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Proposed New Colorado Law Could Allow Bars to Stay Open Later

On Behalf of | Feb 21, 2014 | DUI and DWAI Charges |

Colorado state law prohibits your local bar from selling alcohol between the hours of 2 A.M. and 7 A.M. Last Call! House Bill 1132 proposes to give your local government more latitude with the above-referenced restriction on selling alcohol. For example, downtown Denver could allow the sale of alcohol up to 4:30 A.M. -instead of 2 A.M. under this proposed amendment to the law.

House Bill 1132 would amend the above-referenced law to say that your local bar is prohibited from selling alcohol between the hours of 2 A.M. and 7 A.M. “unless the governing body of a municipality, city and county, or county, by adoption of an ordinance or resolution pursuant to section 12-47-314, authorizes other hours during which alcohol beverages may be served for on-premises consumption at licensed premises within its jurisdiction”. You notice how it lacks a ceiling time such as “up to 5 A.M.”.

Let’s explore this proposed law in the form of a hypothetical. It’s Friday night. You are having a good time; but in Denver county last call is at 1 A.M., and the fun is over. Boulder is only 40 minutes away and in Boulder County Colorado last call is at 4:30 A.M. You never drink and drive because you know the best DUI Defense Attorney in Denver and he advised you of the consequences of drinking and driving; so, you always have a designated driver. Your designated driver takes you to a local bar in Jefferson County, where you run into a top DUI attorney in Jefferson County, and she again warns you about drinking and driving. Well, in Jefferson County, last call is at 2:30 A.M. so you and your designated driver head to Boulder County.

As you can see from our hypothetical, each county could end up with different closing times for local bars. This could lead to some bars being open later than other bars. House Bill 1132 is a nice proposition because it prospectively allows bars to stay open later; but it’s my opinion that House Bill 1132 will eventually be amended to include a ceiling time.

This blog was created by Shazam Kianpour & Associates to keep you informed about some of those things your government is doing. We do not promote drinking and driving; however, if you find yourself in a situation where you are charged with crime, DUI, or a simple traffic ticket, do not hesitate to call Shazam Kianpour & Associates for a free consultation today to retain an experienced criminal defense attorney to represent you and immediately start investigating your case. Call us today at 720-407-2582!

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