You can carry a gun in Colorado if you are legally allowed to possess a firearm, but how you carry it decides what you need. Open carry is legal statewide at 18 without a permit, though cities and counties can ban it locally. Concealed carry on your person requires a Concealed Handgun Permit from your county sheriff, which you can apply for at 21. A handgun in your own vehicle is treated separately and does not require a permit. On top of those baseline rules, Colorado has added a three-day waiting period on purchases, a minimum purchase age of 21, and a ban on certain semiautomatic firearms taking effect August 1, 2026.
Open Carry Without a Permit
Colorado does not require a permit to carry a firearm openly. If you are at least 18 and can lawfully possess a firearm, you can carry one in plain view in most of the state.1Department of Public Safety. Colorado Gun Laws
The important caveat is local authority. Cities and counties can pass ordinances banning open carry in specific buildings or areas.2Justia. Colorado Code 29-11.7-104 – Regulation – Carrying – Posting Denver has banned open carry since 1973, and that ban survived a challenge after 2003 state legislation attempted to limit local gun regulations. Other municipalities have their own rules, and the list changes. Check the municipal code wherever you plan to be before you head out. Violating a local ordinance can lead to weapon seizure, citations, and misdemeanor penalties.
Carrying a Handgun in Your Vehicle
You do not need a concealed permit to keep a loaded handgun in your personal vehicle. A handgun kept in a private automobile for a lawful purpose like self-defense is not treated as a concealed weapon under Colorado law. That applies whether it sits in the glove box, the center console, or elsewhere in the car.
Long guns are different. A rifle or shotgun in a vehicle must have an empty chamber. A muzzleloader counts as unloaded only if it is not primed. Violating this is a misdemeanor with a $100 fine and 15 license suspension points.
Concealed Carry Requires a Permit
To carry a concealed handgun on your person outside a vehicle, you need a Colorado Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP). To qualify you must be a legal resident of Colorado and at least 21 years old.3FindLaw. Colorado Code 18-12-203 – Criteria for Obtaining a Permit Active-duty military stationed in Colorado on permanent orders, along with their immediate family members living in the state, count as legal residents for this purpose.
You also need a handgun training course completed within the ten years before you apply, covering handgun competency and the legal use of force. The certificate must carry the instructor’s original signature.3FindLaw. Colorado Code 18-12-203 – Criteria for Obtaining a Permit Courses generally run between $50 and $250.
Carrying concealed without a permit is a class 1 misdemeanor on a first offense, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. A second offense within five years is a class 5 felony carrying one to three years in prison.4Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-105 – Unlawfully Carrying a Concealed Weapon
Applying Through Your County Sheriff
Apply at the sheriff’s office in the county where you live, where you own or lease business property, or where you keep a secondary residence. You sign the application in person and bring your training certificate, proof of residency, and a valid photo ID. Staff will fingerprint you for background checks through both the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.
Fees vary by county. Expect a CBI processing fee of around $52.50 plus a county administrative fee, with totals typically between $100 and $175.5Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Concealed Handgun Permit Information Packet The sheriff has 90 days from receiving a complete application to approve or deny it.6Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-206 – Sheriff – Issuance or Denial of Permits A denial must include written reasons and instructions for a second review or judicial appeal. Once issued, the permit is valid for five years.
Places You Cannot Carry Even With a Permit
A permit does not open every door. Several categories of location are off-limits under state or federal law, and some violations are felonies.
Schools, Colleges, and Child Care Centers
Carrying a firearm on the grounds of any public or private school, college, university, or licensed child care center is a class 6 felony. The ban covers the property and all buildings on it. Narrow exceptions apply for authorized school demonstrations, employees whose duties require a firearm, and school-sanctioned athletic or extracurricular activities.7FindLaw. Colorado Code 18-12-105.5 – Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon – School, College, or University Grounds
Government Buildings and Courthouses
Firearms are prohibited in buildings housing the state legislature’s chambers, offices, or hearing rooms, in local government chambers and elected officials’ offices, and in courthouses or buildings used for court proceedings. A violation is a class 1 misdemeanor. You can leave a firearm secured in a vehicle parked at these locations.8Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-105.3 – Unlawfully Carrying a Firearm in a Government Building
A CHP also does not authorize carry in any public building that has permanent security screening and armed personnel at every entrance. Where security checks everyone and requires weapons to be surrendered, the permit does not override that process.9Justia. Colorado Code 18-12-214 – Authority Granted by Permit – Carrying Restrictions – Local Authority
Federal Facilities
Federal law makes it a crime to knowingly bring a firearm into any federal facility, meaning a building owned or leased by the federal government where employees regularly work. Post offices, VA hospitals, federal courthouses, and Social Security offices all qualify. A basic violation carries up to one year in federal prison; bringing a firearm with intent to use it during a crime raises the maximum to five years.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
National Parks and Private Property
National parks and wildlife refuges in Colorado generally follow state carry law in outdoor areas, but park buildings like visitor centers, ranger stations, and fee offices are federal facilities and off-limits. Private property owners can prohibit firearms through posted signs or direct notice, and ignoring that notice can bring trespassing charges.
Who Cannot Carry a Firearm at All
State and federal law disqualify certain people from possessing firearms in any manner. Anyone convicted of a felony cannot possess a firearm; violating that ban is a class 5 felony carrying one to three years in prison, and if the firearm was used or threatened during another crime, probation is off the table and a prison sentence is mandatory.11FindLaw. Colorado Code 18-12-108 – Possession of Weapons by Previous Offenders
Federal law adds more categories: people subject to a restraining order protecting an intimate partner or their child, people convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, fugitives from justice, and unlawful users of or people addicted to a controlled substance.12Colorado Bureau of Investigation. State and Federal Firearm Prohibitors These are checked at both the permit stage and the point of sale, and lying on either application is a separate crime.
Colorado’s red flag law also allows a judge to temporarily order a person to surrender firearms and any concealed carry permit if clear and convincing evidence shows they pose a significant risk of harming themselves or others. A final Extreme Risk Protection Order can last up to 364 days.13Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Extreme Risk Protection Orders
Recent Changes That Affect Carry and Ownership
Several new laws since 2023 have reshaped how you buy and what you can own, which in turn affects what you can carry.
Three-Day Waiting Period
Since October 2023, a seller cannot deliver a firearm until at least three days after a background check has been initiated, or until the check clears, whichever is later. Antique firearms and curios are exempt, as are transfers to family members of military personnel about to deploy.14Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Obtaining, Possessing and Selling Firearms
Minimum Purchase Age of 21
Colorado raised the minimum age to purchase any firearm to 21, effective August 2023. The rifle-purchase portion was still facing a court challenge as of early 2025.14Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Obtaining, Possessing and Selling Firearms The minimum age to possess a firearm and to open carry remains 18.
Semiautomatic Firearm Restriction Starting August 2026
Signed in April 2025, SB25-003 prohibits the sale, transfer, and purchase of certain semiautomatic firearms starting August 1, 2026. The law covers semiautomatic rifles and shotguns with detachable magazines and gas-operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines, with certain models excluded. A first offense is a class 2 misdemeanor; a second or later offense is a class 6 felony. The same law classifies rapid-fire devices as dangerous weapons and raises the penalty for unlawful large-capacity magazine possession to a class 1 misdemeanor.15Colorado General Assembly. SB25-003 Semiautomatic Firearms and Rapid-Fire Devices
Magazines Over 15 Rounds
Since 2013, Colorado has prohibited selling, transferring, or possessing magazines that hold more than 15 rounds. A first offense is a class 2 misdemeanor and a second is a class 1 misdemeanor. Possessing a large-capacity magazine during a felony or violent crime is a class 6 felony.16Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Code 18-12-302 – Large-Capacity Magazines Prohibited
Out-of-State Permits and Flying With a Firearm
Colorado recognizes concealed carry permits from 34 states under strict conditions. The holder must be a resident of the issuing state, must carry a matching driver’s license or state ID, must be at least 21, and must have a valid permit. Colorado does not honor any nonresident permits: the state of residency and the state of issuance must match.17Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit Reciprocity Agreements change, so check the current list before you travel with a non-Colorado permit.
Flying is a separate regime. TSA requires firearms to be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided container, and placed in checked baggage only, and you must declare the firearm at the ticket counter each time.18Transportation Security Administration. Transporting Firearms and Ammunition When you land, the laws of your destination state apply immediately, and a Colorado permit may not be recognized there.
Using a Firearm in Self-Defense
Colorado’s “Make My Day” law protects people who use force against an intruder in their home. If someone makes an unlawful entry into your dwelling and you reasonably believe they have committed, are committing, or intend to commit a crime beyond the entry itself, and you reasonably believe they might use any physical force against any occupant, you are justified in using deadly force. A person acting within those limits is immune from criminal prosecution and civil suit.19Justia. Colorado Code 18-1-704.5 – Use of Deadly Physical Force Against an Intruder
Courts have read “dwelling” to include hotel rooms and RV trailers. It does not cover common areas of apartment buildings or detention facilities. The intruder does not need to break in; entering through an unlocked door counts. The law does not apply to disputes between people who both lawfully live in the same home.
Outside the home, Colorado has no duty to retreat. You can stand your ground anywhere you are lawfully allowed to be, but the threshold for deadly force is higher: you must reasonably believe deadly force is the only way to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury to yourself or someone else.