Denver gun laws go further than Colorado’s statewide rules in three big ways: the city bans open carry everywhere inside its limits, keeps its own assault weapons ordinance on the books, and prohibits concealed carry in city-owned buildings and parks. Everything else — permits, background checks, the three-day waiting period, storage rules, red flag orders — comes from state law and applies in Denver the same way it applies elsewhere in Colorado.
Open Carry Is Banned Citywide
You cannot openly carry a firearm anywhere in the City and County of Denver, loaded or unloaded, handgun or long gun. The Denver Revised Municipal Code prohibits displaying a firearm in any public space within city limits, and the ban holds even though open carry is legal across most of Colorado. Visitors from other parts of the state are caught by this rule more than any other.
Law enforcement officers and certain other authorized personnel are exempt. If you violate the ban, you can face weapon confiscation, fines, or jail time.
Denver’s Assault Weapons Ordinance
Denver Revised Municipal Code Section 38-130 defines assault weapons by mechanical features rather than brand names. Under the ordinance, the following qualify:
- Semiautomatic centerfire rifles with a detachable magazine capable of holding 21 or more rounds
- Semiautomatic shotguns with a folding stock, a magazine capacity of more than six rounds, or both
- Any firearm modified to function as an assault weapon under the ordinance
- Parts or combinations of parts designed to convert a firearm into an assault weapon
A 2018 amendment added bump stock devices to the ban and brought Denver’s magazine limit in line with the state’s.1City and County of Denver. Denver Revised Municipal Code 38-130
The state cap sits at 15 rounds. Possessing, selling, or transferring a magazine above that limit is a class 2 misdemeanor; a second offense is a class 1 misdemeanor; carrying one during a felony or violent crime is a class 6 felony. If you owned a large-capacity magazine before July 1, 2013, and have kept it continuously since, you can legally keep it, and if you are charged, the prosecution has to disprove your grandfathered status.2Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Article 12 Part 3 Section 18-12-302
Where You Can’t Carry Even With a Permit
After Colorado passed SB21-256 in 2021, Denver adopted an ordinance prohibiting concealed carry in city-owned or leased buildings and city parks. Recreation centers and other city-operated facilities fall under the same rule.3City and County of Denver. City and County of Denver – File 22-0401
State law layers more restrictions on top. Colorado prohibits firearms in government buildings that house elected officials’ offices, courthouses, schools, universities, and childcare facilities. These apply whether you’re carrying openly or concealed.
Private property owners can also prohibit firearms by posting signs or giving direct notice. Walking in anyway can get you trespassing charges. Watch for signage at building entrances.
How to Get a Concealed Carry Permit in Denver
Colorado issues concealed handgun permits at the county level. Denver residents apply through the Denver Sheriff’s office, and the eligibility rules come from state law.
Who Qualifies
- At least 21 years old.
- A legal resident of Colorado. Active-duty military stationed in Colorado under permanent orders qualify, along with their immediate family members living in the state.
- Not prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law. Felony convictions, domestic violence misdemeanor convictions, and certain other offenses are disqualifying.
- Not subject to a permanent, temporary, or extreme risk protection order.
- Not an unlawful user of or addicted to controlled substances, and not a chronic habitual user of alcohol to the point of impaired faculties.
- Holding a training certificate from a handgun safety class completed within the previous ten years, bearing the instructor’s original signature.
Current military service, honorable discharge with pistol qualifications within the past ten years, firearms instructor certification, or participation in organized shooting competitions can satisfy the training requirement in place of a class.4Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Article 12 Part 2 Section 18-12-203
Applying, Paying, and Waiting
The Denver Police Department takes applications through an online portal. You will need a valid Colorado driver’s license or state ID showing your Denver address, your training certificate, and the completed form. Lying on the application is a crime and permanently bars you from getting a permit.5Denver Police Department. Denver Police Department Colorado Online Concealed Handgun Permit Application
The state portion of the fee, paid to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for fingerprint and background checks, is $52.50.6Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) The Denver Sheriff’s office charges an additional local processing fee, so your total will be higher.
Once you submit your application and fingerprints, the sheriff has 90 days to issue a permit or send a written denial. Approved permits arrive by mail and are valid for five years. Renewal doesn’t require new fingerprints since the CBI keeps them on file.
Reciprocity With Other States
Colorado honors concealed carry permits from states that honor Colorado’s, provided the permit holder is at least 21, is a resident of the issuing state, and carries a valid photo ID from that state.7Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Article 12 Part 2 Section 18-12-213 The CBI’s reciprocity list currently includes 34 states, most of them in the South, Mountain West, and Midwest. States not recognized include California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, and the District of Columbia.8Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Reciprocity
One rule catches people out: Colorado residents must carry a Colorado permit. You cannot use a nonresident permit from another state to carry concealed inside Colorado, even if that state is on the reciprocity list. Out-of-state visitors with valid permits from reciprocal states are covered.
Buying or Receiving a Firearm
Colorado sets the minimum age for all firearm purchases at 21. A legal challenge to the rifle-purchase age was pending as of early 2025.9Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Obtaining, Possessing and Selling Firearms
Every sale or transfer requires a background check through a federally licensed dealer, including private sales. The only exception is transfers between immediate family: spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, and uncles. In-laws are not included. Even within the family, you cannot transfer a firearm to someone legally barred from possessing one.10Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Firearms FAQs
A three-day minimum waiting period applies between purchase and delivery. The clock starts when the background check is initiated, and delivery can’t happen until three days have passed or the check is approved, whichever is later. Antique firearms, curios and relics, and sales to military personnel deploying overseas within 30 days are exempt.11Colorado General Assembly. Waiting Period To Deliver A Firearm
New Safety Course Requirement in 2026
Starting August 1, 2026, Colorado requires a Firearm Safety Course Eligibility Card before you can purchase or receive any semiautomatic rifle or shotgun with a detachable magazine, or any gas-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine. This is separate from the concealed carry training certificate.
The course must be taken in person; online or virtual sessions don’t count. The curriculum covers safe handling, child safety and secure storage, firearm deaths related to mental illness, extreme risk protection orders, and victim awareness. You need at least a 90% score on the final exam. If you’ve never completed a hunter education course or any prior firearms safety course, you have to take the extended version: a minimum of 12 hours spread over at least two days. The card is valid for five years, and you’ll need to retake the basic course before another qualifying purchase after it expires. Your county sheriff processes the application and enters your card into a statewide database.12Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Specified Semiautomatic Firearms
Firearms in Your Vehicle
Colorado lets you carry a weapon in a private vehicle for lawful self-defense without a concealed carry permit. The statute treats a handgun in a private car as not “concealed” for permit purposes.13Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Article 12 Part 1 Section 18-12-105
Long guns are different. State wildlife rules make it illegal to have a rifle or shotgun in a motor vehicle unless the chamber is unloaded. Handguns in your car may be loaded; rifles and shotguns may not have a round chambered.14Colorado Department of Public Safety. Colorado Gun Laws
State law also stops local governments from blocking you from traveling with a lawfully possessed weapon. Denver’s open carry ban still applies the moment you step out of the car with a visible firearm, but driving a gun through the city is protected.
Serial Numbers and So-Called Ghost Guns
Since January 1, 2024, Colorado prohibits possessing, transporting, selling, or purchasing any firearm, frame, or receiver without a serial number imprinted by a federally licensed manufacturer. The law also bans unfinished frames and receivers that lack a serial number as required by federal regulations, and limits manufacturing of frames and receivers to federally licensed manufacturers.15Colorado General Assembly. SB23-279 Unserialized Firearms And Firearm Components
If you hold unserialized components, a licensed dealer must serialize them before you can legally keep them. Violations can bring criminal charges and destruction of the parts.
Safe Storage and Reporting Loss or Theft
You commit the offense of unlawful firearm storage in Colorado if you fail to secure a firearm and you know, or should know, that a juvenile could access it without parental permission, or that someone in your household is legally barred from possessing firearms. Unlawful storage is a class 2 misdemeanor. Licensed dealers must also include a locking device with every firearm sold or transferred.16Colorado General Assembly. HB21-1106 Safe Storage Of Firearms
If a firearm is lost or stolen, you have five days from the time you discover it to report it to law enforcement. You don’t need to file separately if another household member has already reported it, and the rule doesn’t apply to licensed dealers.17Colorado General Assembly. Lost Or Stolen Firearms
Extreme Risk Protection Orders
Colorado’s red flag law lets a court temporarily remove firearms from a person who poses a significant risk of harm to themselves or others. A family member, household member, law enforcement officer, teacher, or healthcare professional can petition. If a judge finds enough evidence, a temporary order takes effect immediately and a full hearing is set within 14 days.18Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Revised Statutes 13-14.5-103
At the full hearing, the court decides whether to issue a 364-day order. If granted, the respondent must surrender all firearms for the duration. An active extreme risk protection order against you also disqualifies you from getting a concealed carry permit.4Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Article 12 Part 2 Section 18-12-203
Why Denver Can Set Its Own Rules
Colorado used to preempt local firearm regulation, blocking cities from going stricter than state law. SB21-256, passed in 2021, declared firearm regulation a matter of both state and local concern and allowed local governments to pass their own ordinances as long as they are no less restrictive than state law. Denver already had some firearm ordinances in place under its Home Rule authority, and the 2021 law gave the city stronger footing to expand them.