Open a jurisdiction to review its dated requirements and official sources. Use the compact tables to compare which states participate.
All 51 jurisdictions · Compact status table · Plan the crossing: offshore · 911 ground · IFT
Can I work a 13-week contract here on my home-state licence?
Only with the hiring agency’s cooperation
Colorado is participating and fully integrated per the Commissioner page (additional read evidence), and privilege carries no time limit per the FAQ, so a 13-week contract is covered for an eligible clinician — but the route is agency-dependent: affiliation with a Colorado-authorized agency, local medical direction, and local onboarding are required, and agencies keep full control over hiring, credentialing, orientation, and employment policies.
Colorado is participating and fully integrated per the Commissioner page (additional read evidence), and privilege carries no time limit per the FAQ, so a 13-week contract is covered for an eligible clinician — but the route is agency-dependent: affiliation with a Colorado-authorized agency, local medical direction, and local onboarding are required, and agencies keep full control over hiring, credentialing, orientation, and employment policies. Actual credential guarantee unresolved. No Colorado-specific onboarding guidance established (state EMS page returned placeholder only); confirm requirements with the hiring agency. Quote covers agency optionality only.
EMS Compact Commission · emscompact.gov · verified 3 Oct 2026 · Partly supported
Requirements include source links and review dates. Expand each source quotation for the supporting text. Unverified and incomplete information is labelled alongside the relevant requirement.
The office that issues the card, and the law it issues it under.
5 of 5 answered from a source · 0 written up as absences
Who actually issues an EMS licence in Colorado?
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
2.10 “Department” - Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
Where is Colorado's EMS licensing office online?
Unverified
quoted text not found on the live page (NaN Oct 2026). The displayed value has not been confirmed as current.
CDPHE EMS provider certification and initial-application guidance.
Where do I actually submit an application in Colorado?
Unverified
colorado.imagetrendlicense.com
quoted text not found on the live page (NaN Oct 2026). The displayed value has not been confirmed as current.
OATH is the online application portal identified by CDPHE.
Create an OATH account to start the online application process.
cdphe.colorado.gov · State EMS office
Who do I call or email about Colorado licensure?
Unverified
cdphe.emtcert@state.co.us; 303-691-4932
quoted text not found on the live page (NaN Oct 2026). The displayed value has not been confirmed as current.
CDPHE lists this email and EMS certification hotline.
Which statute or rule governs EMS licensure in Colorado?
C.R.S. § 25-3.5-101 et seq.
1.2 The authority for the promulgation of these rules is set forth in Section 25-3.5-101 et seq., C.R.S.
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
Levels, term, and what your National Registry does and does not buy you.
4 of 6 answered from a source · 2 written up as absences
What levels does Colorado issue, and what does my cert become there?
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT)
Emergency Medical Technician Intermediate (EMT-I)
Paramedic
These are the current EMS provider certification or licensure levels listed by rule; EMR registration is separate.
5.1.1 The Department may issue the following EMS provider certifications or licenses: A) EMT B) AEMT C) EMT-I D) Paramedic
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
How long does a Colorado licence last before renewal?
Term runs three years from issuance.
5.1.4 Certificates or licenses shall be effective for a period of three (3) years after the date of issuance.
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
Do I need National Registry to get licensed in Colorado?
Yes
Initial certification or licensure requires current, valid NREMT certification at or above the applied EMS provider level.
B) Evidence of current and valid certification from the NREMT at or above the EMS Provider level being applied for.
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
Do I have to keep National Registry current to keep a Colorado licence?
No
Renewal allows current NREMT, an approved refresher course, or the minimum approved education hours; NREMT is not the only renewal path.
C) Complete one of the following: 1) Except for an EMT-I, current and valid NREMT certification at or above the EMS provider level being renewed. The Department will continue to accept education hours consistent with Section 5.3.3 for renewal of EMT- I providers in the State of Colorado notwithstanding the discontinuance of the EMT-I exam by the NREMT. 2) Appropriate level refresher course as described in Section 5.3.3 conducted or approved through signature of a Department-recognized EMS education program representative and skill competency as attested to by signature of medical director or Department-recognized EMS education program representative. 3) The minimum number of education hours as described in Section 5.3.3 completed or approved through signature of a Department-recognized EMS education program representative and skill competency as attested to by signature of medical director or Department-recognized EMS education program representative.
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
Does Colorado make me sit its own exam?
Not established in the cited source
The current initial-certification rule requires current NREMT certification, but the rule does not state whether Colorado also administers a separate state examination; no current primary statement of absence was found.
What criminal history bars me from licensure in Colorado?
Not established in the cited source
Background screening is required, but categorical statutory bars are enumerated in 6 CCR 1015-3.
The EMS Compact — formally REPLICA, the Recognition of EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact. Enacted, in force, and verifiable status are separate dated facts, plus what privilege covers.
8 of 10 answered from a source · 2 written up as absences
Has Colorado passed the EMS Compact into law?
Nothing recorded
Quote covers bill and signing; the § 24-60-3502 citation is the page's 'The EMS Compact Is State Law' passage plus the enrolled act header read ('HOUSE BILL 15-1015', 'NOTE: The governor signed this measure on 5/8/2015'). May 8, 2015 is the signing date, not an independently established statutory effective date.
Colorado was the first state to enact the EMS Compact legislation. HB 15-1015 was signed into law on May 8, 2015.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
Is Colorado's compact law actually in effect yet?
Colorado is participating with law long in force (additional read evidence: the participating-states legend 'The Compact is in force and the Privilege to Practice is recognized here'). Exact statutory effective date unknown: enrolled act Section 4 sets effect at 12:01 a.m. the day after the 90-day post-adjournment period (parenthetically August 5, 2015 'if adjournment sine die is on May 6, 2015', barring a referendum petition) — conditional date semantics only, with neither the adjournment date nor the absence of a petition verified, so no exact date is recorded. The old May 8, 2015 'effective' date was the signing date. No delayed-clause status asserted from absence. The quoted state-law and enactment passages establish enacted law; current participating-state status is additional evidence of present force, not evidence of its exact effective date.
The EMS Compact Is State Law Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-60-3502: EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact . Read the state law here. About Colorado's EMS System EMS Compact Legislation Colorado was the first state to enact the EMS Compact legislation. HB 15-1015 was signed into law on May 8, 2015.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
Can my Privilege to Practice actually be verified in Colorado?
The Commission publishes no connection date.
What do I have to satisfy for compact privilege to apply in Colorado?
The Commission's national eligibility checklist, not a Colorado statement. Whether Colorado imposes anything further has not been established from a Colorado source — see compact.privilege.state_specific_restrictions. Replaces the former list, which cited the state-laws table row that cannot support it.
To exercise it, you must meet four requirements. 1 Be at least 18 years of age. Section 4.B.1 2 Hold a current, unrestricted license in at least one EMS Compact participating state, as an EMT, AEMT, Paramedic, or a state-recognized level between EMT and Paramedic. Section 4.B.2 3 Affiliate with an EMS agency in the remote state that provides EMS medical direction. Section 4.B.3 4 Adhere to the Commission's Professional Code of Conduct . Rules 4.0(E) and 4.6 Then, as you practice: follow the local scope of practice, protocols, and laws of the state you are working in, under Rule 4.4 of the Commission's administrative rules.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
Which situations does compact privilege cover in Colorado?
Commission national statement; no Colorado-specific circumstance limit established. Replaces the former emergency/transport enumeration, which its table-row citation cannot support.
No. The Compact applies at all times, not only during declared emergencies.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
When do I need full Colorado licensure instead of privilege?
Commission national rule. Replaces the former permanent-residence assertion: residency is not the test — the FAQ states a Home State has nothing to do with where you live.
If you hold licenses in multiple participating states, all of those states are Home States, not Remote States. The Compact only provides a Privilege to Practice in Remote States, meaning states where you are not licensed.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
Can I work a 13-week contract in Colorado on my home-state licence?
Only with the hiring agency’s cooperation
Partly supported
Colorado is participating and fully integrated per the Commissioner page (additional read evidence), and privilege carries no time limit per the FAQ, so a 13-week contract is covered for an eligible clinician — but the route is agency-dependent: affiliation with a Colorado-authorized agency, local medical direction, and local onboarding are required, and agencies keep full control over hiring, credentialing, orientation, and employment policies. Actual credential guarantee unresolved. No Colorado-specific onboarding guidance established (state EMS page returned placeholder only); confirm requirements with the hiring agency. Quote covers agency optionality only.
Participation is always optional: agencies decide whether to use Compact personnel, who meets their hiring standards, and what credentialing they require.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
I have an old or inactive Colorado card — can I still use compact privilege here?
Conflicting or incomplete source information
The national FAQ establishes that a participating state where a clinician currently holds a license is a Home State; privilege applies only in Remote States. Position Paper 2024-01 establishes that a still-held voluntarily inactive Kansas license remains a Home State license and voluntary inactivity alone does not bar privilege elsewhere. It does not establish a universal rule for expired, surrendered, or revoked licenses. Colorado's inactive-status availability and reactivation pathway remain unknown, so this compound claim is explicitly unresolved.
Defect in this source This supports the currently-held-license Home State rule, not every historical license status or a state-specific reactivation pathway.
Does Colorado add anything on top of the compact?
Not yet verified
The CDPHE 'Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice' page was fetched but returned placeholder chrome only, with no quotable Compact onboarding guidance; no affirmative state guidance establishes additional restrictions — and silence would not prove none. Replaces the former 'none' note, which silence cannot support.
Where does an employer verify my privilege for Colorado?
Partly supported
National lookup keyed to the 12-digit National EMS ID (not the state license or NREMT number). Results show privilege status, Home State licensure status, level, and expiration as reported by the issuing Home State: issuing-state database records versus destination eligibility are distinct, and an absent display is not an automatic disqualification — contact the state EMS office and the agency. If a Colorado-expected record is absent, confirm with the Colorado EMS office and the agency rather than treating it as disqualification.
Enter the clinician's National EMS ID, a 12-digit number that is different from a state license or National Registry (NREMT) number.
emscompact.gov · EMS Compact Commission
The route in when privilege does not cover you.
2 of 9 answered from a source · 7 written up as absences
Will Colorado recognise my out-of-state certification at all?
Unverified
No
quoted text not found on the live page (NaN Oct 2026). The displayed value has not been confirmed as current.
CDPHE states that Colorado has no EMS provider reciprocity process.
Colorado does not have a reciprocity process for EMS providers.
cdphe.colorado.gov · State EMS office
What does Colorado call its out-of-state pathway?
Does not arise in Colorado
Where do I start a reciprocity application for Colorado?
Does not arise in Colorado
No reciprocity application route applies. First-time applicants apply through OATH.
What does Colorado require from an out-of-state applicant?
Does not arise in Colorado
First-time applicants use the initial certification process: current NREMT at the intended level, valid BLS card, ACLS for paramedic and intermediate applicants, fingerprints submitted to CBI, and an OATH application.
What does it cost to get licensed in Colorado from out of state?
Does not arise in Colorado
No reciprocity application fee applies; initial certification fees are not stated here.
How long will Colorado take to process my application?
Does not arise in Colorado
What background check does Colorado require, and how do I do it from out of state?
Does not arise in Colorado
The reciprocity field does not apply. CDPHE requires fingerprints submitted to CBI for first-time applicants.
Can I start working in Colorado before full approval?
Does not arise in Colorado
Does my National Registry have to be current to apply in Colorado?
Unverified
Yes
quoted text not found on the live page (NaN Oct 2026). The displayed value has not been confirmed as current.
CDPHE requires current NREMT registration at the intended level for all first-time applicants.
All first-time applicants must be registered with the NREMT at their intended level of practice.
cdphe.colorado.gov · State EMS office
The renewal clock and what it costs in hours.
3 of 7 answered from a source · 4 written up as absences
How often do I recert in Colorado?
3
Renewed certificates and licenses are valid three years from issuance.
All certificates or licenses renewed by the Department shall be valid for three (3) years from the date of issuance.
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
How many CE hours does Colorado want, and in what?
EMT
AEMT
EMT-I
Paramedic
The current rule requires at least 36 hours for EMT/AEMT and 50 hours for EMT-I/Paramedic when renewing without current NREMT; minimum subject-area components are specified in 5.3.3 and are not expanded in this field.
Education required for the renewal of an EMT or AEMT certificate or license shall be no less than thirty-six (36) hours and shall be completed through one of the following: a) A refresher course at the EMT or AEMT level conducted or approved by a Department-recognized EMS education program plus additional continuing education topics such that the total education hours is no less than thirty-six (36) hours; or b) Continuing education topics consisting of no less than thirty-six (36) hours of education that is conducted or approved through a Department-recognized EMS education program consisting of the following minimum content requirements on the EMT or AEMT level: i) One (1) hour of preparatory content that may include scene safety, quality improvement, health and safety of EMS providers, or medical legal concepts. ii) Two (2) hours of obstetric patient assessment and treatment. 12 CODE OF COLORADO REGULATIONS 6 CCR 1015-3 Health Facilities and Emergency Medical Services Division iii) Two (2) hours of pediatric patient assessment and treatment. iv) Six (6) hours of trauma patient assessment and treatment. v) Five (5) hours of patient assessment. vi) Three (3) hours of airway assessment and management. vii) Six (6) hours of medical/behavioral emergency patient assessment and management. viii) Eleven (11) hours of elective content that is relevant to the practice of emergency medicine. 2) Education required for the renewal of an EMT-I or Paramedic certificate or license shall be no less than fifty (50) hours and shall be completed through one of the following methods:
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
Can I use NCCP hours to recert in Colorado, or does it want its own?
Not established in the cited source
The current renewal rule lists NREMT, refresher-course, and education-hour options but does not state whether the NCCP model itself is accepted.
What does Colorado require at renewal that other states do not?
Not established in the cited source
CE distribution specified in 6 CCR 1015-3.
Does Colorado make me take a refresher course to recert?
No
A refresher course is one of three renewal options, not a universal requirement.
C) Complete one of the following: 1) Except for an EMT-I, current and valid NREMT certification at or above the EMS provider level being renewed. The Department will continue to accept education hours consistent with Section 5.3.3 for renewal of EMT- I providers in the State of Colorado notwithstanding the discontinuance of the EMT-I exam by the NREMT. 2) Appropriate level refresher course as described in Section 5.3.3 conducted or approved through signature of a Department-recognized EMS education program representative and skill competency as attested to by signature of medical director or Department-recognized EMS education program representative. 3) The minimum number of education hours as described in Section 5.3.3 completed or approved through signature of a Department-recognized EMS education program representative and skill competency as attested to by signature of medical director or Department-recognized EMS education program representative.
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
My Colorado cert expired — can I still get it back?
Not established in the cited source
Reinstatement rules governed by CDPHE regulations.
Where do I find CE that Colorado will accept?
Not yet verified
Approved training groups listed on CDPHE portal.
Where a service record shortens the path.
3 of 4 answered from a source · 1 written up as absences
Does Colorado have a faster route for military training or veterans?
Yes
The current rule provides a specific application provision for the listed military-affiliated applicants.
G) While stationed or residing within Colorado, all veterans, active military service members, and members of the National Guard and reserves that are separating from an active duty tour, or the spouse of a veteran or a member, may apply for certification or licensure to practice in Colorado.
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
What does Colorado's military pathway actually get me?
Eligible veterans, active service members, National Guard and reserve members separating from an active-duty tour, and qualifying spouses may apply while stationed or residing in Colorado; listed applicants are exempt from specified CPR and ACLS requirements.
G) While stationed or residing within Colorado, all veterans, active military service members, and members of the National Guard and reserves that are separating from an active duty tour, or the spouse of a veteran or a member, may apply for certification or licensure to practice in Colorado. The veteran, member, or spouse is exempt from the requirements of Paragraphs C) and D).
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
Where does Colorado document its military pathway?
G) While stationed or residing within Colorado, all veterans, active military service members, and members of the National Guard and reserves that are separating from an active duty tour, or the spouse of a veteran or a member, may apply for certification or licensure to practice in Colorado. The veteran, member, or spouse is exempt from the requirements of Paragraphs C) and D).
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
Does Colorado extend its military pathway to spouses?
Not yet verified
Military spouse provisions governed by C.R.S. 24-34-107.
DEA rewrote the narcotics rules for EMS in February 2026. Registration moved from the medical director to the agency itself, and the rule spells out storage, restocking and standing-order administration. These rules are federal and read the same in every state.
10 federal facts, quoted from the Federal Register · 1 of 2 Colorado facts answered from state law
What changed, and when did it take effect?
The DEA final rule implementing the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2017 (PPAEMA). It amends 21 CFR parts 1300, 1301, 1304 and following to create the EMS agency registration and the storage, delivery and recordkeeping rules below.
Who holds the DEA registration an ambulance operates under?
Before this rule most services ran narcotics under their medical director's practitioner registration. The registration now belongs to the agency, as its own DEA business-activity category.
the Act directs the Attorney General (and thus the Administrator) to allow a registered EMS agency to obtain a single registration for each State in which the EMS agency administers controlled substances, rather than requiring the agency to obtain a separate registration for each location at which it operates within that State.
Does one DEA registration cover operating in another state?
The fact that matters most to a traveler: compact privilege can carry your licence across a border, but it does not carry your agency's DEA registration. An agency running trucks in two states registers twice.
EMS agencies that wish to operate in multiple States must register with DEA in each State in which they operate.
Can a medic administer controlled substances without the medical director present?
Federal law now says yes, but only where state law agrees: EMS professionals are only allowed to make such administrations if authorized by State law. Whether your state's law does is the per-state question at the end of this section.
the Act allows emergency medical services professionals to administer controlled substances outside the physical presence of a medical director or authorizing medical professional pursuant to a valid standing or verbal order.
How do narcotics have to be stored in the vehicle?
EMS vehicles storing controlled substances must be locked when parked outside of an enclosed registered or designated location, with the controlled substances stored in a securely locked, substantially constructed cabinet or safe that cannot be readily removed.
Does a hospital-based agency need its own registration?
Hospital-based means owned or operated by a hospital. If you work for a hospital service, the drug box stays on the hospital's paper.
The CSA, as amended by the Act, expressly allows hospital-based EMS agencies to operate under the hospital's registration rather than obtaining their own separate registration.
Can the truck restock controlled substances from a hospital?
the Act allows non-hospital-based EMS agencies to receive controlled substances from a hospital for the purpose of restocking an EMS vehicle following an emergency response.
What does the DEA registration cost an agency?
this rule reflects the current fee of $888 so that, as intended, the fee for EMS registrants is the same as that for other dispensers of controlled substances.
Do municipal and fire-based services pay the fee?
Even if the EMS agency is not operated by a government fire department, if the EMS agency itself is operated by the local government, it would also be exempt from application fees.
When does an existing service have to move to the new registration?
DEA recommends agencies contact their local field office to complete the transition.
The three options for EMS agencies to transition are: (1) transition immediately on the effective date established by DEA; (2) transition at the expiration of their current registration; or (3) transition three to six months prior to their renewal date.
Does Colorado law let a medic push scheduled drugs on standing orders, the way the DEA rule assumes?
Partly supported
Colorado is unusually explicit about which drugs may go on standing orders and which may not, and the tables are the substance of the answer rather than the prose. Under § 15.3.1 a 'Y' means the act 'May be performed or administered by EMS providers with supervision as described in these rules'; under § 15.3.2 a 'VO' means it may only be given after a physician's contemporaneous verbal or written order, subject to medical-director exception criteria that § 15.3.2(C) forbids from waiving the verbal-order requirement wholesale. Table B.8 codes Fentanyl and Morphine sulfate as VO at EMT-Intermediate but Y at Paramedic, and Midazolam as Y at both. Ketamine sits outside the tables and needs a Department waiver under Section 12. The quote is trimmed before 'real-time' because the phrase is hyphenated across a line break in the published PDF.
A medical director may establish the methods by which an EMS provider obtains authorization in the prehospital or clinical setting to perform any medical acts contained in these rules including, but not limited to: advanced standing orders that are written or electronically conveyed, contemporaneous orders that are direct verbal orders
sos.state.co.us · State administrative code
Does Colorado require its own controlled-substance registration for EMS agencies?
Not established in the cited source
Neither Colorado body that would impose one says anything. The EMS rules (6 CCR 1015-3, read in full) require only that medications, fluids and controlled substances be 'securely maintained ... in compliance with local, state, and federal drug laws' and name no state registration, permit or pharmacy licence for an EMS agency. The State Board of Pharmacy rules (3 CCR 719-1, also read in full) define the registrable 'other outlet' categories without including ambulance or EMS services, and mention EMS only once, at 23.00.90(a)(3), to exempt certified EMS personnel from prescription drug monitoring reporting. Two silences are not an affirmative statement that no registration exists, so this stays null.
Questions not yet settled from a primary source.
Does Colorado require any state-specific onboarding for privilege holders (registration, notification, orientation, fee)? The CDPHE Compact page returned placeholder only.
opened 3 Oct 2026 · blocks compact.privilege.state_specific_restrictions
Does Colorado offer an inactive EMS status, and what does reactivation require? Matters for clinicians who hold a Colorado license alongside privilege elsewhere.
opened 3 Oct 2026 · blocks compact.privilege.home_state_licenses