Moving to Colorado with guns: what to know
Last verified against primary sources: · Updated
You can bring your legally owned firearms to Colorado freely — there is no registration and no permit to move in with them. The one real trap is magazines: Colorado bans possessing any magazine that holds more than 15 rounds unless you owned it before July 1, 2013 and have kept it continuously since, so most out-of-state high-capacity magazines cannot lawfully come with you. Rifles you already own — including AR-15-style firearms — are fine to bring; Colorado's 2026 law restricts buying and selling those in-state, not possessing ones you already own.
No registration — and no registry exists
Colorado has no state firearm registry, and state law bars local governments from building one. Moving in with legally owned firearms requires no registration with any state or local authority.
(1) A local government, including a law enforcement agency, shall not maintain a list or other form of record or database of: (a) Persons who purchase or exchange firearms or who leave firearms for repair or sale on consignment; (b) Persons who transfer firearms, unless the persons are federally licensed firearms dealers; (c) The descriptions, including serial numbers, of firearms purchased, transferred, exchanged, or left for repair or sale on consignment.
See do you have to register a gun in Colorado for more.
The magazine exception you have to plan around
This is the one thing that can turn an ordinary move into a criminal-possession problem. Colorado bans possessing a "large-capacity magazine" — generally one holding more than 15 rounds — and the grandfather clause is narrow.
(2)(a) 'Large-capacity magazine' means: (I) A fixed or detachable magazine, box, drum, feed strip, or similar device capable of accepting, or that is designed to be readily converted to accept, more than fifteen rounds of ammunition …
(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. … (2)(a) A person may possess a large-capacity magazine if he or she: (I) Owns the large-capacity magazine on July 1, 2013; and (II) Maintains continuous possession of the large-capacity magazine.
Read the grandfather clause precisely: it protects only a magazine you both owned on July 1, 2013 and have kept in continuous possession ever since. A magazine you acquired after that date — even one you bought perfectly legally in another state — is not covered, and possessing it in Colorado is a class 1 misdemeanor. There is no "I brought it from out of state" exception in the statute. If a defendant raises the grandfather defense, the prosecution bears the burden of disproving it, but that only helps someone who genuinely qualifies. See Colorado's 15-round magazine limit.
Bringing the firearms themselves — including AR-15-style rifles
The firearms are the easy part. Colorado does not criminalize possessing a "specified semiautomatic firearm" you already own. SB25-003, effective August 1, 2026, is written around transactions:
On or after August 1, 2026, it is unlawful for any person to knowingly manufacture, distribute, transfer, sell, or purchase a specified semiautomatic firearm; except that a person may sell or transfer a specified semiautomatic firearm to an individual residing in another state or a federally licensed firearm dealer.
Relocating with a rifle you already own is not the offense. SB25-003 bans only the manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale, or purchase of a covered firearm within Colorado — not possessing, owning, or bringing in one you already own. Someone who moves to Colorado with an AR-15-style rifle does not commit this offense by that act. The limit kicks in only if you try to buy a covered firearm here on or after August 1, 2026, which requires the state's safety-course pathway. Do not confuse this with the magazine ban above, which is a possession offense.
After you establish residency
Two things change once Colorado is your home state:
- Concealed carry. Colorado issues permits only to residents, so after you establish residency you can apply for a Colorado permit through your county sheriff. If you carried on a prior state's permit, note the recognition window is narrow — see Colorado concealed carry permits and non-resident concealed carry.
- New purchases. Any gun you buy after arriving is a Colorado purchase, subject to Colorado's rules — background check, the 3-day waiting period, the age-21 minimum, the magazine limit, and the 2026 safety-course requirement for covered semiautomatics. See buying a gun in Colorado.
Common questions
Do I have to register my guns when I move to Colorado?
No. Colorado has no firearm registry and bars local governments from keeping one (C.R.S. § 29-11.7-102). There is no registration or permit requirement simply to move in with legally owned firearms.
Can I bring my high-capacity magazines when I move to Colorado?
Generally no. Possessing a magazine over 15 rounds is a class 1 misdemeanor in Colorado (C.R.S. § 18-12-302), and the only exception is for magazines owned on July 1, 2013 and continuously possessed since — which a magazine bought out of state after that date will not satisfy.
Can I move to Colorado with an AR-15?
Yes. SB25-003 (C.R.S. § 18-12-116) restricts manufacturing, transferring, selling, and purchasing "specified semiautomatic firearms" in Colorado on or after August 1, 2026 — it does not criminalize possessing or bringing in one you already own. Watch the magazine limit separately, though.
Can I keep carrying on my out-of-state permit after I move?
Only briefly. Colorado recognizes a qualifying out-of-state permit for a person who has been a Colorado resident for no more than ninety days (C.R.S. § 18-12-213(1)(b)(II)). After that, you need a Colorado permit, which requires establishing residency first.