1. What is the earliest possible effective date for a tracking number, and how can I calculate the rulemaking timeline for a desired effective date?

We strongly recommend using our rulemaking calculators alongside the publishing calendar to help you determine your filing deadlines and desired effective date.

Submission into the Colorado Register depends on whether the filing documents are approved for accessibility by our office. Our office will review documents for accessibility within 3 business days of submission. Rejected documents must be resubmitted at least 5 days before your intended publication date in the Colorado Register. Resubmitted documents are reviewed for accessibility within 3 business days of the resubmission.

Rulemaking calculators: The calculator is a downloadable Excel sheet that allows you to plug in dates.

Permanent rulemaking calculator (XLSX)

Emergency rulemaking calculator (XLSX)

Publishing calendar: The publishing calendar outlines key filing deadlines and publication dates.

Publishing calendar

In the publishing calendar, the ‘Filing period’ refers to when the actual filing is submitted with the Secretary of State’s Office (SOS) and the Office of Legislative Legal Services (OLLS), not the date the Attorney General Opinion (AGO) is received.

The SOS accepts filings by the 15th and last day of each month. Submission into the Colorado Register depends on whether the filing documents are approved for accessibility by our office. Our office will review documents for accessibility within 3 business days of submission. Submissions will be rejected and require resubmission if they are not accessible initially.

These filing periods are critical for determining when your rule can be published and, ultimately, when it can become effective.

2. How do timelines work for non-rulemaking public notices?

Non-rulemaking public notices do not follow standard rulemaking timelines. These notices can be submitted up to three business days before a Colorado Register publication date of the 10th and 25th of each month to allow for our office to review the documents for accessibility.

When filing a non-rulemaking notice, the e-filing system includes a field that allows you to select the Register issue in which you want the notice to be published.

3. I requested an AG opinion. Can I cancel or put it on hold?

Once an Attorney General Opinion (AGO) request is submitted through the e-filing system, it is automatically entered into the AG’s queue and cannot be withdrawn from the system.

If you need to pause or delay the process:

• Contact your assigned AG representative to let them know the matter is on hold.
• You may resubmit the AG opinion request (Step 2) as many times as needed before the AG issues their opinion.
• Each time you resubmit, the AG’s office will receive a new email notification.

This flexibility allows you to make necessary updates or adjustments before the AG finalizes their review.