HB 18-1246 Summary

• Adds legislative declaration establishing that unregulated nursery stock production and shipping presents unacceptable risk to Colorado's agricultural, forestry, horticultural, and environmental interests due to potential plant pests and diseases.

• Expands definition of "nursery stock" to include hardy plants surviving Colorado winters and nonhardy plants distributed to other states, and adds new definitions for "broker," "distribute," "noxious weed," "pests of concern," and "national nursery stock cleanliness standard."

• Eliminates exemption for Colorado-only nurseries from inspection requirements, bringing all nurseries under mandatory inspection authority.

• Modifies labeling requirements to apply to distributed nursery stock and expands prohibited acts to include selling or distributing noxious weeds or nursery stock infested with noxious weeds.

• Increases maximum nursery registration fee from $100 to $300 per place of business and updates registration requirements and renewal deadlines.