Colorado’s New Ammunition Laws: What Buyers and Retailers Need to Know in 2026

Colorado residents and ammunition retailers are facing several important changes in 2026. The most significant is House Bill 25-1133, which took effect on July 1, 2026 and establishes new requirements for the retail sale, display, and delivery of ammunition.

The new law raises the minimum age for most retail ammunition purchases, requires stores to keep ammunition out of direct customer access, and changes how ammunition ordered online may be delivered. These requirements operate alongside Colorado’s existing 6.5% firearms and ammunition excise tax and new rules for ammunition displayed at gun shows.

Here is what Colorado ammunition buyers, online shoppers, reloaders, and retailers need to know.

Most ammunition purchases now require the buyer to be 21

Under HB25-1133, a Colorado retail ammunition vendor generally may not sell ammunition to anyone younger than 21. For an in-person transaction, the seller must verify the purchaser’s age using a valid government-issued photo ID.

This change is especially relevant to people between 18 and 20 who previously purchased centerfire rifle or shotgun ammunition. Several exceptions remain, but most of those exceptions require the transaction to be completed in person and the ammunition to be handed directly to the purchaser.

The law does not establish a new ammunition background-check system. Its primary purchase requirements involve age verification, controlled customer access, and documentation for anyone relying on an under-21 exception.

Ammunition must be kept behind a counter or controlled display

Retailers may no longer display covered ammunition in a way that allows customers to pick it up without employee assistance.

The law specifically recognizes the following arrangements as compliant:

• Ammunition kept behind a counter
• Ammunition inside an enclosed display case
• Ammunition protected by another device that prevents direct customer access

Customers can still examine and purchase ammunition, but an employee must retrieve or provide access to it.

This requirement will be most noticeable at sporting-goods stores and other retailers that previously stocked ammunition on open shelves.

The definition includes many reloading components

HB25-1133 defines “ammunition” more broadly than completed cartridges. The definition includes:

• Cartridge cases
• Primers
• Bullets or projectiles
• Propellant powder
• Completed ammunition

The law excludes loose shotgun shot or pellets that are not designed to serve as the complete projectile load for a single shell. It also excludes unloaded, nonmetallic shotgun hulls that do not contain a primer.

As a result, retailers should not assume the new rules apply only to boxes of factory-loaded ammunition. Primers, smokeless powder, bullets, and many cartridge cases may also fall within the statute’s definition.

Exceptions for buyers between 18 and 20

Colorado’s new minimum age is not absolute. The law permits certain buyers between 18 and 20 to purchase ammunition when they meet an exception and provide the required documentation.

Temporary age phase-in

A person who is at least 18 and was born on or before January 28, 2007 may continue purchasing ammunition under a temporary provision. That provision is repealed on January 28, 2028.

Shooting-range purchases

A public shooting range may sell ammunition to someone who is at least 18 but younger than 21 when the ammunition is used only at that range. The range must verify the purchaser’s age with government-issued photo identification.

This exception does not authorize the purchaser to buy range ammunition and take the unused portion home.

Military members and veterans

Members and veterans of the United States military or Colorado National Guard may purchase ammunition between ages 18 and 20 during an in-person transaction. The seller must examine a valid military identification card demonstrating the purchaser’s qualifying status.

Hunters with qualifying documentation

A buyer between 18 and 20 may qualify by presenting either:

• A valid hunter-education certificate recognized by Colorado Parks and Wildlife; or
• An expired or current Colorado hunting license containing verified hunter-education certification.

The transaction must be completed in person.

Protected persons

Someone identified as the protected person in an active protection order may qualify for an exception. The buyer must provide a copy of the protection order and attest that it remains in effect.

On-duty peace officers

The law also permits sales to qualifying peace officers who are on duty and acting in accordance with their employing agency’s policies.

Rimfire ammunition receives different treatment

The age and customer-access provisions in subsection 1 of the law do not apply to the sale of rimfire ammunition. This includes common rimfire cartridges such as .22 LR.

However, the rimfire exception is written specifically for the retail-sale provisions in subsection 1. The delivery requirements appear in separate subsections. Retailers and shipping companies should therefore avoid assuming that the rimfire exception automatically eliminates every obligation associated with shipped orders.

Online ammunition orders remain legal, but delivery has changed

HB25-1133 does not require ammunition ordered online to be transferred through a federally licensed firearms dealer. Instead, it places age-verification duties on the retailer and delivery service.

A vendor shipping retail ammunition to a Colorado purchaser must use a delivery service that ensures the recipient’s age is verified. When making the delivery, the delivery service must:

• Examine valid government-issued photo identification;
• Verify that the recipient is at least 21, subject to the temporary birth-date provision; and
• Obtain written acknowledgment that the ammunition was received.

These requirements apply to qualifying vendors located outside Colorado when they sell ammunition for delivery to a purchaser in Colorado.

For customers, the practical result is that an ammunition shipment generally cannot simply be left unattended at the door. Someone who meets the age requirement must be available to present identification and acknowledge receipt.

Carrier policies may be stricter than the minimum requirements in Colorado law, and some online retailers may decide not to ship to Colorado if their delivery systems cannot support age verification.

Penalties primarily affect the retailer

A retailer that violates the controlled-access or retail-sale requirements commits unlawful sale of ammunition. A first violation is classified as a civil infraction. A second or subsequent offense is a class 1 misdemeanor.

Because the law places compliance responsibility on the vendor, buyers should expect more consistent ID checks—even when the buyer is clearly older than 21 or is a regular customer.

Retailers should train every employee who handles ammunition transactions and create a written process for reviewing military identification, hunting documentation, protection orders, and other exceptions.

Colorado’s 6.5% ammunition excise tax remains in effect

The new purchasing rules are separate from Colorado’s firearms and ammunition excise tax.

Following voter approval of Proposition KK, Colorado began imposing a 6.5% excise tax on qualifying retail sales of firearms, firearm precursor parts, and ammunition on April 1, 2025. The tax is imposed on retail vendors’ net taxable sales and is separate from ordinary state and local sales taxes.

Sales to peace officers, law-enforcement agencies, and active-duty members of the United States Armed Forces are exempt when properly documented. Retailers generally must register with the Colorado Department of Revenue and file firearms and ammunition excise-tax returns monthly.

Out-of-state retailers may also have Colorado registration and tax obligations once they meet the state’s applicable sales or business-presence thresholds.

Ammunition sales at Colorado gun shows

Colorado’s gun-show requirements took effect on January 1, 2026. Among other obligations, gun-show vendors must display ammunition in accordance with applicable state and federal law.

That means gun-show vendors should treat HB25-1133’s controlled-access requirements as part of their event compliance planning. Promoters and vendors should also verify whether a city or county has adopted additional local restrictions.

What Colorado ammunition buyers should expect

For most buyers who are 21 or older, the purchasing process remains straightforward:

• Bring a valid government-issued photo ID.
• Ask an employee to retrieve the ammunition or reloading components.
• Expect an adult-signature and ID-verification requirement for shipped orders.
• Remember that the 6.5% state excise tax is separate from ordinary sales tax.

Buyers between 18 and 20 should bring all documents needed to establish an exception. Most exceptions cannot be used for an online order because the statute requires the exempt transaction to be completed in person.

What ammunition retailers should do

Colorado ammunition businesses should review their procedures in several areas:

• Move covered ammunition and reloading components into controlled displays.
• Train employees to check identification before completing sales.
• Document the procedures used for each under-21 exception.
• Confirm that delivery carriers provide age verification and written acknowledgment.
• Review website checkout language and Colorado shipping policies.
• Maintain Colorado excise-tax registration and monthly filing procedures.
• Check for stricter city or county requirements.

Businesses selling nationally should also make sure Colorado orders are identified before fulfillment. The law’s definition of a retail ammunition vendor includes an out-of-state seller offering ammunition for delivery to a Colorado purchaser.

The bottom line

Colorado’s newest ammunition law does not prohibit lawful adults from purchasing ammunition, and it does not create a general ammunition background check. It does, however, substantially change how ammunition is displayed, how age is verified, and how online orders are delivered.

Beginning July 1, 2026, most covered ammunition and reloading-component purchases require the buyer to be at least 21, ammunition must be kept out of direct customer access, and shipped orders require identification and written acknowledgment at delivery. These rules operate in addition to Colorado’s existing 6.5% firearms and ammunition excise tax.

Buyers should carry proper identification and understand the exceptions before shopping. Retailers should review both the statutory language and current state guidance, particularly when handling reloading supplies, under-21 customers, and shipments into Colorado.

This article is provided for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Firearms and ammunition laws may be affected by local ordinances, agency guidance, carrier policies, litigation, or future legislation. Businesses and individuals should consult qualified Colorado counsel regarding their specific circumstances.

Learn how we research and update our coverage in the Gun Place Editorial Policy.