Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed legislation on June 5, 2026, creating a new business structure called an Artist Company, or A-Corp [1, 2].

This legal shift allows creatives to maintain authority over their intellectual property and artistic direction while benefiting from the liability protections of a corporation. By establishing a specialized limited liability company (LLC) framework, the state aims to prevent the loss of creative autonomy that often occurs when artists enter traditional corporate partnerships.

The new structure was established through Senate Bill 133 [2]. The legislation specifically targets the unique needs of the creative sector, providing a mechanism for artists to protect their creative rights within a formal business entity [1, 3].

Under the A-Corp model, artists can organize their professional activities without sacrificing the control of their work to outside investors or corporate managers. This structure is designed to ensure that the person creating the art retains the final say in how that work is utilized, and distributed [1, 3].

Colorado is among the first jurisdictions to implement such a specific corporate classification for the arts. The move reflects a growing trend in the U.S. to modernize business laws to fit the gig economy and the specific requirements of intellectual property owners [1, 2].

Governor Polis signed the bill into law last week to provide these protections immediately [1, 2]. The A-Corp structure is now available for artists and creatives across the state to utilize when registering their businesses.

“Colorado created a new type of limited liability company called an Artist Company or A‑Corp.”

The creation of the A-Corp signals a shift in how state governments view intellectual property as a business asset. By decoupling corporate liability from the traditional requirement of yielding control to a board or majority shareholders, Colorado is creating a legal precedent that could be mirrored by other states seeking to attract and retain a creative class in a competitive digital economy.