Colorado Passes Upgraded Protections for Mobile Home Park Water Quality

New legislation aims to address long-standing issues with water safety and usability in mobile home communities.

Apr. 6, 2026 at 10:50pm

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A photorealistic painting of an old, rusted mobile home water spigot in warm, golden light, conveying a sense of neglect and the need for infrastructure improvements in mobile home communities.Aging infrastructure and lack of investment have left many mobile home park residents in Colorado without access to reliable, clean water.Denver Today

The Colorado legislature has passed a new bill, House Bill 26-1145, that strengthens regulations and enforcement around water quality in the state's mobile home parks. The bill expands the definition of water quality standards to include issues like odor, taste, and discoloration, not just primary health hazards. It also increases penalties for noncompliance and gives state officials more tools to require park owners to remediate problems.

Why it matters

This legislation is an important step in addressing long-standing water quality challenges in Colorado's mobile home park communities. Previous testing found that about 9% of parks had water that was unsafe to drink, and 13% had water that technically met safety standards but failed on secondary quality measures. The new law aims to give the state more leverage to force park owners to improve water conditions that impact residents' daily lives and household operations.

The details

The new Mobile Home Water Quality Act builds on previous legislation passed in 2023 that mandated statewide testing in mobile home parks. The latest bill defines secondary water quality standards to include water that is suitable for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing clothes, and use with appliances. It allows state regulators to require park owners to remediate 'welfare-related' violations, not just acute health hazards. The law also raises penalties, allowing civil fines of up to $10,000 per violation and an extra $5,000 per month after the first 30 days, plus cease-and-desist orders.

  • The Mobile Home Water Quality Act was passed by the Colorado legislature in 2023.
  • House Bill 26-1145, which strengthens the 2023 law, was passed in 2026.

The players

Lisa Cutter

A Democratic state senator from Littleton who was a key advocate for the new water quality legislation.

Cesiah Guadarrama Trejo

The executive state director for 9to5 Colorado, an advocacy group that supported the bill.

Alex Sanchez

The president and CEO of Voces Unidas, a nonprofit that works on issues affecting mobile home park residents.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

The state agency that conducted testing that revealed widespread water quality issues in mobile home parks.

Water Quality Control Division

The state regulatory body that will have expanded enforcement powers under the new law.

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What they’re saying

“No one should have brown or discolored water.”

— Lisa Cutter, State Senator

“This bill was really to close those gaps and make it clearer and have steps for when secondary water standards were not met in mobile home parks.”

— Cesiah Guadarrama Trejo, Executive State Director, 9to5 Colorado

“I myself grew up in a mobile home park in the Western Slope. I, too, know what it feels like to not trust your water, not be able to bathe, not be able to drink water from your own home, because the state government and local governments have really failed to grasp the challenge and the problem that has existed for decades in our mobile home park communities all across Colorado.”

— Alex Sanchez, President & CEO, Voces Unidas

What’s next

The bill is now headed to the governor's desk for signature into law.

The takeaway

This new legislation represents an important step forward in addressing long-standing water quality issues that have plagued mobile home park communities in Colorado. By expanding the definition of water quality standards and increasing enforcement tools, the state aims to compel park owners to make necessary improvements and ensure all residents have access to safe, usable water in their homes.