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Independent directory. Not government. Not legal advice.

Colorado LEOSA qualification

What the state requires, who can administer it, and how to stay current.

REVIEWED 17 OCT 2026 M. Alvarez, Sgt. (ret.) TCOLE-certified firearms instructor
Flag of Colorado State of Colorado
NARRATIVE · 01

How qualification works in Colorado

Colorado is a genuinely mixed case, drafted at lower confidence and flagged for extra legal-review scrutiny. Colorado POST does publish a statewide Handgun Qualification Course (used in basic academy training, described in multiple sources as "used by law enforcement statewide"), but ongoing annual in-service firearms qualification content appears to be left to individual agency discretion within POST's broader training-hour requirements (24 hours of annual in-service training, including 12 hours of perishable skills covering arrest-control, firearms, and driving) — agency policy manuals reviewed (Fort Collins, El Paso County) each specify their own distinct course of fire and passing score rather than citing one uniform statewide annual qualification standard. The state's own retired-officer concealed-carry permit statute (C.R.S. § 18-12-212) governs a separate, Colorado-specific 5-year permit and should not be confused with the annual federal LEOSA qualification requirement itself.

NARRATIVE · 02

What to carry afterward

Agency photo ID From the agency you separated from.
Proficiency certificate Dated within the past 12 months.1
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Where LEOSA doesn't apply

Private property where the owner prohibits firearms.
State & local government property buildings, parks and installations that restrict firearms.
Federal facilities courthouses, federal buildings and military installations.
School zones under the Gun-Free School Zones Act, unless separately licensed by your state.
Commercial aircraft LEOSA does not change federal aviation rules.
SOURCES
  1. 18 U.S.C. § 926C(d), identification required to carry
  2. Colorado's primary source

Not legal advice. Confirm with Colorado's POST commission or your former agency.

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