Colorado Visitor Guide

Colorado Does Not Honor a New York License and Gives No Permits to Visitors. You May Keep a Handgun with You in Your Own Car for Protection While Traveling.

At a glance (checked Nov 1, 2026):

• Can a New Yorker get a permit? No. Colorado concealed handgun permits are issued by the sheriff of the county where you live, to Colorado residents only

• Does Colorado honor a NY license? No. New York is on Colorado's list of states with no reciprocity

• Non-resident permits (FL, UT, AZ, PA, CT)? No. Colorado honors only a permit issued by the state you live in, so a New Yorker's non-resident permit does not count

• Permitless carry for visitors? No, not concealed on your body. Open carry is set by each city or county

• Carry in a car without a permit? Yes. In a private car you may have a handgun for protection while traveling; state law says it is not "concealed" there

• Magazine limit: 15 rounds. Larger magazines are banned

• Duty to inform: No state law requires you to tell police first. Be honest if asked (check the official page)

• A Colorado Concealed Handgun Permit is issued by the sheriff of the county in which you live (C.R.S. 18-12-203). You must be a Colorado resident; members of the military stationed in Colorado count as residents. For more information click here

• There is no non-resident permit and no visitor permit. A New Yorker cannot apply.

• Colorado honors another state's permit only if all of these are true: that state honors Colorado permits, you are a resident of the state that issued it, you carry a matching driver's license or state ID from that state, you are 21 or older, and the permit is valid (C.R.S. 18-12-213). For more information click here

• Colorado honors permits from: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

• Not honored: New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington DC and others. Colorado's own page says it "does not recognize the validity of a concealed carry permit issued by any state, to a nonresident of that state."

• Bottom line for a New Yorker: none of your permits work in Colorado. A Florida, Utah, Arizona or Pennsylvania non-resident permit is not honored because you do not live in that state.

• It is not a crime to carry a weapon in a private automobile "for lawful protection of such person's or another's person or property while traveling" (C.R.S. 18-12-105(2)(b)). The state Department of Public Safety says: "A permit is not required and a handgun is not considered concealed when a person is in a private automobile or other private transportation." For more information click here

• This covers the car only. Once you step out, you may not carry it concealed on your body.

• The Department of Public Safety also says cities and counties may not pass laws that restrict a person traveling with a weapon in a car (C.R.S. 18-12-105.6).

• Leaving the gun in the car: since January 1, 2025 a handgun left in an unattended car must be in a locked hard-sided container, out of plain view, inside a locked car or locked trunk (HB24-1348). Breaking this rule is a civil infraction. For more information click here

• Taking the gun into your hotel room: the Department of Public Safety says a handgun you carry into your home, business or hotel room "must be in plain view."

• Rifles and shotguns in a car must have an empty chamber. This rule does not apply to handguns.

• Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 926A, part of the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986) lets you drive through Colorado with a gun if you may lawfully have and carry it at both your starting point and your destination.

• During the trip the gun must be unloaded, and neither the gun nor any ammunition may be reachable from the passenger area. Keep both in the trunk. In a car with no trunk, use a locked container that is not the glove box or the console. For more information click here

• It protects passing through, not visiting. Short stops for gas, food or rest are part of travel; staying overnight or spending time in Colorado can put you outside the protection, and then Colorado law applies.

• It is a protection you raise if you are stopped. It does not stop an officer from detaining you, so keep the gun cased and unloaded the whole way and carry your home license and paperwork.

• Colorado's own car rule is broader: in a private car you may keep a handgun for protection while traveling. Safe passage matters if you would rather keep it cased, or for items Colorado bans, such as magazines over 15 rounds. Leave those at home; it is not settled that safe passage protects them.

• Since 2024 (SB24-131) no one may carry, openly or concealed, in state legislative buildings, buildings of a local government's governing body (unless that local government allows it), and courthouses, including their parking areas. Permit holders may only keep a concealed handgun in the adjacent parking area. For more information click here

• No carry on the property of schools (elementary through high school, vocational), colleges, universities and seminaries, and licensed child care centers, with narrow exceptions.

• Cities, counties, special districts and college boards may ban permit holders from carrying in specific buildings or areas (SB21-256, 2021). Look for posted notices. For more information click here

• Federal buildings and offices, airport secure areas and post offices are off limits under federal law.

• Private property: the owner can say no.

• Magazines over 15 rounds are illegal to sell, transfer or possess in Colorado (C.R.S. 18-12-302). The only exception is a magazine owned on July 1, 2013 and kept continuously since. Bring 15-round or smaller magazines. For more information click here

• Local laws: since 2021 cities and counties may pass their own gun laws as long as they are not weaker than state law (SB21-256). Some cities have stricter rules than the state. Check the local code where you will stay.

• Open carry is regulated by each city or county; the Department of Public Safety says to check the local code. Some cities ban it.

• A NY license does not help you in Colorado, but the car rule above applies to anyone who may lawfully have a gun.

• National forests: you may carry under state law; national parks follow state law; federal buildings in parks are off limits. For more information click here

Every state has different laws pertaining to carrying, restrictions etc. It is your responsibility to know these laws and be familiar with them before visiting that state.

This guide summarizes the state's published instructions as of November 1, 2026 and is not legal advice. Fees, forms and rules change; always check the official page before you travel. Tips from others' experience come from users on the chats; they are personal experiences, not official rules.

Checked November 1, 2026.

• Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) Reciprocity (which permits Colorado honors; resident-only rule). For more information click here

• Colorado Department of Public Safety, Colorado Gun Laws (car carry, local travel rule, hotel room, permits by county sheriff). For more information click here

• C.R.S. 18-12-105, unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon (car exception), copy posted by CBI. For more information click here

• C.R.S. 18-12-302, large-capacity magazines, copy posted by CBI. For more information click here

• Colorado General Assembly, SB24-131 (carry banned in sensitive spaces). For more information click here

• Colorado General Assembly, HB24-1348 (storing a firearm in an unattended vehicle). For more information click here

• Colorado General Assembly, SB21-256 (local regulation of firearms). For more information click here

• Federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 926A (safe passage). For more information click here