Teacher Licensing Requirements

New conviction disclosures for Colorado education applicants

Colorado teacher-license applicants, teacher-preparation students, and prospective charter-school employees must certify their conviction history under penalty of perjury. They must use a Department of Education form at application or conditional job offer, depending on the pathway. The form requires them to confirm whether they have convictions in four categories. These include all felonies and misdemeanors involving victims who are legally defined as at-risk or are under 18, regardless of date. Misdemeanors listed in state law as grounds for denying or taking away an educator credential also count, regardless of date. Other misdemeanors count when the application is submitted within seven years after the conviction’s disposition—the date the court resolved it. Misdemeanor traffic offenses and traffic infractions are excluded from that seven-year rule. Each listed conviction must include the offense, conviction date, and court that entered the judgment. The department must still evaluate convictions under existing state standards. The law takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on August 12, 2026, unless a referendum petition is filed. A challenged law or provision takes effect only after voter approval in November 2026, on the governor’s official declaration date.