DENVER — Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed several housing bills into law since the 2025 legislative session ended. They all aim to address the state’s affordable housing crisis.
Denver7 dug into the new laws to see how they could make it easier to find an affordable home in the future.
On Thursday, Polis signed Senate Bill 25-006, which will create a $50 million revolving fund the state treasurer can use to buy down construction and mortgage costs, creating affordable for-sale housing that would otherwise not be built. The fund is expected to help up to 200 people buy homes.
“And these are 200 Coloradans that will directly benefit with a place to live but also be able to build wealth themselves over time,” said Polis. “And the money will return as people are able to do well enough to have a down payment on market units and move on.”
State Representative Manny Rutinel was one of the bill’s bipartisan sponsors. He said lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognize housing costs are too high.
“We're in the midst of an affordability crisis, and I think housing is a top priority for folks,” said Rutinel. "It’s often the largest expense for Coloradans.”
Rutinel said it’s a deeply personal issue for him.
“I grew up with a single mom, working-class background,” said Rutinel. “The Great Recession hit. We lost our home, and that was tough.”
SB25-006 is also sponsored by State Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and State Rep. Mary Bradfield, R-Colorado Springs.
Last week, the governor signed Senate Bill 25-002, which seeks to make it easier to build modular housing. Modular housing is less expensive and can be built quickly.
This week, he signed House Bill 25-1273, allowing five-story apartment buildings with one staircase to be constructed. Supporters say this will allow developers to build more compact buildings that can provide more living space.
The governor also signed House Bill 25-1272, a construction defects bill aimed at making it easier for developers to build condos, which are less expensive to buy than traditional homes.
"There's no one thing you need to do in housing. We need to do a lot to build more homes and keep up with demand,” Polis said. "So, a number of different measures to make living in Colorado more affordable are underway."
Polis said many of the bills lawmakers passed during this year’s legislative session were focused on policy instead of funding.
“There wasn't as much fiscal flexibility as other sessions,” Polis said, acknowledging the $1.2 billion state budget deficit lawmakers had to address.
The governor didn’t get everything he wanted in this legislative session. Lawmakers killed a so-called Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) measure that would've made it easier for churches and schools to build housing on their land.
The bill got pushback from local officials who didn’t want the state interfering in local zoning laws.
Previous YIMBY proposals that Polis championed as a way to increase housing density also failed. But the YIMBY effort is likely to continue.
"I think that's something we can expect to come back next year,” Rutinel said. “So that we can build more housing and bring down prices."
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