HB 25-1295: Food Truck Operations - Colorado

Revised (05/02/2025) → PA2 (05/01/2025) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to include a formal definition of 'Mobile Retail Food Establishment' and to add a requirement that such establishments must operate from a commissary for servicing, restocking, and maintenance. This change clarifies the legal definition of mobile food vendors and ensures they have a fixed base of operations for compliance and safety purposes.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded by adding a specific definition for mobile retail food establishments, which now includes requirements about commissary operations.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'Mobile Retail Food Establishment' specifying that it must be operated from a movable vehicle, portable structure, or watercraft.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that mobile retail food establishments must be intended to physically report to and operate from a commissary for servicing, restocking, and maintenance.

TECHNICAL

Changed the document status from 'Revised' to 'Preamended' and updated the date to reflect committee amendments not yet adopted on second reading.

Rerevised (05/06/2025) → Revised (05/02/2025) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was revised to standardize terminology by changing 'Mobile Food Establishment' to 'Mobile Retail Food Establishment' throughout the text, ensuring consistency with current business licensing practices. The revision also updated formatting and presentation details, including the bill's revision status and summary section layout.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the operational requirements and licensing reciprocity provisions remain unchanged.

DEFINITION

Terminology updated from 'Mobile Food Establishment' to 'Mobile Retail Food Establishment' in the legislative declaration and definitions sections for consistency with state business licensing standards.

Added new definition for 'Local Government' to clarify which entities are subject to the reciprocal licensing requirements.

TECHNICAL

Bill header and summary section formatting updated to reflect current revision status and presentation standards.

PA1 (03/26/2025) → Rerevised (05/06/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to clarify its purpose by adding a formal definition of 'mobile food establishment' and updating the title to reflect this new definition. The core policy regarding reciprocal licensing for food trucks remains largely unchanged, though some terminology was updated throughout the text.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was slightly expanded by formally defining 'mobile food establishment' to include portable structures and watercraft, rather than just vehicles.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'mobile food establishment' that includes portable structures and watercraft, broadening the types of food operations covered.

Renamed 'Denver Food Safety License' to 'Denver Retail Food License' to better align with the new terminology.

Added a definition for 'Department' to clarify it refers to the Department of Public Health and Environment.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill title and sponsorship information to reflect current legislative status and co-sponsors.

Final Act (05/13/2025) → PA1 (03/26/2025) · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from HB 25-1295 to LLS NO. 25-0880.01 and updated to reflect committee amendments. The bill's title and summary were modified to emphasize a reciprocal licensing system for food trucks rather than just reciprocity for certain permits. The term 'mobile food establishment' was changed to 'mobile retail food establishment' throughout the text. The legislative declaration was updated to reflect the growing economy impact of mobile retail food establishments. The definitions section was revised to include new terms like 'Denver Food Safety License' and 'Reciprocal License and Reciprocal Permit', while removing specific references to 'Denver Retail Food License' and 'State Health Department License' as standalone definitions. The bill now explicitly prohibits local governments from restricting food truck operations based on total days per year or distance from other food establishments (unless less than 50 feet).

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to create a comprehensive reciprocal licensing and permitting system between local jurisdictions, moving beyond just fire safety permit reciprocity. The applicability now explicitly covers mobile retail food establishments operating across multiple local government jurisdictions in Colorado.

DEFINITION

Changed term 'mobile food establishment' to 'mobile retail food establishment' throughout the bill for consistency and clarity.

Removed standalone definitions for 'Denver Retail Food License' and 'State Health Department License', replacing them with broader reciprocal license and permit definitions.

REQUIREMENT

Added explicit prohibitions on local governments restricting food truck operations based on total days per year or distance from other food establishments (unless less than 50 feet).

Added requirement for local governments to review reciprocal license applications within 14 calendar days.

SCOPE

Updated bill title and summary to emphasize the creation of a reciprocal licensing and permitting system rather than just permit reciprocity.

TECHNICAL

Bill was renumbered from HB 25-1295 to LLS NO. 25-0880.01 and updated to reflect committee amendments.

Signed Act (05/20/2025) → Final Act (05/13/2025) · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill revision adds administrative notes and formatting adjustments to the final legislative text, including a note about Governor signatures and reorganization of the bill header and sponsor information. The substantive policy content regarding mobile food truck regulations remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Added a note instructing readers to consult legislative status sheets to determine if the Governor has signed the bill.

Reorganized the bill header and sponsor information to appear after the note rather than at the top of the document.

Adjusted formatting of section headers and statutory text for final act publication.

Reengrossed (04/28/2025) → Signed Act (05/20/2025) · 5 edits · May 20, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed to update sponsor lists, correct the bill title to use 'Mobile Food Establishment' instead of 'Mobile Retail Food Establishment', and significantly revise the statutory language to clarify definitions and reciprocity requirements. The changes standardize terminology across the state and streamline the process for food truck operators seeking to operate in multiple jurisdictions.

Scope change

The scope remains focused on food truck operations and reciprocity between local jurisdictions, but the definition of 'Mobile Retail Food Establishment' was changed to 'Mobile Food Establishment' to align with current terminology and simplify the language.

DEFINITION

The term 'Mobile Retail Food Establishment' was changed to 'Mobile Food Establishment' throughout the bill to standardize terminology and remove the word 'retail' from the core definition.

The definition of 'Local Government' was expanded to include a broader range of authorities, agencies, institutions, and departments of political subdivisions.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements were added for Denver retail food license reciprocity, including submission of state health department license applications and summaries of prior violations to the City and County of Denver.

The previous summary statement explaining the bill's purpose was removed and replaced with the formal statutory text, which now includes more detailed operational requirements.

TECHNICAL

Formatting and markup instructions were updated to reflect the reengrossed version, including changes to how amendments are denoted and the bill summary text.

Engrossed (04/25/2025) → Reengrossed (04/28/2025) · 4 edits · May 6, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed to include an additional Senate sponsor (Mabrey) and updated the title to reflect that amendments were adopted in the House of Introduction rather than on second reading. The bill summary section was removed, and a new section establishing reciprocity for mobile retail food establishment fire safety permits between local jurisdictions was deleted.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing the section that established reciprocity for fire safety permits between local government jurisdictions for mobile retail food establishments.

TECHNICAL

Added Senate sponsor Mabrey to the list of sponsors.

Changed the version header from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' and updated the amendment adoption description.

Removed the bill summary section.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted the section establishing reciprocity for fire safety permits between local jurisdictions for mobile retail food establishments.

Introduced (03/04/2025) → Engrossed (04/25/2025) · 4 edits · May 6, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace the term 'food truck' with the more inclusive term 'mobile retail food establishment' throughout the legislation, expanding its scope to cover various types of mobile food operations beyond just trucks. The bill now explicitly defines mobile retail food establishments to include movable vehicles, portable structures, or watercraft that can change location and operate from a commissary. Additionally, a new definition for 'Denver Food Safety License' was added to specifically recognize Denver's licensing system in the reciprocity framework.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from specifically regulating 'food trucks' to covering all 'mobile retail food establishments,' which now includes portable structures and watercraft in addition to motor vehicles.

DEFINITION

Replaced the term 'food truck' with 'mobile retail food establishment' in the legislative declaration and throughout the bill to create a broader regulatory category.

Added a new definition for 'Denver Food Safety License' to specifically acknowledge Denver's existing food safety licensing system within the reciprocity provisions.

Added a comprehensive definition for 'mobile retail food establishment' that includes movable vehicles, portable structures, or watercraft that can change location and operate from a commissary.

REQUIREMENT

Updated fire safety permit language to apply to 'mobile retail food establishments' rather than just 'food trucks' to align with the expanded scope.

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