Amendment 82 Puts Natural Gas Rights to Voters

Gas distributors and builders in Colorado face a constitutional question that could override local electric-only building codes.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Utilities

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a copper gas pipe branching above a plinth against a pale sky, with one valve open and one capped. — Colorado voters will decide Amendment 82 on November 4, 2026, which would write a right to buy and sell natural gas into the state constitution. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should Colorado constitutionally protect your right to buy natural gas for home heating and cooking?

Colorado voters faced Amendment 82, a constitutional measure that would establish a right to buy and sell natural gas, with results published on election night, November 4, 2026. For utilities and gas distributors, the outcome would lock natural gas sales protections into the state constitution if approved.

Why it matters

The measure is a direct response to local rules such as Boulder's Energy Conservation Code, which requires almost all new buildings to be electrically powered. Supporters frame it as protecting the right to use natural gas, while opponents argue it would shield the gas industry from community accountability.

The data available is limited to the election date and ballot designation, with no vote counts or percentages reported. The measure's impact on natural gas distributors and local building-code authority remains unquantified in the source extraction.

The players

Advance Colorado

An action-based advocacy organization focused on reversing policies it considers radical in Colorado, and a backer of Amendment 82.

Conservation Colorado

An environmental advocacy group that opposes Amendment 82, arguing it would limit community oversight of the natural gas industry.

Colorado Democratic Party

The state's Democratic Party organization, which opposes Amendment 82.

The details

Amendment 82 would grant consumers the right to purchase natural gas for cooking and heating and grant distributors the right to sell it, placing those rights in the state constitution. The Boulder Energy Conservation Code, which requires almost all new buildings to be electrically powered, illustrates the type of local rule the measure's supporters say conflicts with natural gas use. Conservation Colorado argues the amendment would use the constitution to block communities from holding the natural gas industry accountable.

Election results for Colorado Amendment 82 were published on November 4, 2026, following a November 3, 2026 vote.

Market Landscape

Amendment 82 would move natural gas access from a regulatory question into a constitutional guarantee, a step beyond local building codes such as Boulder's Energy Conservation Code. The measure places Colorado among the places where gas-versus-electric building rules are being contested directly at the ballot.

Natural gas distributors and utilities operating in Colorado should track whether the amendment passes, as it would establish constitutional protections for gas sales. Businesses planning new construction should monitor how the outcome interacts with local electrification requirements, and consult qualified counsel on compliance obligations.

The takeaway

Operators in gas distribution and construction should treat Amendment 82 as a signal that natural gas access and local electrification codes are now a constitutional-level fight in Colorado. Review your exposure to local building rules and consult qualified counsel before changing supply or construction plans.