might happen for them soon!
Colorado bars and nightclubs could stay open well past 2 a.m. — and potentially around the clock — under a bill that cleared a state House committee Wednesday (Mar. 25).
House Bill 26-1330 would allow local governments to set hours of operation for bars and restaurants within designated entertainment districts, effectively eliminating the state’s longstanding 2 a.m. last call within those areas.
The bipartisan measure, sponsored by Rep. Steven Woodrow, D-Denver, and Rep. Anthony Hartsook, R-District 44, passed the House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee on a 10-3 vote and now heads to the full House.
The legislation would also remove the current 100-acre cap on entertainment districts, giving cities and counties more flexibility in drawing those boundaries.
Opponents, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving Colorado, said the change would increase impaired driving.
The bill is the latest in a series of attempts to change Colorado’s bar hours. A 2025 effort to extend last call to 2:30 a.m. and closing time to 3 a.m. failed after sponsors withdrew the measure amid opposition from law enforcement and safety advocates.
Similar bills in 2022 and 2017 also stalled in the legislature.
Current Colorado law restricts the sale of malt, vinous or spirituous liquors to between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m.
The bill is scheduled for a second reading on the House floor Monday. If it passes the House, it must still clear the Senate and be signed by the governor before any local government could extend bar hours.
