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DENVER, CO – The House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee today passed legislation to keep Coloradans, visitors and the state’s bear population safe. HB26-1342 would further reduce human-bear conflicts by cracking down on negligent human behaviors that attract bears.
“Dangerous human-bear interactions are rising in our state, and we need to do more to keep Coloradans, visitors and the bear population safe,” said Rep. Katie Stewart, D-Durango. “Last year, the vast majority of bear reports were related to trash or food waste. Bears are attracted to human food, which means this is a people problem, and it’s our responsibility to keep food inaccessible to bears so we can limit human-bear interactions. This bill strengthens existing enforcement mechanisms to help CPW reduce human-bear conflict, especially those coming from negligence. ”
“Once a bear has learned how and where to obtain human food, it’s really difficult to unteach this behavior, which ultimately leads to more human-bear conflicts and costly bear relocations and euthanizations,” said Rep. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs. “We are reducing barriers for CPW to minimize human-bear interactions to keep everyone safe, including Colorado’s bear population. Bears can cause extensive property damage, and this bill helps prevent bears from digging through your trash in the first place. Last year 57-percent of bear sightings were linked to trash or waste, and our legislation pushes back against negligent human behaviors that attract bears.”
HB26-1342 passed committee by vote of 8-4. This bill would help minimize human-bear conflicts in Colorado. HB26-1342 would modify state law to enhance Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) ability to deter negligent human behaviors that attract bears, such as leaving garbage uncovered and accessible.
HB26-1342 would:
Expand the law to include negligent behavior with food or edible waste that attracts bears, meaning CPW no longer must prove that an individual is intentionally luring bears.
Raise the penalty for third or subsequent offenses of luring bears from $2,000 to $5,000 to strengthen deterrence of negligent human behavior that leads to conflicts with bears.
Modify state statute so CPW officers have the option to issue a maximum fine of $200 to first-time offenders. CPW officers have discretion to issue a warning before a violation.
Under this bill, penalties for negligent human behavior would still apply even if a bear does not show up on the property.
Human-bear conflicts are rising. CPW received 5,022 bear reports in 2024 and 5,229 in 2025. According to CPW, this is a 15-percent increase in conflicts and interactions over the last six years. Of the 17,000-20,000 bears in Colorado, the majority of incident reports involve bears trying to access human food sources. Last year, 57-percent of the sightings were linked to trash, 18-percent to livestock, chickens and beehives, and 16-percent to bird seed, pet food, barbeque grills, coolers and refrigerators. Of the 5,299 reports CPW received in 2025, 2,448 resulted in property damage to a shed, garage, home, vehicle or fence.
In 2024, 68 black bears were relocated and 98 were euthanized because of incidents with humans. Many of these instances were a result of human negligence. That same year, CPW spent nearly 6,000 hours of staff time responding to human-bear conflicts and spent nearly $800,000 in supplies, grants, and salaries related to human-bear conflicts.
To limit human-bear interactions, experts recommend securing food, trash and recycling, removing bird feed when bears are active, cleaning grills and smokers and never leaving pet food outside.