Open carry is legal in Colorado without a permit if you are at least 18 and not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm, but knowing how to open carry in Colorado safely means knowing where the exceptions bite. Denver bans open carry outright. Schools, federal buildings, and polling places are off-limits statewide. And a handful of rules govern how you carry, how you store the firearm in your vehicle, and what size magazine you can have loaded.
Who Can Open Carry
Colorado does not require a permit to openly carry a firearm and has no firearms registration.1Department of Public Safety. Colorado Gun Laws You must be at least 18 to possess a handgun. To buy any firearm from a dealer, you must be 21.2Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Obtaining, Possessing and Selling Firearms An 18-year-old who receives a handgun as a gift can carry it openly; the same person cannot walk into a store and buy one.
State law bars anyone with a felony conviction or a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction from possessing a firearm at all.3Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-108 – Possession of Weapons by Previous Offenders Federal law adds more categories: anyone subject to a domestic violence protection order, anyone involuntarily committed to a mental institution, unlawful drug users, and people dishonorably discharged from the military. If any of those apply to you, open carry is a crime.
What Counts as Open Carry
Open carry means the firearm is visible. An external holster on a belt is the clean version. Problems start in the gray zone: if a handgun is covered by clothing but its outline is clearly visible through tight fabric, Colorado does not treat that as concealed. If loose clothing hides the firearm from a reasonable observer, you are carrying concealed and need a permit. If there is any doubt about whether your firearm is visible, you risk being treated as an unpermitted concealed carrier. Keep the holster and the firearm plainly in view.
Carrying openly does not let you handle the firearm freely. Pointing it at someone or using it to threaten another person is menacing, a class 5 felony when a firearm is involved.4Justia. Colorado Code 18-3-206 – Menacing Keep the gun holstered and your hands off it unless you have legal justification to draw.
Colorado also prohibits possessing a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, a class 2 misdemeanor. A concealed carry permit is not a defense.5Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-106 – Prohibited Use of Weapons The statute says “under the influence,” not “any consumption,” but that line is blurry in practice. If you plan to drink, leave the firearm at home.
Where You Cannot Open Carry
Schools
Bringing a firearm onto the grounds or into the buildings of any public or private K-12 school is a class 6 felony. A concealed carry permit does not override this. Narrow exceptions exist for school security personnel and people with specific written authorization.
Federal Property
Federal law bars firearms in federal buildings, courthouses, and airport terminals past security. In Colorado’s national parks, you can generally carry on park land under state law, but federal buildings inside the park, including visitor centers and ranger stations, are gun-free zones and are posted at the entrances.6National Park Service. Firearms Regulations in the Park – Colorado National Monument
Polling Places
Under the Vote Without Fear Act, you cannot openly carry inside a polling location or ballot-counting facility, or within 100 feet of a ballot drop box while election activity is under way. Signs mark the 100-foot boundary. A first offense is a misdemeanor with penalties up to $250 and 120 days in jail; repeat offenses go up to $1,000 and 364 days.7Colorado General Assembly. HB22-1086 The Vote Without Fear Act Property owners inside the 100-foot buffer and on-duty peace officers are exempt.
Local Bans, Especially Denver
This is where people get caught out. In 2021, the state repealed most of its firearms preemption law. Cities and counties can now pass their own gun rules, and several have.
Denver is the sharpest example. Denver’s municipal code makes it unlawful to openly carry a firearm visible to ordinary observation in any public place.8Denver Revised Municipal Code. Denver Revised Municipal Code 38-117 – Dangerous or Deadly Weapons – Prohibitions Drive into Denver with a holstered pistol on your hip and you break Denver law the moment you step out of the car in public, even if you were legal in the county you left.
Any Colorado local government can also prohibit open carry inside specific buildings or areas, provided signs are posted at public entrances. The Department of Public Safety advises confirming rules with the city or county before you carry.1Department of Public Safety. Colorado Gun Laws One statewide protection survives: no municipality or county can restrict your ability to travel with a firearm in a private vehicle.
Firearms in Your Vehicle
A loaded handgun is legal in your personal vehicle with no permit. Colorado does not treat a handgun inside a private car as concealed. Long guns are different. A rifle, shotgun, or any firearm other than a handgun must have an unloaded chamber while in the vehicle.9Colorado State Patrol. Colorado Gun Laws A loaded magazine in the rifle is fine as long as no round is chambered. Hunters get caught by this most often.
Unattended Vehicle Storage
Since January 1, 2025, Colorado requires specific storage when you leave a firearm in an unoccupied vehicle. The vehicle itself must be locked in all cases.10Colorado General Assembly. HB24-1348 Secure Firearm Storage in a Vehicle
- Handguns must be in a locked hard-sided container, out of plain view, inside a locked vehicle or locked trunk.
- Long guns must be in a locked hard-sided or soft-sided container, out of plain view, inside a locked vehicle or locked trunk. If the case is soft-sided, a locking device must also be installed on the firearm itself.
Tucking a gun under the seat or into a glove compartment no longer meets the legal standard. A hard-sided lockbox handles handguns; a locked rifle case handles long guns, with a trigger or cable lock added if the case is soft-sided.
Magazine Capacity
Colorado prohibits the sale, transfer, and possession of magazines that hold more than 15 rounds. For shotguns, the limit is 28 inches of shells in a tubular magazine or eight shells in a detachable magazine. Violation is a class 2 misdemeanor, elevating to a class 6 felony if the oversized magazine is possessed during a felony or violent crime.11Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-302 – Sale, Transfer, or Possession of Large-Capacity Magazines Prohibited
A magazine holding more than 15 rounds is grandfathered if you owned it before July 1, 2013, and have kept continuous possession since. Lever-action rifles with tubular magazines and .22 rimfire tubular magazines are also exempt. If you buy a firearm that ships with a larger standard magazine from out of state, get a compliant magazine before carrying it in Colorado.
What Violations Cost
Penalties range from municipal fines to felonies. Carrying on school grounds is a class 6 felony. Menacing with a firearm is a class 5 felony.4Justia. Colorado Code 18-3-206 – Menacing Possession by a prohibited person is generally a class 5 felony, with enhancements for certain prior violent convictions.3Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-108 – Possession of Weapons by Previous Offenders Carrying while intoxicated and possessing an oversized magazine are class 2 misdemeanors. Denver open carry violations are prosecuted under the municipal code. A felony conviction from any of these offenses permanently strips your right to possess a firearm, so a single lapse can end open carry for you for good.