Colorado service charge & all-in price law (HB25-1090): compliance kit
Do you add a service charge, auto-gratuity or other fees to prices in Colorado?
Quick answer
Since January 1, 2026, Colorado businesses must show the total price as one number that includes every mandatory fee (C.R.S. 6-1-737, added by HB25-1090). Taxes and actual shipping can be added later. Restaurants, bars and similar venues may keep a service charge if they disclose its amount and how it is distributed. Penalties reach $20,000 per violation (C.R.S. 6-1-112).
Last verified October 10, 2026 against the official text. Not legal advice.
Free guide: Colorado all-in price and restaurant service charge law (HB25-1090) explained
Colorado’s deceptive-pricing law has been in force since January 1, 2026. Booking, cleaning, resort, admin, card and “kitchen” fees that customers have to pay or can’t reasonably avoid must be inside the price you show. Government taxes and fees, and actual shipping costs, can still be added later.
Restaurants, bars, cafes, breweries and taprooms can keep a mandatory service charge or auto-gratuity only if every menu, online menu, ordering page, phone order and ad shows the charge’s percentage or amount and how it is distributed, right with the prices. Movers and hourly services that can’t know the total up front have to list what sets the price, every mandatory fee, and say the total may vary.
This kit lays the law out in plain words, with wording you can adapt and a spreadsheet to work out your all-in prices and track every fix. It is for Colorado restaurants, bars, cafes, breweries and taprooms with a service charge, kitchen fee or auto-gratuity, and for salons, event venues, movers, hotels and B&Bs that add fees.
- ✓Plain-English checklist with the law quoted word for word (7 pages)
- ✓Worksheet that sorts each price into the right route: all-in, restaurant service-charge disclosure, or variable-price services
- ✓The law’s “total price” test for each of your fees
- ✓Ready-to-edit menu lines, online-ordering banner, phone script and counter sign stating the charge and how it is distributed
- ✓All-in price lines for salons, venues, hotels and B&Bs; quote and estimate wording for movers and hourly services
- ✓Price touchpoint audit (menus, QR, apps, phone, receipts, banquets, ads) and a monthly routine
- ✓Excel fee inventory, all-in price calculator, touchpoint tracker and change log
Blank templates from the public law. Not legal advice, and it does not decide which of your fees are part of the total price, whether you qualify for the variable-price route, or sales-tax and wage treatment of service charges. Landlord fee rules are not covered. English only.
- ✓Instant download after payment
- ✓Official sources listed in the kit
- ✓12-month re-download access
- ✓Secure checkout by Stripe
Frequently asked questions
When did the Colorado all-in price law take effect?
January 1, 2026. HB25-1090 (Session Laws ch. 94) added C.R.S. 6-1-737 to the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, and the HB25-1090 bill page lists an effective date of January 1, 2026.
Can Colorado restaurants still add a service charge or auto-gratuity?
Yes, if every offer, display or advertisement shows, together with the price, the percentage or amount of the service charge and an accurate description of how it is distributed (C.R.S. 6-1-737(2)(b)(I)). Otherwise the charge has to be inside the menu price. This covers menus, online menus, ordering pages, phone orders and ads.
What counts in the “total price”?
All amounts a customer must pay to purchase, enjoy or use the goods or services, or that are not reasonably avoidable. Government taxes and fees, and actual shipping costs, can be left out unless you choose to include them (C.R.S. 6-1-737(1)(m)).
What about movers and services priced by the hour?
If you can show the total can’t reasonably be known up front, you can instead disclose the factors that set the price, all mandatory fees, and that the total may vary (C.R.S. 6-1-737(2)(b)(II)).
What are the penalties?
A violation is a deceptive, unfair and unconscionable trade practice (C.R.S. 6-1-737(5)(a)). The Attorney General or a district attorney can seek a civil penalty of up to $20,000 per violation, counted separately for each consumer or transaction (C.R.S. 6-1-112(1)(a)), and up to $50,000 per violation against an elderly person (6-1-112(1)(c)). Customers can sue without sending a demand first (6-1-737(5)(c)).
Has the Attorney General issued rules?
The law lets the Attorney General adopt rules (C.R.S. 6-1-737(7)). As of October 10, 2026 we found only an enforcement memo about landlord utility charges, which this kit does not cover.
Is this legal advice?
No. This page and the kit are general information and blank templates built from the public law. They are not legal advice, are not tailored to your business, and buying a kit does not create a lawyer-client relationship. For your own situation, ask a licensed Colorado attorney.
Official sources
- HB25-1090, Session Laws 2025 ch. 94 (adds C.R.S. 6-1-737), Colorado General Assembly
- HB25-1090 bill page (effective date January 1, 2026)
- HB25-1090 bill file, Colorado General Assembly
- SB25-282, Session Laws 2025 ch. 412
Law text checked against the official sources above on October 10, 2026. General information, not legal advice; laws and rules change, so check the current official text before you rely on it.
Who wrote this and how it was checked
Written and maintained by Astor Ventures. We publish template kits built from public law; we are not a law firm, and no attorney has reviewed this page.
- Last verified: , against the HB25-1090 session law and bill page on leg.colorado.gov.
- Next scheduled check: quarterly, or sooner if the law changes or the Attorney General adopts rules.
- Found an error? Email [email protected] and we will correct the page and the kit.