- All guides
- Colorado
How to Sell a Gun in Colorado
Selling a firearm in Colorado is legal for most law-abiding adults, but the process must follow both federal law and Colorado state regulations. This guide covers what private sellers need to know to sell legally and responsibly.
- legal
- safe
- bill of sale
How to Sell a Gun in Colorado — Quick Overview
- Who Can Sell: Most law-abiding adults who legally own a firearm may sell it in Colorado
- Private Sales: Require a background check through a licensed FFL dealer
- Background Check: Required for all transfers — must go through a licensed FFL dealer
- Waiting Period: 3 business days for all firearm purchases
- Prohibited Transfers: Cannot sell to anyone under 18 or any person prohibited under federal law
- License Required: Only if you regularly sell for profit (federal FFL required)
- Gun Registration: Not required — no need to report private sales to the state
- Bill of Sale: Not legally required but strongly recommended — protects the seller from future liability
Table of Contents
Who Can Legally Sell a Gun in Colorado
Age Requirements for Selling a Gun in Colorado
Selling a Gun Through a Licensed Dealer in Colorado
How to Sell a Gun Privately in Colorado
Step-by-Step Guide to Selling a Gun
Why Many Sellers Use GunTransfer
Waiting Periods and Registration in Colorado
Colorado Gun Laws Every Seller Should Understand
FAQ About Selling a Gun in Colorado
Colorado Runs Its Own Background Checks
Who Can Legally Sell a Gun in Colorado
Under federal law and Colorado law, most adults who legally own a firearm may sell it privately. However, the seller bears responsibility for not transferring to a prohibited person.
To legally sell a firearm, a person generally must:
- Be legally eligible to possess firearms under federal law
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Not be engaged in the business of dealing firearms without a federal FFL
- Sell only to buyers who are eligible to receive firearms
Federal law prohibits certain individuals from possessing or transferring firearms. A seller who knowingly transfers to a prohibited person commits a serious federal crime.
A seller must not transfer a firearm to persons who:
- Have been convicted of a felony
- Have been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor
- Are subject to a qualifying restraining or protective order
- Are unlawful users of or addicted to controlled substances
- Have been adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution
- Are under 18 years of age
- Are illegal aliens or have renounced U.S. citizenship
Knowingly selling to a prohibited person is a serious federal crime — punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. Always verify the buyer’s eligibility.
Understanding these requirements is the essential first step before selling any firearm in Colorado. GunTransfer performs a background check on all buyers and generates a bill of sale that protects the seller.
Age Requirements for Selling a Gun in Colorado
21
years old minimum to sell or trade handguns at a dealer
18
18
18
Selling a Gun Through a Licensed Dealer in Colorado
Typical process when selling through a dealer:
Selling through a dealer means you are not responsible for vetting the buyer — the FFL handles all required background checks. It is the simplest way to ensure a fully compliant transfer in Colorado.
How to Sell a Gun Privately in Colorado
While private firearm sales are permitted in Colorado, all private transfers must go through a licensed FFL dealer for a background check. Direct person-to-person transfers without a dealer are illegal in Colorado.
Private firearm sales are common when:
- Selling a used firearm to another gun owner
- Selling inherited firearms
- Selling to a friend, family member, or collector
Both buyers and sellers remain responsible for complying with federal firearm laws. The seller must not knowingly transfer to a prohibited person. GunTransfer performs a background check on the buyer and documents the transfer with a legally sound bill of sale.
Although Colorado requires the transfer to go through a licensed FFL dealer, many sellers use GunTransfer to create a clear record that ownership has transferred — protecting them from future liability.
COLORADO GUN SALE QUICK REFERENCE
| SALE TYPE | BACKGROUND CHECK | WAITING PERIOD | KEY NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed Dealer | Required — CBI check | 3 business days | 21+ handguns, 18+ long guns. CBI Point of Contact. |
| Private Sale | Required — via FFL/CBI | 3 business days | ALL private transfers need CBI background check. Family exceptions apply. |
| Online Purchase | Required at receiving FFL | 3 business days | Ships to Colorado FFL for CBI check plus 3-day wait. |
| Family Transfer (Immediate) | Exempt from check | 3 business days | Parent, child, sibling, spouse, grandparent, grandchild only. |
| Magazine > 15 rounds | Prohibited | Prohibited | Prohibited in Colorado. |
Step-by-Step
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Sell a Gun in Colorado
The process for legally selling a firearm in Colorado generally includes the following steps.
1
Confirm your eligibility to sell
Make sure you are legally permitted to possess and transfer firearms under federal and Colorado law.
2
Assess the firearm’s value
Research fair market value using online guides or get a local dealer appraisal.
3
Find a qualified buyer
Locate a buyer through personal contacts or local channels. Both parties must meet at a licensed FFL dealer to complete the transfer.
4
Verify buyer identity and age
Request a valid government-issued photo ID. Confirm the buyer is at least 18 years old. The FFL dealer will verify identity as part of the background check process.
5
Document the transfer with a bill of sale
Use GunTransfer to generate a bill of sale recording both parties, the firearm description, serial number, sale price, and date. GunTransfer also performs a background check on the buyer.
6
File your copy
Store your signed GunTransfer bill of sale securely — it is your permanent proof that the firearm left your possession on a specific date, critical if it is ever questioned.
We handle the legal part for you.
Colorado requires a licensed dealer for private transfers. We route you to a local FFL at no markup and handle the bill of sale and permanent records for you. Flat $50.
Why Many Sellers Use GunTransfer
Private firearm sales are permitted in Colorado, but without documentation there is no proof that ownership transferred — leaving the original owner potentially connected to any future incident involving the firearm.
Document the firearm’s serial number and full description
Record the exact date ownership transferred away from you
Protect yourself from future liability if the gun is later misused
Demonstrate responsible, law-abiding gun ownership
For sellers, a documented GunTransfer bill of sale is proof the firearm left your hands on a specific date — which can be critical if the gun is later lost, stolen, or involved in an incident. GunTransfer makes this documentation simple for every private sale in Colorado.
Waiting Periods and Registration in Colorado
Colorado requires a waiting period of 3 business days for all firearm purchases for firearm sales. The buyer cannot take possession until this period has elapsed after the sale is approved.
Colorado also does not require firearm registration for private citizens. Sellers are not required to report a private sale to the state.
Use the waiting period to complete all required documentation through GunTransfer.
Colorado Gun Laws Every Seller Should Understand
Although Colorado has relatively permissive private sale laws, sellers should understand these important regulations before completing any transfer:
- You cannot sell to any prohibited person under federal law — doing so is a serious federal crime regardless of whether a background check was conducted
- You cannot sell to anyone under 18 years of age
- ALL private transfers must go through a licensed FFL dealer for a background check
- Selling a stolen firearm is a crime under both state and federal law
- If you regularly sell firearms for profit, you must obtain a federal FFL — unlicensed dealing is a federal felony
- Colorado has a 15-round magazine limit — magazines over this capacity cannot be sold or transferred
Frequently Asked
Questions
Do I need a license to sell a gun in Colorado?
No. Private sales do not require a federal firearms license.
Do private gun sales in Colorado require a background check?
Is a bill of sale required when selling a gun in Colorado?
What happens if I sell without going through an FFL in Colorado?
Colorado Runs Its Own Background Checks
Sell through a licensed dealer in Colorado and the dealer does not contact the FBI. Colorado is a full point-of-contact state: ATF's Permanent Brady State Lists route every firearm transaction through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which runs the Firearms InstaCheck Unit and submits the federal check on the dealer's behalf. The dealer is talking to the state and the state is talking to the FBI, which is why general advice about calling NICS and waiting describes something that does not happen in Colorado.
No permit issued by Colorado shortcuts that check. The Colorado row on ATF's Permanent Brady Permit Chart reads None, and that is the whole answer to the question buyers ask most often: a carry permit issued by Colorado, however recently, does not exempt its holder from the check at a dealer. The exemption in 18 U.S.C. § 922(t)(3)(A) only operates where the issuing state's permit appears on that chart. Budget for the check on every sale rather than hoping a permit will carry the day, and tell your buyer the same before he drives to meet you.
A denial in Colorado is appealed to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and not to the FBI, because that is the body that made the decision. It is the most useful thing you can tell a buyer who has just been turned down at the counter, and it is the part sellers get wrong, because advice written for the country as a whole sends him to the FBI. The firearm stays with the dealer or comes back to you while it is sorted out.
Verified October 2026
Explore All GUN Laws across the country
50 State Guides
How to Sell a Gun by State → How to Buy a Gun by State → Gun Transfer Laws by State → Background Check Laws by State → Private Gun Sale Laws by State → Gun Waiting Period Laws by State → Gun Inheritance Laws by State →Colorado Guides
How to Buy a Gun in Colorado → Gun Transfer Laws in Colorado → Private Gun Sale Laws in Colorado → Background Check Laws in Colorado → Waiting Period Laws in Colorado → Gun Inheritance Laws in Colorado →Ready to Transfer ?
Colorado Firearm Sale Resources: ATF — Identifying Prohibited Persons | ATF — Brady Law & 3-Day Default Rule | FBI NICS | Giffords — Colorado Gun Laws | ATF State Laws & Ordinances
A handshake isn’t a transfer.
Make it legal.
In Colorado, the seller carries the federal liability. One undocumented sale to the wrong person is the difference between a clean record and 18 U.S.C. § 922(d). For \$50, you get proof you did it right.
- Real background check on the buyerMulti-source federal, state & county criminal + sex-offender records.
- Official bill of sale, signed by both partiesElectronic. Documented to hold up in court.
- Lifetime digital records in your Gun VaultPull them 5, 10, 20 years from now.
- Routed to a local licensed dealer — no markupColorado requires an FFL; we handle the paperwork and records.
Fast, clean, and I have the paperwork forever. Exactly what I wanted and cheaper than my local FFL.— Marcus R., verified seller
Secure checkout · No FFL markup · No range fees · Flat $50 every time.
About this guide
- Published by
- Gun Transfer, which has handled private firearm transfers since 2016. Written and maintained in-house.
- Sources
- Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 921–931), the ATF’s published rules and guidance, and the statutes of the state this page covers. Primary sources are linked throughout the text above so you can check any of it yourself.
- Last reviewed
- . Firearm law changes often, and a page that was right in April can be wrong by August.
- Found something wrong?
- Tell us and we will check it: info@guntransfer.com or 855-750-5500.
This is general information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm and no attorney has reviewed this page. Firearm law varies by state and by situation, and the consequences of getting it wrong fall on you — so verify anything you are relying on against your state’s current statute, or ask a lawyer licensed there.
