Colorado ballot measure · November 3, 2026

Colorado Amendment 82, explained

Constitutional right to buy and sell natural gas. A ballot measure is a yes-or-no question put directly to voters — no candidate is involved, and the wording on the ballot is the wording that becomes law. This page shows that wording first, then what it actually changes.

The official wording

Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution creating new law granting the right for consumers to purchase natural gas for cooking or heating in homes or businesses and for distributors and utilities to sell natural gas to consumers?

This is what appears on the ballot. Everything below explains it.

What it actually means

Adds two sentences to the state constitution: consumers have the right to buy natural gas for cooking or heating in homes and businesses, and distributors and utilities have the right to sell it. That could limit state and local rules that restrict natural gas use.

If you vote YES

Buying natural gas for cooking or heating in homes and businesses, and selling it for those uses, would become constitutional rights.
State or local rules that restrict natural gas, such as building codes requiring all-electric new homes, could be challenged or have to be revised.
Local governments with such codes could face legal and permitting costs to conform them; state agencies could have added legal workload.

If you vote NO

Natural gas would continue to be regulated under existing law: the Public Utilities Commission oversees investor-owned gas utilities, including a December 2025 rule requiring plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions 41% below 2015 levels by 2035.
Local governments could keep or adopt building codes that restrict natural gas in new construction, as the Town of Crested Butte has done.

The numbers that matter

State fiscal impact: Possible minimal increase in agency workload and legal costs
Vote needed: 55%

Why supporters say YES

Natural gas is an affordable, widely available and reliable heating source that most Colorado households depend on, including in extreme cold; the measure ensures continued access without government interference.
— Colorado Blue Book argument for Amendment 82 (Legislative Council Staff)

Why opponents say NO

Natural gas contributes to climate change and air pollution and should not be protected in the constitution; doing so limits efforts to cut emissions and takes decisions about energy and public health away from local communities.
— Colorado Blue Book argument against Amendment 82 (Legislative Council Staff)

What’s genuinely uncertain

How far the new right would limit existing and future state emissions rules and local building codes would likely be decided by courts.
The measure is sponsored by Advance Colorado, according to Colorado Newsline; no registered opposition committee was identified in the sources reviewed.

The bottom line

Guaranteed access to natural gas for homes and businesses, against less room for state and local governments to restrict it for climate or air quality reasons.

One neutral sentence describing the tradeoff — not a recommendation.

Sources:leg.colorado.gov coloradosos.gov coloradonewsline.com

Checking it against the official text

The Colorado Secretary of State publishes the certified measures and, in most states, an official voter guide with fiscal notes. That is the authoritative version. Everything here is an explanation of it, not a substitute for it.

Confirm this with the official source

Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Colorado Secretary of State.

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