2026-09-10 · Colorado · Legislation · Did not pass

The bill that would have given Colorado policyholders a mandatory appraisal track with a four-month clock for disputed property claims was postponed indefinitely on March 25, 2026. HB26-1247 was killed in the House Committee on Business Affairs & Labor after an amendment was adopted, a motion to refer it to Appropriations failed 5–8, and the motion to postpone indefinitely passed 9–4.¹

Post-hail scope disputes with carriers are the single most common financial crisis a Colorado condominium or townhome association faces, and a statutory appraisal track with a fixed timeline would have changed how those disputes resolve. It does not exist.

A note on the state's own record

The legislature's bill history for HB26-1247 has three entries and they are internally inconsistent: introduction and committee assignment on February 18, 2026; postponement in the House Committee on Business Affairs & Labor on March 25, 2026; and then, on April 1, 2026, an entry reading “House Considered Senate Amendments — Result was to Laid Over Daily.”

That last entry cannot be right on its face. A bill postponed indefinitely in its first House committee never reached the Senate, so there were no Senate amendments to consider. The substantive disposition is the March 25 postponement, and we report the April 1 entry as an unexplained artifact of the record rather than picking one and staying quiet about the other.

What it would have required

Homeowner's insurance policies issued or renewed after January 1, 2027 would have had to include a mandatory binding appraisal process for disputed claims, specifying appraiser qualifications, the selection procedure, a four-month maximum timeline, and cost-sharing between the parties.

Two further duties would have sat on the insurer. It would have had to provide written evidence supporting its initial coverage decision. And the insured would have been able to submit a third-party damage assessment to force the claim to be reprocessed.

1. HB26-1247, "Property Insurance Appraisal Clause Claim Disputes" — bill page, the full three-entry history and the committee votes, Colorado General Assembly ↩
2. HB24-1108 Final Report: Analysis of HOA & Lodging Facilities in Colorado, Lewis & Ellis for the Colorado Division of Insurance ↩
3. Request for Comment on DRAFT Proposed Revised Bulletin B-5.57, Aerial Imagery by Insurers in Decision Making (August 18, 2026), Colorado Division of Insurance ↩
4. Homeowners Insurance — Affordability & Availability (HB24-1315 draft study and stakeholder meetings), Colorado Division of Insurance ↩