CHSAA Preparticipation Physical Form: Pages, Costs, and Submission

To play a sport at a Colorado high school, your athlete needs a completed CHSAA Preparticipation Physical Form on file with the principal or athletic director before the first practice of the season. The form runs four pages: the student and a parent fill out the first two at home, and a licensed provider completes the exam and signs the clearance page. One physical covers every sport your athlete plays within 365 calendar days of the provider’s signature.¹²

Download the Current Version

Get the form from the CHSAA Sports Medicine page at chsaanow.com, or ask your school’s athletic department for a printed copy.³ CHSAA updates the form periodically, so a copy left over from a previous season may be missing questions and get rejected. Pull a fresh download each time.

What Each Page Covers

Page 1: History Form

The student and a parent or guardian complete this page together, and both must sign it.⁴ After the basic demographics, it moves into a yes-or-no medical questionnaire covering surgeries, hospitalizations, current medications and dosages, allergies, and chronic conditions like asthma or diabetes.

The cardiac sections take the most care. Personal heart questions ask whether the student has ever passed out or nearly passed out during exercise, had chest pain or tightness, felt their heart race or skip, or been told by a doctor that they have a heart problem or need an ECG or echocardiogram. The family history section asks whether any relative died unexpectedly of a heart problem before age 35, whether any inherited heart condition runs in the family (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Marfan syndrome, long QT syndrome, and others listed on the form), and whether any relative under 35 received a pacemaker or implanted defibrillator.¹

Every “yes” answer needs a written explanation in the space provided. Blanks and unexplained positives are among the top reasons schools send forms back.

Page 2: Supplemental History Form

This page documents medical needs for athletes with physical or cognitive disabilities that may affect participation or require accommodations.³ If it doesn’t apply to your student, ask your athletic director whether to submit it blank or marked not applicable; practice varies by school.

Page 3: Physical Examination Form

The provider fills this out during the exam. It records height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and vision, along with findings from the heart, lung, abdominal, and musculoskeletal checks. Joint range of motion and stability get screened in the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles. Any abnormal finding is noted here and may trigger a referral.

Page 4: Medical Eligibility Form

This is the page the school ultimately needs signed. After the exam, the provider marks one of four clearance levels:⁵

Medically eligible for all sports without restriction.
Medically eligible for all sports with recommendations for follow-up on a specific condition.
Medically eligible for certain sports only, with the permitted sports listed.
Not medically eligible for any sports until the underlying issue is resolved.

The provider’s signature and date on this page start the 365-day validity clock. The form also notes that any new injury or medical condition after the clearance date should be evaluated before the student returns to activity.⁵

Who Can Sign the Exam

CHSAA accepts signatures from the following providers, as long as they hold a Colorado license:²

Medical Doctor (MD)
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
Chiropractor with school physical certification (DC, SPC)
Nurse Practitioner (NP)
Physician Assistant (PA)

A form signed by any other type of provider, or by a provider licensed only in another state, will not be accepted. If you plan to use an urgent care or retail clinic, call ahead and confirm the provider on duty has one of these credentials and a Colorado license.

Preparing for the Appointment

Bring the completed History Form (and Supplemental Form if it applies) with you. The provider uses the answers to focus the clinical evaluation, so a filled-out form saves appointment time and gives a fuller picture than trying to recall details in the exam room.

Also bring:

Current medications in their bottles, or a written list with exact names and dosages.
Eyeglasses or contacts, if the student wears them, for the vision screening.
Previous medical records, specialist reports, or prior clearance forms if relevant.
Your insurance card, even if you plan to pay out of pocket.

What It Costs

A standalone sports physical typically runs $50 to $150 without insurance. With insurance, expect a copay of roughly $20 to $50, depending on your plan. Many families combine the sports physical with the annual well-child visit at the pediatrician, because the Affordable Care Act requires most health plans to cover preventive care for children at no cost when it’s provided in-network.⁶ A standalone physical at an urgent care or walk-in clinic isn’t guaranteed to count as preventive care, so check with your insurer first.

Some Colorado districts and community organizations host low-cost or free sports physical events in the summer, often staffed by volunteer physicians. The athletic department or the school’s website is the place to find out about those.

Submitting the Form

CHSAA Bylaw 1780.1 requires the signed evaluation on file with the principal or athletic director before the student’s first practice.¹ There is no grace period. A student without a form on file cannot practice or compete. Submit well ahead of the first day so a processing delay doesn’t cost your athlete a week of the season.

Many Colorado schools use digital registration platforms like PlanetHS or BigTeams. If yours does, scan all four pages into a single legible PDF or take clear photos, and confirm the provider’s signature block is readable before uploading. Blurry or cropped scans are a common reason for rejection. Some schools still take or require hard copies at the athletic director’s office. Either way, keep a personal copy. If a system loses the file mid-season, a backup saves a trip back to the clinic.

Most schools confirm clearance through the registration platform or by email once the form is processed. If you haven’t heard anything within a few days, follow up with the athletic director rather than assuming it went through.

Mistakes That Delay Clearance

The same errors come up every season:

The parent signature is missing from the History Form. Both the student and parent or guardian have to sign.⁴
The family used an outdated version of the form.
The physical has expired. The 365-day clock runs from the provider’s signature date, not the submission date.¹
Yes answers lack an explanation, or questions were left blank.
The signing provider isn’t on CHSAA’s approved list or isn’t Colorado-licensed.²
The uploaded scan is illegible or cuts off the signature block.

If Your Athlete Isn’t Fully Cleared

Partial clearance doesn’t automatically end the season. When a provider marks “medically eligible for certain sports only,” they list which sports the student can play; an athlete with a knee condition might be cleared for swimming but not football. “Medically eligible with recommendations” means the student can play but should follow up with a specialist for a noted condition.⁵

If the provider marks “not medically eligible for any sports,” the student has to address the underlying issue and obtain a new clearance before participating. Ask the provider what the next steps are (additional testing, treatment, or a follow-up visit) and how long the process is likely to take. Once the issue is resolved, submit a new PPE form with updated clearance to replace the original.

1
Memorial Regional Health. CHSAA Preparticipation Physical Evaluation Form
2
Sportngin. CHSAA Eligibility Rules and Bylaws
3
Colorado High School Activities Association. CHSAA Sports Medicine
4
DSST Public Schools. Physical Examination and Parent Permit for Athletic Participation
5
Colorado High School Activities Association. CHSAA Preparticipation Physical Evaluation Form 2025
6
HealthCare.gov. Preventive Health Services