Colorado concealed carry laws and reciprocity

Permit holders must carry the permit and valid photo ID while carrying a concealed handgun and produce both upon demand by a law enforcement officer (C.R.S. 18-12-204(2)(a)); there is no statutory duty to volunteer that one is armed.

A person who may lawfully possess a handgun may carry it without a permit in a private vehicle for lawful protection while traveling, and local governments may not restrict this (C.R.S. 18-12-105(2)(b), 18-12-204(3), 18-12-105.6). Since January 1, 2025 a handgun left in an unattended vehicle must be in a locked hard-sided container out of plain view (C.R.S. 18-12-114.5).

Carrying a concealed firearm without a permit is a class 1 misdemeanor (C.R.S. 18-12-105), with exceptions for one's own dwelling, business, or property and for a handgun carried for lawful protection in a private vehicle.

A county sheriff shall issue a concealed handgun permit to an applicant who is a Colorado resident, 21 or older, and meets the statutory criteria (C.R.S. 18-12-203); CBI runs the background checks.

Applicants must be legal residents of Colorado; service members stationed in Colorado on permanent duty orders and their immediate family living in Colorado are deemed residents (C.R.S. 18-12-203(1)(a)).

State law requires a permit only for concealed carry, but local governments may prohibit open carry in buildings or specific areas with posted signs (C.R.S. 29-11.7-104) and may enact firearm rules stricter than state law (C.R.S. 29-11.7-103). Open and concealed carry are both barred at schools, colleges, child care centers, and the government buildings listed in C.R.S. 18-12-105.3 and 18-12-105.5.

Only government-posted signs carry legal consequences: C.R.S. 18-12-214(1)(c) lets a local government or college governing board bar permittees from a building or area if it posts signs at the public entrances, with a civil penalty of up to $50 for a first offense and a requirement to leave, and C.R.S. 29-11.7-104 lets a local government prohibit open carry in a posted building or area. C.R.S. 18-12-214(5) preserves private owners' existing rights but attaches no penalty to ignoring a private sign, so a private owner's remedy is third degree criminal trespass, a petty offense, under C.R.S. 18-4-504.

No statute bars carrying in restaurants or bars, but possessing a firearm while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or a controlled substance is a class 1 misdemeanor, and a permit is no defense (C.R.S. 18-12-106(1)(d)).

Colorado Parks and Wildlife rules (2 CCR 405-1, Chapter P-1) permit lawful concealed carry by permit holders with valid photo ID on parks lands and prohibit carrying in any manner that violates Title 18; discharge is restricted. The CPW document confirming this rule text is a January 2022 commission packet.

The permit statute lists no restriction for places of worship; a permit is valid in all areas except those listed in C.R.S. 18-12-214, and private property owners keep their right to prohibit firearms (C.R.S. 18-12-214(5)).

Since July 1, 2024 (SB24-131), carrying a firearm openly or concealed on public or private college, university, or seminary property is a class 1 misdemeanor; permit holders may carry only in campus parking areas, and an unloaded weapon may remain inside a vehicle (C.R.S. 18-12-105.5).

Off-limits by statute: public and private K-12 schools, licensed child care centers, and colleges (with limited vehicle and parking-area exceptions); buildings housing the General Assembly, local governing-body chambers or offices, and courthouses; polling locations, drop boxes, and central count facilities; public buildings with permanent weapons screening; places barred by federal law; and areas closed by local ordinance (C.R.S. 18-12-105.3, 18-12-105.5, 18-12-214).

The Colorado Supreme Court describes Colorado's longstanding no-duty-to-retreat rule, which lets non-aggressors stand their ground when acting in self-defense (People v. Monroe, 2020 CO 67).

Selling, transferring, or possessing a magazine that holds more than 15 rounds (or shotgun magazines over the statutory limits) is prohibited, except for magazines owned on July 1, 2013 and continuously possessed (C.R.S. 18-12-301, 18-12-302). SB25-003 raised the offense to a class 1 misdemeanor.

Colorado has no statewide ban on possessing semiautomatic firearms, but since August 1, 2026 it is unlawful to make, sell, transfer, or buy a specified semiautomatic firearm (semiautomatic rifles and shotguns with detachable magazines and gas-operated handguns) unless the buyer meets firearms-safety-course requirements (C.R.S. 18-12-116, SB25-003). Local governments may enact stricter firearm rules (C.R.S. 29-11.7-103).

Possessing a firearm silencer is a class 5 felony under C.R.S. 18-12-102, but it is an affirmative defense that the person has a valid permit and license to possess it, such as federal registration.

A short rifle is a dangerous weapon under C.R.S. 18-12-102, but it is an affirmative defense that the possessor holds a valid permit and license for it, such as federal registration.

A short shotgun is a dangerous weapon under C.R.S. 18-12-102, but it is an affirmative defense that the possessor holds a valid permit and license for it, such as federal registration.