Colorado · Hunter safety · 2026 Edition
Colorado Hunter Safety Course 2026: Cost & Online Options
Colorado law requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 to complete an approved hunter education course before applying for or buying a Colorado hunting license.
Colorado is the second state here with no way to certify from your sofa: every route ends at a live-fire exercise you have to attend in person. Budget about $45 for the hybrid route — $34.95 online plus up to $10 for the conclusion class — or up to $10 for the traditional class if you would rather do the whole thing in a room. The 1949 cutoff is one of the earliest in the country, so in practice almost every hunter alive needs the course.
01 — Who needs it
Colorado law requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 to complete an approved hunter education course before applying for or buying a Colorado hunting license.
Military members and older hunters can sit a test-out exam instead of the course — $34.95, and you need 90% to pass.
02 — Course options
| Course | Format | Who | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional classroom course | In person | Not stated | Up to $10 | At least 10 hours, often split across several days — Lectures, hands-on work, videos, a written test and a live-fire exercise. CPW caps what a class may charge at $10. |
| Online course plus conclusion class | Online + field day | Not stated | Up to $10 | At least 4 hours online, then a 4-6 hour conclusion class that may run over two days — The $10 cap covers the conclusion class only — the online half is a separate $34.95 to the provider. The conclusion class is where you demonstrate safe firearm handling on the live-fire exercise, which is why it cannot be skipped. |
03 — Approved online courses, side by side
| Provider | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| hunter-ed.com | $34.95 | The online half of the hybrid route. |
This is the online portion only. It ends in a voucher, not a certificate — you are certified after the in-person conclusion class, which CPW caps at $10.
04 — Your certificate, and other states
Every U.S. state recognises a valid hunter education certificate issued by another state wildlife agency, so a Colorado certificate travels and an out-of-state one is accepted here.
05 — Where to register
Courses are booked through Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Find and register for a Colorado course →
Everything else we track for the state: Colorado hunting seasons →
FAQ
Can I take the Colorado hunter safety course online?
Colorado does not offer a route that certifies entirely online — see the course formats above for what CPW does accept. Colorado law requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1949 to complete an approved hunter education course before applying for or buying a Colorado hunting license.
Is there a free hunter safety course in Colorado?
Every CPW-approved online provider charges a fee; the cheapest is hunter-ed.com at $34.95. In-person courses run by the agency itself are often free — see the formats above.
How much does the Colorado hunter safety course cost?
Approved online providers run from $34.95 (hunter-ed.com). They all produce the same certificate, so the cheapest one certifies you just as well. Prices are set by the providers and change without notice — the table above was read on Aug 6, 2026.
Verified · Colorado Parks and Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-06
Publisher's note. Requirements and course fees read from CPW, retrieved 2026-08-06. Review due 2027-08-01. Course providers set their own prices and change them without notice — confirm before you pay.