Colorado's firearms safety course and eligibility card: what SB25-003 requires
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To buy a specified semiautomatic firearm in Colorado on or after August 1, 2026, you must first complete a state-recognized firearms safety course. If you hold a hunter education certificate from Colorado Parks & Wildlife, a 4-hour Basic course taken within five years of the purchase is enough; everyone else needs the 12-hour Extended course. Before you can even enroll in either course, you need a firearms safety course eligibility card from your county sheriff — the state's application system opened July 20, 2026.
Who needs this — and who doesn't
The course-and-card pathway is one of the exceptions to SB25-003's core rule: on or after August 1, 2026, it is unlawful to knowingly manufacture, distribute, transfer, sell, or purchase a "specified semiautomatic firearm" — broadly, semiautomatic rifles and shotguns with detachable magazines and gas-operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines. A licensed dealer may still sell you one of these firearms if you have completed the required training. See which guns count as specified semiautomatic firearms for the full covered-and-exempt breakdown.
You do not need the card or the course to:
- Keep firearms you already own. SB25-003 is a manufacture, transfer, sale, and purchase law — not a possession ban. Nothing in it requires existing owners to register, surrender, or take training for guns lawfully acquired before August 1, 2026.
- Buy firearms that are not "specified semiautomatic firearms" — for example, manually operated bolt-, pump-, lever-, or slide-action guns, or recoil-operated single- or double-action semiautomatic handguns. Ordinary purchase rules (background check, waiting period) still apply; see buying a gun in Colorado.
Step 1: get a firearms safety course eligibility card from your sheriff
The sequence surprises people: the eligibility card is not proof you took the class — it is the permission slip you must hold before you can enroll in the class at all.
Each sheriff shall issue firearms safety course eligibility cards ... A card is valid for five years after the date of issuance.
To apply, you submit to your county sheriff, on a form created by the Division of Parks and Wildlife:
- An application attesting that (a) you have no state or federal conviction that would prohibit you from purchasing or possessing a firearm, (b) you will not violate relevant state law, and (c) you will only transfer a firearm as state law allows and will not give access to a person you believe would be a danger to themself or others;
- Government-issued photo identification;
- A completed third-party, name-based criminal-history background check.
Lying on the application is second-degree perjury under C.R.S. § 18-8-503 and grounds for revoking the card.
Sheriffs must issue the card in most cases — and denials can be appealed
The statute is written as "shall-issue" with narrow denial grounds: a sheriff shall issue the card to an applicant who submits the required application, information, and fee, and shall deny it only if the applicant cannot lawfully possess a firearm under state or federal law or cannot be positively identified. A sheriff may also deny if documented previous behavior gives a reasonable belief the applicant is likely to present a danger to themself or others.
If you are denied (or your card is revoked), you are entitled to written notice and judicial review under Colorado Rule of Civil Procedure 106(a)(4). The sheriff bears the burden of proof — by clear and convincing evidence for a "danger to self or others" denial — and the prevailing party may recover attorney fees.
Step 2: take the safety course
Which course you need depends on whether you have a CPW-certified hunter education certificate:
(A) completed a hunter education course certified by the Division of Parks and Wildlife ... and, within five years before making the purchase, completed a basic firearms safety course ...; (B) within five years before making the purchase, completed an extended firearms safety course ...; or (C) completed an extended firearms safety course more than five years before making the purchase and completed a basic firearms safety course within five years before making the purchase.
In plain terms:
| Your situation | Course required |
|---|---|
| You hold a CPW-certified hunter education certificate | Basic course (minimum 4 hours), completed within 5 years before the purchase |
| No hunter education certificate | Extended course (minimum 12 hours, spread over at least two different days), completed within 5 years before the purchase |
| You took the Extended course more than 5 years ago | Basic course within 5 years before the purchase refreshes your eligibility |
(A) A basic firearms safety course must provide a minimum of four hours of instruction. (B) An extended firearms safety course must provide a minimum of twelve hours of instruction, which must be provided on at least two different days.
Course logistics set by the statute:
- In person only. The course "must be held in person ... and no part of the class may be conducted via the internet."
- Instructor must be verified by a sheriff as a firearms instructor.
- Curriculum must cover, among other topics: safe handling of semiautomatic firearms and ammunition magazines, safe storage and child safety, firearm deaths associated with mental illness, extreme risk protection orders, and victim awareness and empathy.
- Final exam: a 90% passing score plus a hands-on demonstration of safe handling.
What it costs
- $52 state fee — the firearms training and safety course record fee set by the Parks & Wildlife Commission, collected with your card application and remitted to the state's Firearms Training and Safety Course Cash Fund.
- A county sheriff processing fee that varies by county. The statute requires it to reflect the sheriff's actual direct and indirect costs; there is no statewide schedule, so check your county sheriff's office.
- Course tuition itself is set by the private instructor or provider.
The application fee is non-refundable if the sheriff denies your application.
Timeline
- July 20, 2026: Colorado Parks & Wildlife's Firearms Safety System application went live ("The link to the Firearms Safety System application will be available on July 20, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. MST" — CPW).
- August 1, 2026: the purchase/sale prohibition in C.R.S. § 18-12-116(2) takes effect. From this date, dealers may only sell a specified semiautomatic firearm to buyers who satisfy the course pathway (or another statutory exception).
This law is being challenged in federal court. In Del Toro v. Polis, No. 1:25-cv-02725 (D. Colo., filed Sept. 2, 2025), plaintiffs argue the eligibility-card and course scheme violates the Second Amendment. As of the last verifiable docket activity (June 10, 2026), no injunction has issued and August 1, 2026 remains the operative date. This could change — check current status before relying on it.
Common questions
Do I need the firearms safety course to keep guns I already own?
No. SB25-003 restricts manufacturing, distributing, transferring, selling, and purchasing — it is not a possession ban, and it imposes no registration, surrender, or training requirement for firearms lawfully acquired before August 1, 2026.
How much does the Colorado firearms safety course eligibility card cost?
There is a $52 state fee set by the Parks & Wildlife Commission, plus a county sheriff processing fee that varies by county. The fee is non-refundable if the application is denied. Course tuition is separate and set by the course provider.
Can I take the Colorado firearms safety course online?
No. The statute requires the Basic and Extended courses to be held in person and states that no part of the class may be conducted via the internet.
I have hunter education — do I still need the eligibility card?
Yes. A hunter education certificate only shortens your training requirement to the 4-hour Basic course. You still need a sheriff-issued eligibility card before you can enroll in that course, and the course must be completed within five years before your purchase.
How long are the card and the course good for?
The eligibility card is valid for five years from issuance. Course completion must fall within five years before the purchase date — if your Extended course is older than that, completing a 4-hour Basic course refreshes your eligibility.