You know the feeling. It’s a random Sunday in March, and suddenly your internal clock feels like it’s been shoved through a blender. You’re groggy. The kids are screaming. Even the dog looks confused why breakfast is an hour late. For years, we’ve been hearing that Colorado daylight saving time was on the chopping block, yet here we are, still "springing forward" and "falling back" like it’s 1918.
It’s exhausting.
Honestly, most people in Denver or Grand Junction just want to pick a time and stay there. But the reality is a tangled web of federal law, interstate commerce, and a very specific piece of legislation signed by Governor Jared Polis that comes with a massive "if."
The Law That’s Currently Doing Nothing
In 2022, Colorado passed a law that was supposed to fix this. It’s called Senate Bill 22-012. It basically says that Colorado will stay on Permanent Mountain Daylight Time forever. No more switching. No more dark afternoons in December.
But there’s a catch. Actually, two catches.
First, the federal government has to pull its head out of the sand. Under the Uniform Time Act of 1966, states can opt out of Daylight Saving Time (DST) and stay on Standard Time—like Arizona and Hawaii do—but they are technically not allowed to stay on Daylight Saving Time year-round. To do that, Congress has to pass something like the Sunshine Protection Act. Until they do, Colorado’s law is basically just a fancy piece of paper sitting in a drawer in the State Capitol.
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The second catch is about our neighbors. Colorado isn’t an island. Our law says we’ll only make the jump to permanent Colorado daylight saving time if at least four other states in the Mountain Time Zone also pass similar laws. This is about keeping the regional economy from collapsing into a chaotic mess of time-zone-hopping. Imagine trying to catch a flight from DIA to Salt Lake City or scheduling a Zoom call with someone in Cheyenne if everyone is on a different clock.
Why We Hate the Switch (and Why We Love the Light)
The medical community is pretty much over it. Dr. Karin Johnson and other sleep experts have frequently pointed out that the biannual shift wreaks havoc on our circadian rhythms. When we lose that hour in March, heart attack rates spike. Stroke risks go up. Car accidents on I-25 get more frequent because everyone is driving while sleep-deprived.
It’s a health hazard. Plain and simple.
But then there's the "lifestyle" side of the coin. Coloradans love the outdoors. If we stayed on Standard Time all year, the sun would rise at 4:30 in the morning in June. Most of us are still asleep then. By moving that hour of light to the evening—which is what Colorado daylight saving time does—we get to hike, bike, or sit on a brewery patio until 8:30 or 9:00 PM.
That extra evening light is worth millions to the tourism and recreation industry. Golf courses love it. Youth sports leagues love it. It’s hard to coach a Little League game when the sun goes down at 5:00 PM.
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The Winter Morning Problem
There is a dark side to permanent DST, literally. If we stay on Colorado daylight saving time during the winter, the sun wouldn't rise in Denver until nearly 8:30 AM in late December. In some mountainous areas, you’re looking at nearly 9:00 AM before the sun peaks over the horizon.
This is the main sticking point for skeptics. Think about elementary school kids standing at bus stops in pitch-black darkness. Think about the morning commute on icy roads before the sun has had a chance to melt any of the overnight frost.
We actually tried this once. In 1974, the U.S. went to year-round DST to save energy during the oil crisis. It was a disaster. People hated the dark mornings so much that the experiment was killed after just one winter.
The Economic Domino Effect
Business owners are divided. In a state like Colorado, where the "mountain lifestyle" is our primary export, the extra hour of light is a massive economic driver. When people have light after work, they spend money. They go to the park. They buy gear.
However, the airline industry and the financial sector crave consistency. If Colorado moved to permanent DST while New York and London kept switching, the math for global markets becomes a headache. This is why the "four-state" trigger in the Colorado law is so important. We need Montana, Utah, Wyoming, or New Mexico to be in sync with us.
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As of now, several of these states have expressed interest or passed their own versions of "wait and see" legislation. But without federal approval, everyone is just standing around waiting for someone else to move first.
Breaking Down the Myths
- Farmers started it: Nope. Farmers actually hated it because it messed up their milking schedules and when they could get crops to market.
- It saves tons of energy: Not really. While we use fewer lights in the evening, we use more air conditioning in the summer and more heat in the dark winter mornings. It’s mostly a wash.
- It’s for the kids: See the 1974 experiment. Most parents actually prefer the morning light for safety.
What Happens Next?
Don't go throwing away your clocks just yet. For the foreseeable future, you are still going to be hunting for that tiny button on your microwave twice a year.
The path forward requires a breakthrough in Washington D.C. The Sunshine Protection Act has seen flashes of life in the Senate, but it often stalls in the House. There are also growing whispers from sleep scientists who argue we should actually stay on Standard Time forever—not Daylight Saving Time. They argue that Standard Time is much closer to the natural human "sun clock."
But try telling a Colorado hiker they have to give up their 8:00 PM sunset. That’s a tough sell.
Actionable Steps for the Next Time Switch
Since we are stuck with the status quo for now, you might as well mitigate the damage. Here is how to handle the shift without losing your mind:
- Phase it in: Start moving your bedtime by 15 minutes each night for four days leading up to the "Spring Forward" in March. It sounds tedious. It works.
- Seek the sun: The moment you wake up on that first Monday after the switch, get outside. Natural light is the only thing that resets your internal "master clock" (the suprachiasmatic nucleus, if you want to be nerdy about it).
- Audit your tech: Most of your devices will update automatically, but check your oven, car, and any analog watches the night before. There is nothing worse than being an hour late for a Sunday brunch because your coffee maker lied to you.
- Watch the roads: Be extra cautious on the Monday and Tuesday following the spring shift. Everyone else is tired, and reaction times are legitimately slower.
We are currently in a holding pattern. Colorado has signaled its intent, the Governor has signed the bill, and the public is largely on board with ending the "time-travel" madness. Now, we wait on Congress and our neighbors to decide if 2026 or 2027 will finally be the year we stop touching our clocks.