Colorado gun laws set 21 as the minimum age to buy any firearm, require a background check and a three-day waiting period on every transfer, mandate a state-issued permit for concealed carry, and let cities and counties impose rules stricter than the state’s. The framework has shifted substantially since 2013, and because local ordinances now vary from one municipality to the next, staying legal takes more attention to jurisdictional detail here than in most states.
Who Can Legally Own a Firearm
You must be at least 21 to purchase any firearm in Colorado. Senate Bill 23-169 raised the threshold in 2023 from the previous minimum of 18 for long guns. The law targets purchases, so people under 21 can still receive a firearm as a gift or through inheritance, and active-duty military members and peace officers are exempt from the age restriction. Selling a firearm to someone under 21 outside those exceptions is a Class 2 misdemeanor, and the underage buyer loses the right to possess any firearm for two years after conviction.1Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-112 – Illegal Purchase or Sale of Firearms
Beyond age, Colorado bars several categories of people from possessing firearms. The state goes further than federal prohibitions on convicted felons and domestic violence offenders to also include people under arrest for certain crimes, specific juvenile offenders, and anyone convicted of a violent misdemeanor within the previous five years.
Colorado also has an Extreme Risk Protection Order system, sometimes called a red flag law, created by House Bill 19-1177.2Colorado General Assembly. HB19-1177 Extreme Risk Protection Orders A family member, household member, or law enforcement officer can petition a court to temporarily remove someone’s firearms if that person poses a significant risk of harm to themselves or others. If a judge grants the petition, the person must immediately turn over all firearms and any concealed carry permit.3Colorado Judicial Branch. Colorado House Bill 19-1177 – Concerning Creation of an Extreme Risk Protection Order The order is temporary but can be extended after a full hearing.
Background Checks and the Waiting Period
Every firearm transfer in Colorado runs through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s InstaCheck system.4Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Firearms That includes purchases at licensed dealers and private sales alike; private sellers must route the transaction through a licensed dealer to complete the check. As of March 2025, the background check fee is $15.5Colorado Bureau of Investigation. InstaCheck
Even after the check clears, you cannot walk out with the firearm the same day. House Bill 23-1219 created a three-day waiting period: the dealer cannot deliver until at least three days after initiating the background check or until the check comes back approved, whichever is later. Narrow exceptions apply to antique firearms, relics, and active military members scheduled for deployment within 30 days. A dealer who delivers early faces a civil infraction with a $500 fine for a first offense and up to $5,000 for repeat violations.6Colorado General Assembly. HB23-1219 Waiting Period to Deliver a Firearm
Concealed Carry Permits
Carrying a concealed handgun requires a Concealed Handgun Permit. You apply through the sheriff in the county where you live. The CBI runs fingerprint-based and name-based background checks on the sheriff’s behalf, and the sheriff makes the final decision.7Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) To qualify you must be at least 21, a legal Colorado resident, and free of disqualifying criminal history or mental health adjudication.
Training
House Bill 24-1174, effective July 1, 2025, sharply raised the training bar.8Colorado General Assembly. HB24-1174 Concealed Carry Permits and Training The initial course must be at least eight hours of in-person instruction covering safe handling, storage, state and federal law, deadly force decision-making, and how to interact safely with responding law enforcement. You must pass both a live-fire exercise and a written exam to receive the training certificate. Renewals require a two-hour in-person refresher that also includes updated legal instruction, live fire, and a written exam. Instructors must be verified by the county sheriff where they primarily train and must hold a valid concealed carry permit and a recognized firearms instructor certification.
Fees and Renewal
The CBI charges $52.50 for the background check portion of a new application.7Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Your county sheriff adds an administrative fee that varies by county; most applicants pay roughly $100 to $150 total. Permits are valid for five years.
You can start the renewal up to 120 days before your permit expires. If it lapses, there’s a six-month grace period to renew late with a $15 surcharge on top of the standard cost. After six months the permit is dead and you start over. The CBI’s renewal background check fee is $13.7Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP)
Out-of-State Permits
Colorado recognizes concealed carry permits from roughly 34 other states, but only under specific conditions.9Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Reciprocity The permit holder must be a resident of the state that issued the permit, must carry matching government-issued ID proving residency, and must be at least 21. Colorado does not honor non-resident permits from any state, and Colorado residents cannot carry on another state’s permit; a Colorado CHP is required. Several states have no reciprocity agreement with Colorado, including California, Illinois, New York, Oregon, and Washington.
Open Carry and Local Ordinances
State law allows open carry without a permit, but this is where local variation causes the most trouble. Senate Bill 21-256 ended state preemption of local firearms regulation, meaning cities and counties can restrict or ban open carry within their borders.10Colorado General Assembly. SB21-256 Local Regulation of Firearms Denver, Boulder, and a growing number of municipalities have done exactly that. Local governments that ban open carry in specific areas must post signs.
The practical effect: a gun carried openly and legally in unincorporated county land might violate a city ordinance a few miles away. No centralized database of local ordinances exists, so the burden is on you. Local open carry violations are municipal code infractions rather than state-level charges, but they still come with fines and a potential record.
Carrying in a Vehicle
Colorado law permits carrying a weapon in a private vehicle for lawful protection of yourself, another person, or property.11Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-105 – Unlawfully Carrying a Concealed Weapon A handgun in your car is not considered concealed under the statute, so no concealed carry permit is needed for vehicle transport.12Department of Public Safety. Colorado Gun Laws
Long guns follow a different rule. Under Colorado’s wildlife regulations, any rifle or shotgun transported in a vehicle must have an unloaded chamber. Handguns have no such restriction. Local governments cannot restrict your ability to travel with a firearm through their jurisdiction, an important carveout in cities with otherwise strict local ordinances.
Magazine Limits and Unserialized Firearms
Colorado bans magazines that hold more than 15 rounds. Selling, transferring, or possessing one is a Class 2 misdemeanor carrying up to 120 days in jail and a $750 fine. Possessing a banned magazine while committing a felony or crime of violence is a Class 6 felony with a sentencing range of one to 18 months.13Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-302 – Large-Capacity Magazines Prohibited – Penalties – Exceptions
A grandfather clause allows possession of magazines owned before July 1, 2013, but only with continuous possession since that date. No registration system exists, so proving continuous ownership can be difficult. The statute puts the burden on the prosecution to disprove your claim, but the lack of documentation makes this a murky area for anyone relying on the exception.
Senate Bill 23-279 targets so-called ghost guns by requiring all firearm frames and receivers to carry a serial number applied by a federally licensed dealer, manufacturer, or importer.14Colorado General Assembly. SB23-279 Unserialized Firearms and Firearm Components Anyone who owned a homemade firearm without a serial number before the law took effect had to have it serialized by a licensed professional no later than January 1, 2024. Possessing an unserialized firearm is a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying up to 364 days in jail and a $1,000 fine; a second offense is a Class 5 felony.
Safe Storage at Home
If you live with a minor or someone prohibited from possessing firearms, the law requires you to lock up your guns. House Bill 21-1106 requires firearms to be kept in a locked gun safe or secured with a trigger lock or cable lock when a juvenile or prohibited person in the household could access them.15Colorado General Assembly. House Bill 21-1106 – Safe Storage of Firearms Failing to store securely under those circumstances is a Class 2 misdemeanor, carrying up to 120 days in jail and a $750 fine.16Colorado General Assembly. HB21-1106 Safe Storage of Firearms The rule applies only to households where an unauthorized person could gain access, not to every owner.
Where Firearms Are Prohibited
Certain locations are off-limits regardless of your permit status. Colorado expanded the list substantially in 2024 through Senate Bill 24-131. Firearms, openly carried or concealed, are prohibited in:
- Public and private K-12 schools and colleges, though concealed carry permit holders may still carry in university parking areas.
- Courthouses, buildings used for court proceedings, the General Assembly’s chambers, offices, and hearing rooms, and local government buildings including council chambers and meeting rooms.
- Any licensed childcare facility.
- Polling locations, ballot drop boxes within 100 feet, and vote-counting facilities during any active election period.
Under Senate Bill 21-256, cities and counties can designate additional prohibited areas within their jurisdictions.10Colorado General Assembly. SB21-256 Local Regulation of Firearms Some municipalities have banned firearms in parks, recreation centers, and other public spaces. Local rules can be stricter than state law but never less strict, so full compliance with the state code still leaves room to violate a local ordinance. Checking the rules for each city you enter is the only way to avoid an accidental violation.
Self-Defense and the Make My Day Law
Colorado allows you to use physical force to defend yourself or someone else when you reasonably believe unlawful physical force is being used or is about to be used, and the force must be proportional to the threat.17Justia. Colorado Code 18-1-704 – Use of Physical Force in Defense of a Person Deadly force is narrower: you can use it only when you reasonably believe a lesser degree of force will not work and you face an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury, or when someone is committing or about to commit a burglary, kidnapping, robbery, or sexual assault.
Colorado has no duty to retreat. You may stand your ground in any place you are lawfully present. The right disappears if you provoked the confrontation or were the initial aggressor. A recent restriction bars self-defense claims based on discovering or learning about the victim’s gender identity or sexual orientation.
Inside your home, the Make My Day law goes further. An occupant of a dwelling can use any degree of force against someone who has entered unlawfully if three conditions are met: the intruder entered without permission, the occupant reasonably believes the intruder has committed or intends to commit a crime beyond just entering, and the occupant reasonably believes the intruder might use any physical force, even slight, against someone inside.18Justia. Colorado Code 18-1-704.5 – Use of Deadly Physical Force Against an Intruder When all three conditions are met, you are immune from both criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits for injuries or death resulting from your use of force. The law applies to dwellings only, not detached garages, front yards, or places of business.
Reporting a Lost or Stolen Firearm
You must report a lost or stolen firearm to law enforcement within five days of discovering it is missing.19Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-113 – Failure to Report a Lost or Stolen Firearm The report should include as much identifying information as you can provide: manufacturer, model, serial number, and caliber. A first-time failure to report is a civil infraction carrying a $25 fine; a second or subsequent violation is an unclassified misdemeanor punishable by up to $500. The fines are modest, but a failure to report can create larger problems if a stolen firearm turns up at a crime scene and you never told anyone it was gone. Licensed gun dealers are exempt from this reporting requirement.