Colorado Passes Agricultural Repair Bill
Colorado recently passed the first-ever agricultural right to repair bill, empowering farmers to fix their own equipment. The state also passed a law streamlining wheelchair repairs—the first such bill in the US since 2012. These specialty victories expand right to repair beyond consumer electronics into agricultural and medical equipment.
- The agricultural repair bill, officially known as HB23-1011, was sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers including Representatives Brianna Titone and Ron Weinberg, and Senators Nick Hinrichsen and Janice Marchman. It was signed into law by Governor Jared Polis on April 25, 2023, and went into effect on January 1, 2024. - The law compels agricultural equipment manufacturers to provide owners and independent repair shops with parts, embedded software, firmware, tools, and documentation at fair and reasonable prices. Failure to comply is considered a deceptive trade practice under Colorado law. - Opponents, including manufacturers, argued the law could force them to expose trade secrets and enable illegal tampering with equipment, such as bypassing emissions controls or unsafely increasing horsepower. The law includes provisions that do not authorize modifications that would deactivate safety features or violate emissions laws. - A broad coalition of agricultural groups backed the bill, including the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, and growers associations for corn, wheat, wool, and fruit. Farmers shared stories of lengthy delays and high costs for official dealer repairs, with one farmer spending $6,000 over three weeks on a failed repair that his son and grandson fixed in two hours once they got the software codes. - This state-level action followed President Joe Biden's July 2021 executive order which encouraged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to strengthen its enforcement of right-to-repair rules. The Colorado law contains a provision that it will be repealed if the U.S. Congress enacts federal legislation for the right to repair agricultural equipment. - The earlier wheelchair repair bill, HB 1031, was championed by Democratic Representative David Ortiz, who uses a wheelchair himself. It requires manufacturers to make parts, tools, and repair manuals available to owners and independent technicians at reasonable prices. - Following the success of the agricultural and wheelchair bills, Colorado passed a broader right-to-repair law in May 2024 that covers digital electronics like phones and tablets. This newer law also addresses the practice of "parts pairing," where manufacturers use software to block repairs using non-official components.
