US EditionSix Denver-Boulder Metro Governments Sue Colorado, Polis for Home Rule Control
- On Monday, six Front Range cities—including Aurora and Arvada—initiated legal action in Denver District Court against Colorado and Governor Jared Polis, challenging two land-use bills from the 2024 legislative session.
- The lawsuit challenges the bills and a recent executive order on grounds they violate Colorado's century-old Home Rule clause granting local governments zoning authority.
- The contested laws require increased housing density near transit, eliminate parking minimums, and link over $100 million in state funding to compliance with state housing reforms.
- Greenwood Village Mayor George Lantz expressed concern that residents are increasingly losing their influence over decisions in their own communities, while the governor’s office remains confident that the courts will side with the state.
- The case could affect local autonomy over land use and impact development approaches amid Colorado's housing shortage, reflecting ongoing tensions between state policies and municipal control.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Aspen Times
Why Jared Polis’ warning to local governments to comply with Colorado housing laws won’t matter much in mountain towns
Calling the need for more affordable housing a statewide concern, Gov. Jared Polis last week signed an executive order to withhold funding from cities and counties that don’t comply with a suite of new Colorado housing laws. Polis, in his order, said that despite “many communities pursuing local actions,” the state is short of more than 100,000 housing units. “As such, these regional and statewide actions are critical and our success requires t…
Front Range cities, claiming home rule violations, sue Colorado over housing policies
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order May 16 that pushes local governments to comply with certain state housing laws as a condition of receiving state grant funding, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)Six cities in the Front Range filed a lawsuit against Colorado and Gov. Jared Polis claiming recently approved state housing laws violate the Colorado Constitution’s home rule provisions. The 86-page…
Six Denver-Boulder metro governments sue Colorado, Polis for home rule control
DENVER (KDVR) — Six Colorado cities in the Denver metro area have filed a lawsuit against the state and Gov. Jared Polis, claiming the state has infringed upon home rule city controls. The city of Lafayette announced the legal action in a press release Monday and said that it aims to secure its constitutional right to control the manner and rate at which the community is growing, developing and managed. Lafayette is joining the cities of Aurora,…
Colorado cities sue Jared Polis, state over housing policies
Six “home rule” cities in Colorado are suing the state, alleging it has unconstitutionally usurped their local authority over land use and zoning as it pushes communities to allow denser housing development. This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of an executive order Gov. Jared Polis signed last week to withhold some state grants from lo…
Broomfield Enterprise
Colorado Hometown WeeklyLafayette sues Colorado, Gov. Polis, citing home rule violations
Lafayette has joined other Front Range municipalities in a lawsuit against Colorado and Gov. Jared Polis to secure the city’s home rule authority and land use code management. Lafayette has joined Aurora, Arvada, Glendale, Greenwood Village and Westminster in the lawsuit, according to a Monday news release. The news release says that House Bills 23-1255, 24-1304 and 24-1313 violate the city’s home rule authority by overreaching and telling home …
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