Denver gun laws stack a set of city-specific rules on top of Colorado’s statewide firearm regulations. Inside city limits you cannot openly carry a firearm, you cannot bring one into city-owned buildings or parks, and certain semiautomatic rifles and shotguns are banned outright under a Denver ordinance. Everything Colorado requires statewide — the concealed carry permit process, universal background checks, the three-day waiting period, safe storage rules, and the ghost gun ban — applies in Denver as well.
Open Carry Is Banned Citywide
Denver prohibits open carry of firearms throughout the city, even though open carry is legal in most of Colorado. Under the Denver Revised Municipal Code you cannot openly display a firearm in any public space within city limits, loaded or unloaded, and the ban covers handguns, rifles, and shotguns.
Law enforcement officers and certain other authorized personnel are exempt. Violating the ban can bring weapon confiscation, fines, or jail time. Visitors from other parts of Colorado where open carry is routine tend to run into this rule more than any other Denver-specific regulation.
Denver’s Assault Weapons Ordinance
Denver maintains its own assault weapons ban under Denver Revised Municipal Code Section 38-130, separate from and stricter than state law. The ordinance defines an assault weapon by mechanical features rather than by brand or model. Firearms covered include:
- Semiautomatic centerfire rifles with a detachable magazine capable of holding 21 or more rounds
- Semiautomatic shotguns with a folding stock, a magazine capacity of more than six rounds, or both
- Any firearm modified to function as an assault weapon under the ordinance’s definitions
- Parts or combinations of parts designed to convert a firearm into an assault weapon
A 2018 amendment also banned bump stock devices and aligned Denver’s magazine capacity limit with state law.1City and County of Denver. Denver Revised Municipal Code 38-130
Colorado’s magazine law is the backdrop. Possessing, selling, or transferring a large-capacity magazine — anything holding more than 15 rounds — is a class 2 misdemeanor. A second violation is a class 1 misdemeanor, and possessing an oversized magazine during a felony or violent crime is a class 6 felony. If you owned a large-capacity magazine before July 1, 2013, and have kept continuous possession since, you may legally keep it, and the prosecution bears the burden of disproving your grandfathered status if you are charged.2Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Article 12 Part 3 Section 18-12-302
Where You Cannot Carry in Denver
A valid concealed carry permit does not let you take a firearm everywhere. Denver adopted an ordinance prohibiting concealed carry in city-owned or leased buildings and in city parks, and recreation centers and other city-operated facilities fall under the same rule.3City and County of Denver. City and County of Denver – File 22-0401
State law layers on top of that. Colorado prohibits firearms in government buildings that house elected officials’ offices, courthouses, schools, universities, and childcare facilities. Those bans apply whether the gun is carried openly or concealed.
Private property owners can also prohibit firearms by posting signs or giving direct notice. Walking into a restricted property with a firearm after being told can lead to trespassing charges. In practice, permit holders in Denver need to read the signs at building entrances.
Concealed Carry Permits for Denver Residents
Colorado issues concealed handgun permits at the county level. Denver residents apply through the Denver Sheriff’s office. Eligibility comes from state law and is the same statewide.
Who Qualifies
To get a Colorado concealed handgun permit you must meet all of these:
- Be at least 21 years old.
- Be a legal resident of Colorado. Active-duty military stationed in Colorado under permanent orders qualify, as do their immediate family members living in the state.
- Not be prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law. Felony convictions, domestic violence misdemeanor convictions, and certain other offenses disqualify you.
- Not be subject to a permanent, temporary, or extreme risk protection order.
- Not be an unlawful user of or addicted to controlled substances, and not a chronic habitual user of alcohol to the point of impaired faculties.
- Have a training certificate from a handgun safety class completed within the ten years before you apply, bearing the instructor’s original signature.
The training requirement can also be met through current military service, proof of honorable discharge with pistol qualifications within the past ten years, certification as a firearms instructor, or participation in organized shooting competitions.4Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Article 12 Part 2 Section 18-12-203
Applying, Fees, and Timeline
You apply through the Denver Police Department’s online portal. You will need a valid Colorado driver’s license or state ID showing your current Denver address, your training certificate, and the completed application. Providing false information on the application is a criminal offense that permanently disqualifies you.5Denver Police Department. Denver Police Department Colorado Online Concealed Handgun Permit Application
The state fee paid to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for fingerprints and background checks is $52.50.6Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) The Denver Sheriff’s office charges a local processing fee on top of that, so plan for a higher total.
Once your application and fingerprints are submitted, the sheriff has 90 days to issue the permit or send a written denial. Approved permits are valid for five years and arrive by mail. Renewal does not require new fingerprints because the CBI keeps them on file.
Out-of-State Permits
Colorado recognizes concealed carry permits from other states only under specific conditions. The issuing state must also honor Colorado permits, the holder must be at least 21, and the holder must be a resident of the state that issued the permit and carry a valid photo ID from that state.7Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Article 12 Part 2 Section 18-12-213
Colorado’s current reciprocity list covers 34 states, and the CBI publishes it in full.8Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Reciprocity One rule catches Colorado residents off guard: if you live in Colorado, you must carry a Colorado permit. A nonresident permit issued by another state will not let you carry concealed here, even if that state has a reciprocal agreement. Out-of-state visitors with valid permits from reciprocal states are covered.
Buying a Firearm in Denver
Colorado’s purchase rules apply in Denver in full.
Age
Colorado requires buyers to be at least 21 years old for all firearm purchases. A legal challenge to the rifle-purchase age requirement was pending as of early 2025.9Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Obtaining, Possessing and Selling Firearms
Universal Background Checks
Every firearm sale or transfer in Colorado requires a background check through a federally licensed dealer, including private sales. The only exception is transfers between immediate family members. Colorado’s definition of immediate family is broad: spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, and uncles all qualify. In-laws do not. Even within family, you cannot transfer a firearm to someone legally prohibited from possessing one.10Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Firearms FAQs
Three-Day Waiting Period
Colorado imposes a minimum three-day waiting period between buying a firearm and taking delivery. The clock starts when the background check is initiated, and delivery cannot happen until either three days have passed or the background check is approved, whichever comes later. Antique firearms, curios and relics, and sales to military personnel deploying overseas within 30 days are exempt. Dealers who deliver early face a $500 fine for a first offense and up to $5,000 for later violations.11Colorado General Assembly. Waiting Period To Deliver A Firearm
Safety Course Card for Semiautomatics, Starting August 2026
Starting August 1, 2026, Colorado will require a Firearm Safety Course Eligibility Card before you can buy or receive a transfer of any semiautomatic rifle or shotgun with a detachable magazine, or any gas-operated semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine. This is separate from the concealed carry training certificate.12Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Specified Semiautomatic Firearms
The course must be taken in person; online and virtual courses do not count. The curriculum covers safe handling of semiautomatic firearms and magazines, child safety and secure storage, firearm deaths related to mental illness, extreme risk protection orders, and victim awareness. You must pass a final exam with at least a 90% score. Applicants without any prior hunter education or firearms safety course must take an extended version of at least 12 hours spread over at least two days. The card is valid for five years, and after it expires you must retake the basic course before buying another qualifying semiautomatic firearm. Your county sheriff processes the application and enters your card into a statewide database.
Ghost Guns
Since January 1, 2024, Colorado prohibits possessing, transporting, selling, or purchasing any firearm, frame, or receiver that lacks a serial number imprinted by a federally licensed manufacturer. The same law bans possessing or transferring unfinished frames and receivers that lack a serial number as required by federal regulations, and it restricts manufacturing of frames and receivers to federally licensed manufacturers.13Colorado General Assembly. SB23-279 Unserialized Firearms And Firearm Components The law is statewide and applies fully in Denver. If you already own unserialized components, they must be serialized by a licensed dealer before you can legally keep them.
Safe Storage, Lost or Stolen Firearms, and Red Flag Orders
Colorado law requires firearms to be stored securely when not in use. You commit unlawful firearm storage if you fail to secure a firearm and you know, or should know, that a juvenile could access it without parental permission, or that someone in your household is legally prohibited from possessing firearms. The offense is a class 2 misdemeanor. Licensed dealers must also provide a locking device with every firearm sold or transferred; failing to do so is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine.14Colorado General Assembly. HB21-1106 Safe Storage Of Firearms
If a firearm is lost or stolen, you have five days from discovering the loss or theft to report it to law enforcement. You do not need to file a separate report if another household member has already reported it, and the requirement does not apply to licensed dealers.15Colorado General Assembly. Lost Or Stolen Firearms
Colorado’s red flag law allows a court to temporarily remove firearms from someone who poses a significant risk of harming themselves or others. A family member, household member, or law enforcement officer can petition for a temporary extreme risk protection order. If a judge finds sufficient evidence, the temporary order takes effect immediately and a full hearing is set within 14 days.16Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Revised Statutes 13-14.5-103 At that hearing the court decides whether to issue a 364-day order; if granted, the respondent must surrender all firearms for the duration. A 2023 expansion allowed teachers and healthcare professionals to file petitions. An active extreme risk protection order also disqualifies you from a concealed carry permit.
Firearms in Vehicles
Colorado law lets a person traveling in a private car carry a weapon for lawful protection of themselves or others without a concealed carry permit. A handgun in a private vehicle is not treated as “concealed” for purposes of the concealed carry statute, so a permit is not required simply because a handgun is in the car.17Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Article 12 Part 1 Section 18-12-105
Long guns are handled differently. State wildlife regulations make it illegal to have a rifle or shotgun in a motor vehicle unless the chamber is unloaded. That rule applies statewide, Denver included. Handguns may be loaded in your vehicle; rifles and shotguns may not have a round in the chamber.18Colorado Department of Public Safety. Colorado Gun Laws
State law also prevents local jurisdictions from restricting your ability to travel with a lawfully possessed weapon. Denver’s open carry ban kicks back in the moment you step out of the vehicle with a visible firearm, but transporting a gun through the city in your car is protected.