HB 24-1062

House Bill 24-1062, which has been approved by the governor and will take effect on August 7, 2024, allows sewage disposal districts in Colorado to obtain court warrants for inspections when property owners refuse entry. This bill ensures that district inspectors can investigate businesses to make sure they are treating their wastewater properly, protecting public health and the environment. It affects local businesses within these districts and gives more power to inspectors to enforce environmental regulations even if business owners deny them access.

Official Summary

To protect public health and the environment, a metropolitan sewage disposal district (district) is required to ensure that wastewater generated by local businesses is properly treated pursuant to the industrial pretreatment program (program) approved by the environmental protection agency. This requires district inspectors to inspect certain properties to investigate actual, suspected, or potential violations of the program. Under current law, the boundaries of a district may exist within multiple municipal and county lines, which makes it challenging for the district to obtain administrative inspection warrants when property owners deny district inspectors entry to a property. The act allows authorized inspectors of a district to enter and inspect, in a reasonable time and manner, any property for the purpose of investigating any violations of the program. If an inspection is denied, the act authorizes a district to obtain a warrant from the district court or county court upon a proper showing of the need for entry and inspection. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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