Governor of Colorado: Powers, Clemency, and Term Limits

The Governor of Colorado holds what Article IV of the state constitution calls “the supreme executive power of the state.” In practical terms, the powers of the Governor of Colorado include signing or vetoing legislation, striking individual items from budget bills, appointing officials to state positions, granting pardons and commutations for state crimes, commanding Colorado’s military forces, calling the legislature into special session, and issuing executive orders that direct how state agencies carry out the law.¹

Signing, Vetoing, and Line-Item Vetoing Bills

Every bill passed by the General Assembly goes to the governor. The governor can sign it into law or reject it. A vetoed bill returns to the chamber where it started, and the legislature can override the veto only if two-thirds of the elected members in each chamber vote to do so.¹

On appropriations bills, the governor has an additional tool. Section 12 grants a line-item veto, which lets the governor strike individual spending items from a budget bill while signing the rest. The same two-thirds override applies. Because that threshold is hard to reach, the line-item veto gives the governor real leverage over how state money is allocated.¹

Appointing and Removing Officials

Under Section 6 of Article IV, the governor nominates and, with Senate confirmation, appoints officials whose positions are established by the constitution or by statute but whose selection isn’t otherwise assigned. The governor can also remove those appointees for incompetence, neglect of duty, or misconduct. If a vacancy opens while the Senate is out of session, the governor makes a temporary appointment that lasts until the Senate reconvenes and votes on a permanent choice.¹

Granting Clemency

Section 7 gives the governor the power to grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons for state-level criminal offenses. Two categories are excluded: treason and cases of impeachment.²

This authority reaches only violations of Colorado law. A Colorado governor cannot pardon someone convicted of a federal crime; that power belongs exclusively to the President under Article II of the U.S. Constitution.

Commanding the State’s Military Forces

Section 5 makes the governor commander-in-chief of Colorado’s military forces, except when those forces have been called into active federal service. The governor can deploy troops to enforce state law, respond to natural disasters, or address civil unrest.¹

In practice, this means the Colorado National Guard. Guard members remain under the governor’s command when serving under state authority or under Title 32 federal-state status. Once activated under Title 10 for federal duty, command shifts entirely to the federal government.³

Calling Special Sessions

Section 9 lets the governor call the General Assembly into a special session by issuing a proclamation that states the purpose. Once convened, the legislature can act only on the business named in that proclamation. This matters most when an urgent issue arises outside the regular legislative calendar.

Issuing Executive Orders

The authority to issue executive orders flows from the general grant of executive power in Section 2 rather than from any dedicated constitutional provision. Colorado follows what legal scholars call the “weak governor” model: the governor can direct the internal operations of the executive branch and set out how agencies will carry out existing law, but cannot create new policy that reaches beyond state government to the general public.⁴

An executive order also cannot contradict or override anything the General Assembly has already enacted. If the legislature has weighed in on a subject, even partially, the governor’s order must stay within those boundaries.⁴

Limits on the Office

Term Length and Term Limits

The governor serves a four-year term beginning on the second Tuesday of January following the election. No individual may hold the office for more than two consecutive terms. That restriction took effect for terms beginning on or after January 1, 1991.¹

Two details in Section 1 shape how the cap works. Anyone who fills a vacancy and serves at least half of a term counts as having served a full term. And terms are considered consecutive unless separated by at least four years, so a former governor could return to office after sitting out that long.¹

Removal and Succession

The Colorado House of Representatives holds the sole power to impeach the governor, with a simple majority of all House members required. The Senate then conducts the trial, the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court presides, and conviction requires a two-thirds vote of all elected senators. The grounds are high crimes, misdemeanors, or malfeasance in office. Conviction results in removal and disqualification from any future state office of honor, trust, or profit, and does not shield the individual from separate criminal prosecution.⁵

If the governor dies, is impeached, is convicted of a felony, or resigns, the lieutenant governor takes the oath and becomes governor for the remainder of the term. The new governor then nominates a replacement lieutenant governor, who takes office after a majority confirmation vote in both chambers. Section 13 handles temporary situations separately: when the governor is absent from the state or is under a physical or mental disability, the lieutenant governor exercises the powers and duties of the office until the governor returns or recovers.¹

1
Justia. Colorado Constitution Article 4 – Executive Department
2
Colorado General Assembly. Commutations and Pardons
3
National Guard Bureau. National Guard Duty Statuses
4
Office of Legislative Legal Services. Scope of Governor’s Power to Issue Executive Orders
5
Justia. Colorado Constitution Article 13