Title 18, Criminal Code
0 chapters · 803 sections in this title.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-101 Peace officer affirmative defense - definitions
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(1) As used in this article 12, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) Adult means any person eighteen years of age or older. (a.2) [Editor's note: Subsection (1)(a.2) is effective July 1, 2026.] Ammunition means an ammunition or cartridge case, primer, bullet, or propellant …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-102 Possessing a dangerous or illegal weapon - affirmative defense - definition
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(1) As used in this section, the term “dangerous weapon” means a firearm silencer, machine gun, rapid-fire device, short shotgun, or short rifle. (2) As used in this section, the term “illegal weapon” means a blackjack, gas gun, ballistic knife, or metallic knuckles. (3) A person…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-103 Possession of a defaced firearm
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A person commits a class 1 misdemeanor if he knowingly and unlawfully possesses a firearm, the manufacturer's serial number of which, or other distinguishing number or identification mark, has been removed, defaced, altered, or destroyed, except by normal wear and tear. Source: L…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-103.5 Defaced firearms - contraband - destruction
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(1) After a judgment of conviction under section 18-12-103 or 18-12-104 has become final, any defaced firearm upon which the judgment was based shall be deemed to be contraband, the possession of which is contrary to the public peace, health, and safety. (2) Defaced firearms that…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-104 Defacing a firearm
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A person commits a class 1 misdemeanor if such person knowingly removes, defaces, covers, alters, or destroys the manufacturer's serial number or any other distinguishing number or identification mark of a firearm. Source: L. 71: R&RE, p. 482, � 1. C.R.S. 1963: � 40-12-104. L. 77…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-105 Unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon - unlawful possession of weapons
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(1) A person commits a class 1 misdemeanor if the person knowingly and unlawfully: (a) Carries a knife concealed on or about his or her person; or (b) Carries a firearm concealed on or about his or her person; or (c) Without legal authority, carries, brings, or has in the person’…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-105.1 Permits for concealed weapons - liability. (Repealed)
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Source: L. 81: Entire section added, p. 1437, � 4, effective June 8. L. 83: Entire section amended, p. 711, � 1, effective July 1. L. 96: (2) amended, p. 1024, � 1, effective May 23. L. 98: (2) amended, p. 949, � 12, effective May 27. L. 2003: Entire section repealed, p. 648, � 2…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-105.3 Unlawful carrying of a firearm in government buildings - penalty - definitions
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(1) A person shall not knowingly carry a firearm, whether loaded or not loaded, in any of the following locations, including their adjacent parking areas: (a) On the property of or within any building in which: (I) The chambers, galleries, or offices of the general assembly, or e…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-105.5 Unlawfully carrying a weapon - unlawful possession of weapons - school, college, or university grounds - definition
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(1) (a) A person shall not knowingly and unlawfully and without legal authority carry, bring, or have in the person’s possession a deadly weapon as defined in section 18-1-901 (3)(e) that is not a firearm in or on the real estate and all improvements erected thereon of any public…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-105.6 Limitation on local ordinances regarding firearms in private vehicles
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(1) The general assembly hereby finds that: (a) A person carrying a weapon in a private automobile or other private means of conveyance for hunting or for lawful protection of such person’s or another’s person or property, as permitted in sections 18-12-105 (2)(b) and 18-12-105.5…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-106 Prohibited use of weapons - definitions
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(1) A person commits a class 1 misdemeanor if: (a) He knowingly and unlawfully aims a firearm at another person; or (b) Recklessly or with criminal negligence he discharges a firearm or shoots a bow and arrow; or (c) He knowingly sets a loaded gun, trap, or device designed to cau…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-106.5 Use of stun guns
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A person commits a class 5 felony if he knowingly and unlawfully uses a stun gun in the commission of a criminal offense. Source: L. 87: Entire section added, p. 675, � 4, effective May 16.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-107 Penalty for second offense
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Any person who has within five years previously been convicted of a violation under section 18-12-103, 18-12-105, or 18-12-106 shall, upon conviction for a second or subsequent offense under the same section, be guilty of a class 5 felony. Source: L. 71: R&RE, p. 483, � 1. C.R.S.…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-107.5 Illegal discharge of a firearm - penalty
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(1) Any person who knowingly or recklessly discharges a firearm into any dwelling or any other building or occupied structure, or into any motor vehicle occupied by any person, commits the offense of illegal discharge of a firearm. (2) It shall not be an offense under this sectio…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-108 Possession of weapons by previous offenders
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(1) A person commits the crime of possession of a weapon by a previous offender if the person knowingly possesses, uses, or carries upon his or her person a firearm as defined in section 18-1-901 (3)(h) or any other weapon that is subject to the provisions of this article 12 subs…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-108.5 Possession of handguns by juveniles - prohibited - exceptions - penalty
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(1) (a) Except as provided in this section, it is unlawful for any person who has not attained the age of eighteen years knowingly to have any handgun in such person’s possession. (b) Any person possessing any handgun in violation of paragraph (a) of this subsection (1) commits t…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-108.7 Unlawfully providing or permitting a juvenile to possess a handgun - penalty - unlawfully providing a firearm other than a handgun to a juvenile - penalty
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(1) (a) Any person who intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly provides a handgun with or without remuneration to any person under the age of eighteen years in violation of section 18-12-108.5 or any person who knows of such juvenile’s conduct which violates section 18-12-108.5 a…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-109 Possession, use, or removal of explosives or incendiary devices - possession of components thereof - chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons - persons exempt - hoaxes
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(1) As used in this section: (a) (I) “Explosive or incendiary device” means: (A) Dynamite and all other forms of high explosives, including, but not limited to, water gel, slurry, military C-4 (plastic explosives), blasting agents to include nitro-carbon-nitrate, and ammonium nit…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-110 Forfeiture of firearms
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Upon the motion of the prosecuting attorney after the conviction of a defendant, the court may order the forfeiture of any firearms which were used by the defendant during the course of the criminal episode which gave rise to said conviction as an element of sentencing or as a co…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-111 Unlawful purchase of firearms - report to law enforcement - unlawful attempted purchase while subject to a voluntary waiver - penalties
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(1) Any person who knowingly purchases or otherwise obtains a firearm on behalf of or for transfer to a person who the transferor knows or reasonably should know is ineligible to possess a firearm pursuant to federal or state law commits a class 4 felony. (2) (a) Any person who i…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-111.5 Unlawful conduct involving an unserialized firearm, frame, or receiver - exceptions - penalties - authority to serialize a firearm
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(1) (a) A person shall not knowingly possess or transport an unfinished frame or receiver; except that it is not an offense if the unfinished frame or receiver is required by federal law to be imprinted with a serial number and has been imprinted with a serial number by a federal…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-112 Private firearms transfers - sale and purchase - background check required - penalty - definitions
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(1) (a) On and after July 1, 2013, except as described in subsection (6) of this section, before any person who is not a licensed gun dealer, as defined in section 18-12-506 (6), transfers or attempts to transfer possession of a firearm to a transferee, he or she shall: (I) Requi…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-112.5 Firearms transfers by licensed dealers - sale and purchase - background check required - penalty - definitions
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(1) (a) It is unlawful for a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm to a transferee until the dealer has obtained approval for the firearms transfer from the bureau after the bureau has completed any background check required by state or federal law. (a.3) A person who is a li…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-113 Failure to report a lost or stolen firearm - exception
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(1) (a) (I) A person who owns a firearm and who has reasonable cause to believe that the firearm has been lost or stolen shall report such fact to a law enforcement agency not more than five days after discovering that the firearm has been lost or stolen. A report of a lost or st…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-114 Secure firearm storage required - penalty - exceptions
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(1) Firearms must be responsibly and securely stored when they are not in use to prevent access by unsupervised juveniles and other unauthorized users. A person responsibly and securely stores a firearm when: (a) The person carries the firearm on his or her person or within such …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-114.5 Secure firearm storage in a vehicle - penalty - definition
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(1) (a) A person shall not knowingly leave a handgun in an unattended vehicle unless the handgun is in a locked hard-sided container that is placed out of plain view, including a locked container that is permanently affixed to the vehicle's interior, and the container is in any o…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-115 Waiting period for firearms sales - background check required - penalty - exceptions
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(1) (a) It is unlawful for any person who sells a firearm, including a licensed gun dealer as defined in section 18-12-506 (6), to deliver the firearm to the purchaser until the later in time occurs: (I) Three days after a licensed gun dealer has initiated a background check of t…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-116 Enforcement of large-capacity magazine ban by regulating the manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale, and purchase of specified semiautomatic firearms - penalties - definitions
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(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) “Cycle the action” means to extract the fired cartridge case, chamber the next cartridge, and prepare the firing mechanism to fire again. (b) “Detachable magazine” means an ammunition feeding device that is n…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-117 Ammunition sales - sales requirements - minimum purchase age - exceptions - ammunition delivery requirements - penalties - definitions - repeal
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(1) [Editor’s note: This section is effective July 1, 2026.](1) (a) A retail ammunition vendor shall not sell, offer for sale, or display for sale or transfer ammunition in a manner that allows the ammunition to be accessible to a purchaser or transferee without the assistance of…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-201 Legislative declaration
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(1) The general assembly finds that: (a) There exists a widespread inconsistency among jurisdictions within the state with regard to the issuance of permits to carry concealed handguns; (b) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2021.) (c) Inconsistency regarding issuance of permits results i…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-202 Definitions
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As used in this part 2, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) and (2) Repealed. (3) Chronically and habitually uses alcoholic beverages to the extent that the applicant's normal faculties are impaired means: (a) The applicant has at any time been committed as a person with a…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-202.5 Concealed handgun training class - refresher class - rules
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(1) A concealed handgun training class is any of the following: (a) A law enforcement training firearms safety course; or (b) A firearms safety course taught by a verified instructor and offered by a law enforcement agency; an institution of higher education; or a public or priva…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-202.7 Concealed handgun training class - instructor verification
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(1) Each sheriff shall verify as a firearms instructor a person whose principal place to conduct firearms training is in the sheriff's county and who: (a) Satisfies the requirements for verification described in this section; and (b) Pays any fee required pursuant to subsection (…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-203 Criteria for obtaining a permit
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(1) Beginning May 17, 2003, except as set forth in this section, a sheriff shall issue a permit to carry a concealed handgun to an applicant who: (a) Is a legal resident of the state of Colorado. For purposes of this part 2, a person who is a member of the armed forces and is sta…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-204 Permit contents - validity - carrying requirements
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(1) (a) Each permit shall bear a color photograph of the permittee and shall display the signature of the sheriff who issues the permit. In addition, the sheriffs of this state shall ensure that all permits issued pursuant to this part 2 contain the same items of information and …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-205 Sheriff - application - procedure - background check
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(1) (a) To obtain a permit, a person shall submit a permit application on a statewide standardized form developed by the sheriffs and available from each sheriff. The permit application form shall solicit only the following information from the applicant: (I) The applicant's full…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-206 Sheriff - issuance or denial of permits - report
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(1) Within ninety days after the date of receipt of the items specified in section 18-12-205, a sheriff shall: (a) Approve the permit application and issue the permit; or (b) Deny the permit application based solely on the ground that the applicant fails to qualify under the crit…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-207 Judicial review - permit denial - permit suspension - permit revocation - denial, suspension, or revocation of instructor verification
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(1) If a sheriff denies a permit application, refuses to renew a permit, or suspends or revokes a permit, the applicant or permittee may seek judicial review of the sheriff’s decision. The applicant or permittee may seek judicial review either in lieu of or subsequent to the sher…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-208 Colorado bureau of investigation - duties
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(1) Upon receipt of a permit applicant's fingerprints from a sheriff pursuant to section 18-12-205 (4) or upon a sheriff's request pursuant to section 18-12-211 (1), the bureau shall process the full set of fingerprints to obtain any available state criminal justice information o…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-209 Issuance by sheriffs of temporary emergency permits
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(1) Notwithstanding any provisions of this part 2 to the contrary, a sheriff, as provided in this section, may issue a temporary emergency permit to carry a concealed handgun to a person whom the sheriff has reason to believe may be in immediate danger. (2) (a) To receive a tempo…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-210 Maintenance of permit - address change - invalidity of permit
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(1) Within thirty days after a permittee changes the address specified on his or her permit or within three business days after his or her permit is lost, stolen, or destroyed, the permittee shall notify the issuing sheriff of the change of address or permit loss, theft, or destr…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-211 Renewal of permits
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(1) (a) Within one hundred twenty days prior to expiration of a permit, the permittee may obtain a renewal form from the sheriff of the county or city and county in which the permittee resides or from the sheriff of the county or city and county in which the permittee maintains a…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-212 Exemption
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(1) This part 2 shall not apply to law enforcement officers employed by jurisdictions outside this state, so long as the foreign employing jurisdiction exempts peace officers employed by jurisdictions within Colorado from any concealed handgun or concealed weapons laws in effect …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-213 Reciprocity
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(1) A permit to carry a concealed handgun or a concealed weapon that is issued by a state that recognizes the validity of permits issued pursuant to this part 2 shall be valid in this state in all respects as a permit issued pursuant to this part 2 if the permit is issued to a pe…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-214 Authority granted by permit - carrying restrictions - local authority
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(1) (a) A permit to carry a concealed handgun authorizes the permittee to carry a concealed handgun in all areas of the state, except as specifically limited in this section. A permit does not authorize the permittee to use a handgun in a manner that would violate a provision of …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-215 Immunity
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(1) The bureau and a local law enforcement agency and an individual employed by the bureau or a local law enforcement agency shall not be liable for any damages that may result from good faith compliance with the provisions of this part 2. (2) A law enforcement officer or agency,…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-216 Permits issued prior to May 17, 2003. (Repealed)
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Source: L. 2003: Entire part added, p. 648, � 1, effective May 17. L. 2018: Entire section repealed, (HB 18-1375), ch. 274, p. 1703, � 28, effective May 29.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-301 Definitions
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As used in this part 3, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) Bureau means the Colorado bureau of investigation created and existing pursuant to section 24-33.5-401, C.R.S. (2) (a) Large-capacity magazine means: (I) A fixed or detachable magazine, box, drum, feed strip, or s…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-302 Large-capacity magazines prohibited - penalties - exceptions
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(1) (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person who sells, transfers, or possesses a large-capacity magazine commits a class 1 misdemeanor. (b) Repealed. (c) Any person who violates this subsection (1) commits a class 6 felony if the person possessed a large-capaci…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-303 Identification markings for large-capacity magazines - rules
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(1) A large-capacity magazine that is manufactured in Colorado on or after July 1, 2013, must include a permanent stamp or marking indicating that the large-capacity magazine was manufactured or assembled after July 1, 2013. The stamp or marking must be legibly and conspicuously …