New Laws Go Into Effect to Boost Consumer Protections for Event Tickets, Predatory Towing and Improve Gig Worker Rights
DENVER, CO - On August 7, three new laws will go into effect to strengthen consumer protections for ticket sales for activities like concerts and sporting events, crack down on predatory towing, and improve flexibility, fairness, safety, and transparency for gig transportation network company (TNC) workers and consumers.
“Colorado is home to many great live music venues and multiple professional sports teams, and this consumer protection law will help prevent Coloradans from being taken advantage of by bad actors,” said Rep. William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield, sponsor of HB24-1378. “This law guarantees refunds for canceled events, ensures actual all-in prices are advertised and bans deceptive website sales to clarify consumer rights and protections in the ticket industry. We’re creating a Colorado that better serves consumers so they can fully enjoy their favorite events, from Nuggets games to Taylor Swift concerts.”
“For too long, bad actors have made the ticket purchasing process overly complicated and difficult to navigate,” said Senator Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, sponsor of HB24-1378. “This year, I was proud to champion the effort to bring greater transparency to the ticket buying process and improve the experience for Colorado consumers. This new law will help Coloradans attend the concerts and sporting events they love with more ease and peace of mind.”
“Unfortunately, most Coloradans have had negative experiences with the ticket industry that make it more difficult for them to attend concerts and professional sports games,” said Rep. Alex Valdez, D-Denver, sponsor of HB24-1378. “As a resident of downtown Denver, I know how important our local sports teams and big concert events are to local businesses. Our legislation will bolster protections for consumers, making ticket-buying a more secure process so Coloradans can feel better about their purchases.”
HB24-1378, also sponsored by Senator Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, requires ticket sellers and resellers to guarantee refunds to ticket buyers and prohibits an operator from denying entry to ticket holders who purchased the ticket through a reseller.
This new law expands what constitutes a deceptive trade practice, including:
Displaying trademarked, copyrighted, or substantially similar web designs, URLs, or other images and symbols with the intent to mislead a purchaser,
Selling a ticket to an event without disclosing the total cost of the ticket, or
Increasing the price of a ticket after the ticket has been selected for purchase, except for adding delivery fees.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that additional fees on event tickets average 27 to 31 percent of the ticket’s price.
HB24-1051 improves oversight, transparency and fairness in the towing industry in Colorado. Specifically, this law ends the practice of towing carriers patrolling, monitoring or policing properties to enforce parking restrictions on behalf of property owners. It also directs the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to promulgate new rules for towing carriers, including requiring carriers to disclose additional information necessary for effective oversight and meaningful reporting, beginning September 1, 2025.
“Leveling the playing field amongst towing companies and everyday Coloradans is essential, and that begins with dismantling some of the financial incentives for towing companies,” said Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, sponsor of HB24-1051. “While the Towing Bill of Rights laid a strong foundation to protect vehicle owners, we’re doing more to improve transparency within the towing industry and prohibiting predatory towing companies from patrolling parking lots to look for vehicles to profit on. Today, we’re putting consumers first by requiring property owners to authorize residential non-consensual tows, outlining more guardrails for towing carries and making sure vehicles towed illegally are returned to the owner within 48 hours at no cost.”
“When my car was wrongfully towed last summer, it showed me how the laws we had in place were being ignored and weren’t strong enough. Since then, I’ve heard from countless Coloradans who have shared their experiences as well, which was the reason to come back to the table and further strengthen Colorado’s Towing Bill of Rights,” said Senator Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, sponsor of HB24-1051. “It all worked out for me in the end, but you shouldn’t have to be a senator or know the law forward and backward just to be treated fairly. This legislation ensures towing companies aren’t hiding the ball when it comes to telling people their options and rights under the law. My hope is that with this law, we can better protect consumers and hold towing carriers responsible for following the law.”
“Imagine waking up to find, through no fault of your own, that your vehicle has been towed – this is an unfortunate reality for many in our state,” said Rep. Tisha Mauro, D-Pueblo, sponsor of HB24-1051. “Our legislation works to break down financial incentives for predatory towing practices, specifically patrolling parking lots, and drastically improves consumer protections. Under this law, if a vehicle is illegally towed, the towing company will have to make it right by returning the vehicle within 48 hours at no cost to the owner. To ensure we’re leveling the playing field between Coloradans and towing companies, this law also outlines new rules for towing carriers to create a better state for us all.”
“Over the past few years, we’ve worked hard to improve consumer protections in the towing industry and for TNC drivers,” said Senator Kevin Priola, D-Henderson, sponsor of HB24-1051 and SB24-075. “In the years since, we’ve learned that we need to do more to ensure that towing companies are actually following the law as intended and that drivers have the transparency they deserve. I was proud to sponsor these laws that make much needed updates to our Towing Bill Rights and provide drivers with essential details about their work like pay and destination – both of which ensure greater fairness for Coloradans.”
Importantly, HB24-1051 changes the incentive structure for towing companies by requiring the property owner to authorize non-consensual tows. Unauthorized vehicles will still be towed at the expense of the vehicle owner.
Another portion of the law aims to ramp up consumer protections by requiring companies to return a wrongfully towed vehicle to the original location within 48 hours and at no charge to the vehicle owner, and improving parking lot signage to explain towing regulations clearly in both English and Spanish. The law also makes it a deceptive trade practice to conduct a non-consensual tow in violation of the law.
In an effort to improve long-term transparency in the towing industry, HB24-1051 allows the PUC to suspend or revoke a towing carrier permit in certain circumstances and the law addresses conflicts of interest for members of the Towing Task Force.
Gig work has risen over the last decade, but many workers struggle to make ends meet or plan for their financial future due to the volatile nature of their earnings and unjust terminations. SB24-075 addresses a number of issues gig workers and consumers face by requiring the following:
Companies must disclose terms and grounds for termination or deactivation of drivers and communicate the reconsideration process;
Companies must disclose the fare, distance, and direction to all drivers before they accept a ride, which can prevent last-minute ride cancellations initiated by drivers;
Companies must disclose fare information to customers, including the total amount paid and how much of that the driver received; and
Companies must disclose some ride and app activity-related information to the state of Colorado, such as total mileage driven, deactivations and reconsideration results, and more.
“Gig workers deserve to know how much they will get paid before they accept a job, and this law will give them better clarity so they can make informed workplace decisions,” said Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, sponsor of SB24-075. “This law improves gig workers’ rights while providing much-needed transparency to consumers so they know what their money is paying for.”
“All workers deserve to know how much they get paid and what their job entails, but currently rideshare and delivery gig workers aren’t given that information,” said Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, sponsor of SB24-075. “Our new law gives basic rights to TNC drivers and provides much-needed transparency for customers.”
“The gig economy has exploded in recent years, and we are addressing the lack of worker protections and consumer transparency to ensure fair wages and autonomy,” said Rep. Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora, sponsor of SB24-075. “This law aims to address these issues by requiring companies to disclose the distance, direction, and fare of a ride to drivers before they accept it and share fare information with customers so they know how much of their rideshare is going to their driver. Without this information, drivers and customers are left in the dark and are vulnerable to being over-charged or underpaid.”
The law aims to provide transportation network company drivers with transparent information about tasks and earnings, and customers with the information needed to make decisions about how much to tip. Additionally, it will protect drivers by giving them a basic level of transparency about how deactivations are considered and can be appealed.