Colorado’s concealed carry laws let any resident who is at least 21, can legally own a firearm, and completes an approved training course within the past year apply for a concealed handgun permit at their county sheriff’s office. Colorado is a shall-issue state, so the sheriff must grant the permit if you meet the statutory criteria, though limited discretion exists to deny applicants whose documented behavior suggests they would be a danger.1Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-203 – Criteria for Obtaining a Permit The permit is good for five years, costs between $52.50 and $152.50 depending on your county, and authorizes you to carry a concealed handgun throughout the state with important exceptions covered below.
Who Qualifies for a Permit
You must be at least 21 and a legal resident of Colorado. Active-duty military members stationed in the state and their immediate family also count as residents for permit purposes.1Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-203 – Criteria for Obtaining a Permit
You will be disqualified if you cannot legally possess a firearm under state or federal law, are subject to a protection order (including a temporary order or an extreme risk protection order), chronically and habitually use alcohol to the point of impairment, or unlawfully use or are addicted to a controlled substance. A recovering alcoholic who has been sober for at least three years and submits an affidavit from a licensed addiction counselor may still qualify. Fingerprints run through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI confirm these criteria.1Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-203 – Criteria for Obtaining a Permit
Even if you clear every criterion, the sheriff can deny you based on a reasonable belief that your past behavior makes you likely to be a danger. If the denial rests on that discretionary ground rather than the standard criteria, the sheriff carries a heavier burden to defend the decision on appeal.
The Training Rule Just Changed
Colorado has always required applicants to show competence with a handgun, but the window for how recently you had to prove it shrank sharply in 2025. Under HB24-1174, which took effect July 1, 2025, your training certificate must be dated within one year before you apply.2Colorado General Assembly. HB24-1174 Concealed Carry Permits and Training The old ten-year window is gone. The same law set minimum curriculum standards for approved courses.
So if you took a class two years ago intending to apply “eventually,” you need to take it again. Keep the certificate, because you will hand it to the sheriff with the rest of your application. Current active-duty service members and honorably discharged veterans can use their service documentation to meet the competency requirement instead.
How to Apply and What It Costs
Applications are in person only, at the sheriff’s office in the county where you live, maintain a secondary residence, or own or lease property for a business. You will sign the application under oath, provide fingerprints, and bring your training certificate and a valid Colorado driver’s license or state ID.3Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-205 – Sheriff – Permit Application – Fees – Verification
The form asks for your full name, date of birth, prior names, and every residential address for the past ten years. Lying on it is perjury and permanently disqualifies you from holding a permit.3Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-205 – Sheriff – Permit Application – Fees – Verification
Two fees apply. The state charges $52.50 for fingerprint processing and the CBI/FBI background check, payable by cashier’s check or money order.4Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) The sheriff’s administrative fee is capped at $100 and varies by county, so call ahead.3Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-205 – Sheriff – Permit Application – Fees – Verification Neither fee is refundable if you are denied.
Once your completed application, prints, and payment are in, the sheriff has 90 days to approve or deny.5Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-206 – Sheriff – Issuance or Denial of Permits A denial comes with written reasons.
Where You Cannot Carry, Even With a Permit
Your permit authorizes concealed carry statewide, but several categories of locations are off-limits. The penalties range from a $50 civil fine to a class 1 misdemeanor, so these matter.
Schools
Concealed carry is prohibited inside public elementary, middle, and high schools. You may keep a handgun in your vehicle on school property if it stays in the vehicle and is properly stored when the vehicle is unattended.6Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-214 – Authority Granted by Permit – Carrying Restrictions – Local Authority
Government Buildings and Courthouses
SB24-131, in effect since July 1, 2024, prohibits both open and concealed carry in state legislative buildings, local government buildings where elected officials or governing bodies meet, and courthouses or other buildings used for court proceedings. A violation is a class 1 misdemeanor.7Colorado General Assembly. SB24-131 Prohibiting Carrying Firearms in Sensitive Spaces Adjacent parking areas are not covered, and a local government may opt to allow carry in its own buildings. Federal property, including post offices and federal courthouses, is separately off-limits under federal law.
Public College and University Campuses
That same 2024 law extended the prohibition to public college and university buildings. Permit holders can still carry in campus parking areas but not inside campus buildings. Some universities add their own restrictions in residence halls and dining facilities as a condition of living on campus.7Colorado General Assembly. SB24-131 Prohibiting Carrying Firearms in Sensitive Spaces
Private Property and Local Ordinances
Private property owners can prohibit firearms on their premises, usually through posted signs. Local governments can pass ordinances restricting concealed carry, but those ordinances can carry only a civil penalty. The maximum fine for a first violation is $50, with no jail time. If you are asked to leave, refusing can escalate to criminal charges.6Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-214 – Authority Granted by Permit – Carrying Restrictions – Local Authority
Public Transit
Denver’s RTD allows permit holders to carry on its buses and light rail. Passengers without a permit may transport a firearm on RTD only if it is unloaded and in a container that completely conceals it from view.
Handguns in Your Vehicle Without a Permit
You do not need a permit to keep a handgun concealed in your private vehicle. Colorado allows anyone who can legally possess a firearm to carry a concealed handgun in a car for lawful protection while traveling.8Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-105 – Unlawfully Carrying a Concealed Weapon This is one of the broader vehicle exceptions in the country.
Long guns are different. Any firearm other than a handgun must have an unloaded chamber while in or on a motor vehicle. If you leave a handgun unattended in a vehicle, it must sit in a locked, hard-sided container, out of plain view, inside a locked vehicle or trunk. The storage rule applies whether you have a permit or not.
Alcohol, Drugs, and Firearms
Possessing a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance is a class 1 misdemeanor, and the statute explicitly says your concealed carry permit is not a defense.9Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-106 – Prohibited Use of Weapons Unlike DUI law, there is no specific blood alcohol threshold. Courts treat it as a factual question about whether you were under the influence. If you plan to drink at all, leave the gun at home.
Using a Firearm at Home: The Make My Day Law
Colorado’s Make My Day statute gives occupants broad protection for using force against an intruder in their home. You are justified in using any degree of physical force, including deadly force, against someone who has made an unlawful entry into your dwelling if you reasonably believe the intruder has committed, is committing, or intends to commit a crime beyond the entry itself, and you reasonably believe the intruder might use any physical force against an occupant.10Justia. Colorado Code 18-1-704.5 – Use of Deadly Physical Force Against an Intruder
All three conditions must be present. When they are, you are immune from both criminal prosecution and civil liability. The protection applies to a dwelling, which does not include a place of habitation inside a detention facility. Outside the home, Colorado’s general self-defense statute allows physical force when you reasonably believe it is necessary, but the protection is narrower than the castle doctrine.
Out-of-State Permits and Traveling With a Colorado Permit
Colorado recognizes concealed carry permits from states that recognize Colorado’s. The visitor must be at least 21 and a resident of the issuing state, shown by a photo ID from that state.11Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-213 – Reciprocity Non-resident permits from other states are not honored. A new Colorado resident who has held a Colorado ID for 90 days or less can still use a valid out-of-state permit during that window.
While you are in Colorado, every carry restriction described above applies to you, regardless of what your home state allows. Reciprocity agreements shift over time; the Colorado Department of Public Safety publishes a current list of recognized states, and that is the one to check before any trip in either direction.
Keeping Your Permit Valid
Your permit is good for five years from the date of issuance. Renewal goes through the sheriff’s office that issued the original. The CBI renewal fee is $13, plus whatever administrative fee your sheriff charges.4Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Carrying on an expired permit is carrying without a permit, so do not let it lapse.
If you move within Colorado, you are required to file an address change with the sheriff who holds your permit. If your permit is lost or stolen, contact the issuing sheriff for a replacement. If you move out of Colorado, the permit becomes void and you will need to start over in your new state.
If Your Permit Is Denied, Suspended, or Revoked
You have the right to judicial review of a denial, non-renewal, suspension, or revocation. You can file directly in court or first ask the sheriff for a second review.12Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-207 – Judicial Review The sheriff carries the burden of proof, and the standard is higher when the denial rests on the discretionary “danger” ground than when it rests on the standard criteria. The court can award attorney fees to the prevailing side, so weak cases on either end are costly.