Can You Carry a Gun in Colorado? Rules and Restrictions

Carrying a gun in Colorado is legal for most adults, but the rules change depending on how you carry and where you go. Open carry is allowed statewide at 18 unless a city or county has banned it. Concealed carry on your person requires a permit from your county sheriff, available to residents 21 and older who complete a handgun training course. A loaded handgun in your own vehicle needs no permit at all. Several locations are off-limits even with a permit, and recent legislation has added a three-day waiting period, a minimum purchase age of 21, and a ban on certain semiautomatic firearms starting in August 2026.

Open Carry

No permit is needed to carry a firearm openly in Colorado. If you are at least 18 and legally allowed to possess a firearm, you can openly carry in most of the state.¹

Local governments have explicit authority to prohibit open carry in their jurisdictions or in specific buildings and areas.² Denver has banned open carry since 1973, and that ban survived a court challenge after a 2003 state preemption law. Other cities and counties have their own rules, and they change. Before openly carrying anywhere in Colorado, check the local municipal code. Violating a local ordinance can mean weapon seizure, citations, and misdemeanor penalties.

Carrying a Firearm in Your Vehicle

You do not need a concealed handgun permit to keep a loaded handgun in your own vehicle. A handgun in a private automobile for a lawful purpose like self-defense is not treated as a concealed weapon under Colorado law. It can sit in the glove box, the center console, or anywhere else in the car.

Long guns are handled differently. A rifle or shotgun in your vehicle must have an unloaded chamber. A muzzleloader counts as unloaded only if it is not primed. Violating this rule is a misdemeanor with a $100 fine and 15 license suspension points.

Concealed Carry Permit Requirements

Carrying a concealed handgun on your person outside a vehicle requires a Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP). To qualify you must be a legal Colorado resident and at least 21.³ Active-duty military stationed in Colorado on permanent orders, along with their immediate family living in the state, count as residents for permit purposes.

You also need to complete a handgun training course within the ten years before you apply. The certificate must carry the instructor’s original signature, and the course must cover handgun competency and the legal use of force.³ Training typically runs $50 to $250 depending on the provider.

Carrying concealed without a permit is a class 1 misdemeanor on a first offense, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. A second offense within five years becomes a class 5 felony carrying one to three years in prison.⁴

How to Apply for a Permit

Apply through the sheriff’s office in the county where you live, where you own or lease business property, or where you hold a secondary residence. The application must be signed in person. Bring your training certificate, proof of residency, and a valid photo ID.

Staff will fingerprint you for a background check through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. Fees vary by county, with a CBI processing fee of around $52.50 plus a county administrative charge. Total costs generally fall between $100 and $175, though some counties charge more.⁵

The sheriff has 90 days from receipt of a complete application to approve or deny.⁶ A denial must come with written reasons and instructions for seeking review or judicial appeal. Once issued, the permit is valid for five years before renewal.

Where You Cannot Carry

Even with a valid permit, state and federal law bar firearms from several categories of locations. Some violations are felonies.

Schools, Colleges, and Child Care Centers

Carrying a firearm on the grounds of any public or private school, college, university, or licensed child care center is a class 6 felony. The ban covers the property and all buildings on it, with narrow exceptions for authorized demonstrations, employees whose duties require a firearm, and school-sanctioned activities.⁷

Government Buildings and Courthouses

Firearms are prohibited in buildings housing the state legislature’s chambers, offices, or hearing rooms, in local government chambers and the offices of elected officials, and in courthouses or buildings used for court proceedings. Violation is a class 1 misdemeanor. A firearm may be left securely stored in a vehicle parked at these locations.⁸

A permit also does not authorize carry in any public building that has permanent security screening and armed personnel at every entrance. If everyone entering is checked and required to leave weapons with personnel, the permit does not override that process.⁹

Federal Facilities

Federal law makes it a crime to knowingly bring a firearm into any federal facility, meaning a building owned or leased by the federal government where employees regularly work. Post offices, VA hospitals, federal courthouses, and Social Security offices are all covered. A basic violation carries up to one year in federal prison; bringing a firearm with intent to use it during a crime raises the maximum to five years.¹⁰

National Parks and Private Property

National parks and wildlife refuges in Colorado generally follow state carry laws, so outdoor areas work the same as elsewhere in the state. Park buildings like visitor centers, ranger stations, and fee collection offices remain federal facilities and are off-limits.

Private property owners can prohibit firearms on their premises through posted signs or direct notice. Ignoring that prohibition can mean trespassing charges.

Who Cannot Carry at All

Some people are barred from possessing a firearm regardless of location. Anyone convicted of a felony cannot possess a firearm. Violation is a class 5 felony with one to three years in prison, and if the person used or threatened to use the firearm during another crime, probation is unavailable and prison is mandatory.¹¹

Federal law adds other prohibited categories, including people subject to a restraining order protecting an intimate partner or their child, people convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, fugitives from justice, and unlawful users of or those addicted to a controlled substance.¹² These categories are checked during permit background investigations and at the point of sale. Lying on either application can bring separate criminal charges.

Out-of-State Permits and Travel

Colorado recognizes concealed carry permits from 34 states, but only under strict conditions. The permit holder must be a resident of the issuing state, must carry a matching driver’s license or state ID, must be at least 21, and must have a valid permit. Colorado does not honor any nonresident permits; the state of residency and the state of issuance must match.¹³

States with reciprocity include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Colorado does not have reciprocity with California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, or Washington D.C.¹³ These agreements change, so verify the current list before traveling.

Flying With a Firearm

Flying out of a Colorado airport with a firearm means packing it unloaded in a locked, hard-sided container and placing it in checked baggage only. You must declare the firearm to the airline at the ticket counter every time. The container must fully prevent access to the firearm; a flimsy case that pops open will be rejected.¹⁴

TSA treats a firearm as loaded when a live round is in the chamber, cylinder, or an inserted magazine, and also when the gun and loose ammunition are both accessible to the passenger. Pack ammunition separately or in its original packaging. Airlines may add their own restrictions and fees. On arrival, the destination state’s carry laws apply immediately, and a Colorado permit may not be recognized there.

Recent Changes to Colorado Firearms Law

Several laws since 2023 have changed what you can buy and when.

Three-Day Waiting Period

Since October 2023, a seller cannot deliver a purchased firearm until at least three days after a background check has been initiated, or until the background check comes back approved, whichever is later. Antique firearms and curios are exempt, as are transfers to family members of military personnel about to deploy.¹⁵

Minimum Purchase Age of 21

Colorado raised the minimum age to purchase any firearm to 21, effective August 2023. The rifle-purchase portion was still facing a court challenge as of early 2025.¹⁵ The minimum age to possess a firearm, and the minimum age for open carry, remain 18.

Semiautomatic Firearms Restriction

Signed in April 2025, SB25-003 prohibits the sale, transfer, and purchase of certain semiautomatic firearms starting August 1, 2026. The law covers semiautomatic rifles and shotguns with detachable magazines, and gas-operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines. Certain models and types are excluded. A first offense is a class 2 misdemeanor; a second or subsequent offense is a class 6 felony. The law also classifies rapid-fire devices as dangerous weapons and raises penalties for unlawful large-capacity magazine possession to a class 1 misdemeanor.¹⁶

Large-Capacity Magazine Ban

Since 2013, Colorado has prohibited selling, transferring, or possessing magazines holding more than 15 rounds. A first offense is a class 2 misdemeanor, a second is a class 1 misdemeanor, and possession during the commission of a felony or violent crime is a class 6 felony.¹⁷

1
Department of Public Safety. Colorado Gun Laws
2
Justia. Colorado Code 29-11.7-104 – Regulation – Carrying – Posting
3
FindLaw. Colorado Code 18-12-203 – Criteria for Obtaining a Permit
4
Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-105 – Unlawfully Carrying a Concealed Weapon
5
Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Concealed Handgun Permit Information Packet
6
Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-206 – Sheriff – Issuance or Denial of Permits
7
FindLaw. Colorado Code 18-12-105.5 – Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon – School, College, or University Grounds
8
Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-105.3 – Unlawfully Carrying a Firearm in a Government Building
9
Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-214 – Authority Granted by Permit – Carrying Restrictions – Local Authority
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
11
FindLaw. Colorado Code 18-12-108 – Possession of Weapons by Previous Offenders
12
Colorado Bureau of Investigation. State and Federal Firearm Prohibitors
13
Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit Reciprocity
14
Transportation Security Administration. Transporting Firearms and Ammunition
15
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Obtaining, Possessing and Selling Firearms
16
Colorado General Assembly. SB25-003 Semiautomatic Firearms and Rapid-Fire Devices
17
Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-302 – Large-Capacity Magazines Prohibited