Castle Rock Town Council passed Ordinance 2026-032 on second and final reading Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, prohibiting the retail sale of kratom products for human consumption anywhere in town. Council approved the measure on first reading Sept. 15, 2026, by a vote of 6 to 1.
What's Banned
The ordinance rewrites Section 9.22.010 of the Castle Rock Municipal Code. The adopted text reads:
"9.22.010 – Sales of kratom products prohibited. It is unlawful for any person to sell or offer to sell at retail within the Town any kratom products intended for human consumption."
That's a blanket retail ban, not an age restriction. The ordinance doesn't prohibit possessing or using kratom personally, only selling or offering to sell it at retail within town limits. The Municipal Code's companion definition, adopted as part of the same Title 9 update, defines a "kratom product" as any product or ingredient containing either a part of the leaf of the Mitragyna speciosa plant that contains the alkaloid mitragynine or 7-hydroxymitragynine, or a synthetic material containing either of those alkaloids.
The Prior Rule
Castle Rock has regulated kratom before. In 2019, Council adopted Ordinance 2019-011, which prohibited selling kratom products specifically to minors. That narrower rule, selling to adults remained legal, was the only kratom restriction on the books until the Oct. 6 vote replaced it with a full retail ban.
Why Council Passed It
The ordinance was brought forward at the request of Councilmember Brooks, not on a staff recommendation. Its recitals state that medical authorities and federal agencies now warn kratom products carry "significant health and safety risks," and that daily use "can cause standard opioid-like tolerance, physical dependence, and addiction within a few weeks." The ordinance also finds that Colorado law explicitly permits municipalities to regulate kratom sales, and that a home-rule ban on retail kratom sales isn't preempted by state law.
What Happens If Someone Breaks the Rule
Section 9.22.010 doesn't carry its own punishment, so a violation falls under the Town's general penalty for code offenses, Section 1.08.010. Before Oct. 6, that section capped violations at a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail.
A separate measure, Ordinance 2026-031, a broader rewrite of the Town's criminal code (Title 9) that also amends the general penalty section, was on the same Oct. 6 agenda for its own second and final reading. Its adopted text raises the cap for Title 9 offenses, including the kratom section, to a fine of not more than $2,650 or imprisonment of not more than 364 days, or both, language the ordinance says tracks the maximum a Colorado home-rule municipality may impose under state law following a Colorado Supreme Court ruling on municipal penalty limits.
Where This Stands
Council's second-reading vote on Ordinance 2026-032 is recorded in the Town's own legislative system as passed, with a final action date of Oct. 6, 2026. The breakdown of that final vote wasn't available at publication time because the Oct. 6 meeting's minutes remained in draft. The ordinance doesn't state a separate effective date; it takes effect under the Town's standard procedure for ordinances following second reading.
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Sources: Town of Castle Rock, Legistar legislative record for ORD 2026-032 (status, final action date, vote history); Ordinance No. 2026-032 as adopted; Town of Castle Rock, Legistar legislative record for ORD 2026-031 and its ordinance text (general penalty amendment, kratom product definition); Oct. 6, 2026 Town Council meeting agenda; Sept. 15, 2026 Town Council meeting agenda. All checked Oct. 7, 2026.