Colorado concealed carry permits: requirements, cost, and process

Last verified against primary sources: 2026-07-20 · Updated 2026-07-20

You need a permit: concealed carry is not "permitless" in Colorado

C.R.S. § 18-12-105 ("Unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon — unlawful possession of weapons") makes it a class 1 misdemeanor to knowingly and unlawfully carry a firearm concealed on or about your person. The statute reaches concealed carry specifically; open carry is regulated separately. The lawful way to carry concealed is a permit issued under Part 2 of Article 12, and this page walks through who qualifies, the training, the application, and where the permit does and does not work.

Who qualifies — eligibility under § 18-12-203

A sheriff must issue a permit to an applicant who meets every criterion in § 18-12-203(1). The statute is "shall issue" — the sheriff has no general discretion to refuse a qualified applicant, subject to one documented-danger exception (below).

The remaining criteria in § 18-12-203(1) require that the applicant has not committed perjury on a permit application (subsection (1)(d)); does not chronically and habitually use alcohol to the point of impairment (1)(e); is not an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance (1)(f); is not subject to a protection order or an extreme risk protection order (1)(g); and demonstrates handgun competence (1)(h), covered in the training section below.

The new disqualifier: certain misdemeanor convictions

HB24-1174 added a fresh disqualifier at § 18-12-203(1)(c.5), effective July 1, 2025. It bars a permit for five years after conviction of certain misdemeanors (the offenses listed in § 24-33.5-424(3)(b.3)) committed on or after that effective date:

The sheriff's documented-danger exception

Even for an applicant who meets every listed criterion, the sheriff keeps a narrow discretionary denial:

A denial on this ground is appealable, and at judicial review the sheriff carries the burden of proving the danger determination by clear and convincing evidence (§ 18-12-207(3)).

The 2024 training overhaul (HB24-1174): what most guides get wrong

This is the part of Colorado concealed-carry law that changed most recently and is most often reported incorrectly. HB24-1174 replaced the old, loosely defined "handgun training class" with a tightly specified concealed handgun training class for new permits and a separate refresher class for renewals. The class standards themselves took effect August 7, 2024; the requirement that permit applicants actually use a compliant class and a sheriff-verified instructor bound applicants starting July 1, 2025.

Inside those eight hours, the class must cover safe handling and storage, shooting fundamentals, state and federal firearms law (including extreme risk protection orders and safe-storage and lost/stolen-reporting rules), the law of deadly force in self-defense, and how to interact safely with responding law enforcement. To pass, a student must:

• Score at least 70% accuracy in a live-fire exercise on a range, discharging at least 50 rounds of ammunition; and
• Score at least 80% on a written concealed handgun competency exam (administered open book).

Renewals use a shorter refresher class — at least two hours, still in person, still with live fire and a written exam:

Both classes must be taught by a verified instructor. Under § 18-12-202.7 each sheriff verifies instructors whose principal training location is in that county; verification is valid ten years, and sheriffs must post a list of verified instructors (with expiration dates) on the sheriff's website. Online-only courses do not satisfy the requirement.

How to apply — sheriff of your county, § 18-12-205

You apply in person to the sheriff of the county where you live (or where you keep a secondary residence or run a business), and sign the application in front of the sheriff.

At the appointment you submit your training certificate (or other competence evidence), a color head photograph taken within the previous 30 days, and valid Colorado driver's license or Colorado/military photo ID; the sheriff takes two sets of fingerprints and submits them to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. On fees:

A separate fingerprint-processing fee, set by the CBI director, is charged on top of the permit fee, and neither fee is refundable if the application is denied. For a full fee breakdown see what a Colorado concealed carry class and permit cost.

The 90-day window

For the process end to end, see how to get a Colorado concealed carry permit.

Validity, renewal, and grace period

You may renew within the 120 days before expiration by showing renewed competence (a refresher-class certificate obtained within six months, or other qualifying evidence) and paying a renewal fee not to exceed $50. Miss the deadline and there is a grace period:

More on timing: how long a Colorado CCW is good for. You must also report an address change to the issuing sheriff within 30 days (§ 18-12-210).

Emergency (temporary) permits — § 18-12-209

A sheriff may issue a 90-day temporary emergency permit to a person the sheriff has reason to believe may be in immediate danger. It skips the competence-training requirement, carries a fee capped at $25, and — unusually — is available to applicants 18 or older. It may be renewed once for another 90 days (or repeatedly, if the permittee is under 21, until they turn 21). A temporary emergency permit is treated as a "permit" for the carrying and location rules, but it is not a substitute for the standard five-year permit.

Residency: no non-resident permits

Colorado issues permits only to Colorado legal residents (with the narrow active-duty-military-stationed-in-Colorado exception in § 18-12-203(1)(a)). There is no Colorado non-resident permit. A visitor instead relies on Colorado recognizing their home-state permit under the reciprocity statute, § 18-12-213 — see Colorado concealed carry reciprocity and gun laws for non-residents and visitors.

Where the permit does not work — § 18-12-214

A valid permit authorizes carry "in all areas of the state, except as specifically limited" in § 18-12-214. The main limits:

• Local government buildings and areas. A local government or a higher-education governing board may post specific buildings or areas off-limits to concealed carry; a violation can carry only a civil penalty (first-offense fine capped at $50, no jail) plus an order to leave — but refusing to leave can bring criminal penalties (§ 18-12-214(1)(c)).
• Federal law. The permit does not authorize carry anywhere federal law prohibits firearms (§ 18-12-214(2)) — for example federal facilities and post offices.
• Local ordinances. The permit does not override a local ordinance prohibiting concealed handguns (§ 18-12-214(2.5)).
• K-12 schools. No concealed carry on public elementary/middle/junior-high/high-school property, with narrow exceptions for a handgun kept in your vehicle (stored per § 18-12-114.5 if the vehicle is left unattended), contracted school security officers on duty, and undeveloped school land used for hunting or shooting sports (§ 18-12-214(3)).
• Child care centers, colleges/universities, government buildings, polling places. Carry is barred where § 18-12-105.5 (child care and schools/colleges), § 18-12-105.3 (government buildings and courthouses), or § 1-13-724 (polling locations, drop boxes, central count facilities) prohibit it (§ 18-12-214(3.5)).
• Screened public buildings. No carry into a public building where security personnel and electronic screening are permanently in place at every entrance (§ 18-12-214(4)).
• Private property. Nothing in Part 2 limits a private property owner, tenant, employer, or business from excluding firearms (§ 18-12-214(5)).

Carrying: you must carry and produce the permit — § 18-12-204(2)

Note the shape of this rule: it is a produce-on-demand obligation, not a proactive "duty to inform." Colorado statute imposes no requirement that you volunteer that you are armed at the start of a police contact — see do you have to tell police you have a gun in Colorado.