An increase on the fee assessed on the sale of architectural coatings (e.g., house paint, stain, and varnish) in the Colorado PaintCare program has been approved by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

The approved fee increase will take effect April 1, 2026.

Since starting in 2015, the Colorado PaintCare program has processed more than seven million gallons of leftover paint for recycling or safe disposal. During this time, paint collection volumes have been consistently high, while paint management costs have increased and paint sales have slowed, resulting in the need for a fee increase in Colorado to ensure the program can be sustained into the future.

For more information, please see PaintCare’s amendment to the program plan which presents the financial position of the program and addresses the fee structure change. The Fee Change Amendment can be found here.