CDL Requirements in Colorado
Verified against Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetCDLLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Colorado's Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) administers all CDL and CDL-endorsement knowledge testing at its own state driver license offices, but state offices "no longer offer Driving Skills Tests" at all — every CDL skills test is delegated to a network of DMV-approved third-party testing facilities. Colorado's counties, which run vehicle registration and titling independently under elected county clerks, have no role whatsoever in CDL licensing or testing. Colorado also runs a one-year, non-renewable CLP and a 4-year CDL renewal cycle — both notably shorter than the 6-month CLP / 8-year CDL pattern common elsewhere — plus a state-specific Vets-2-Trucks program that waives the skills test (but not the written knowledge tests) for qualifying military applicants.
Colorado's CDL requirements — including a $20 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) (see Colorado DMV — Commercial Driver License (CDL) Overview), current as of 2026-07-25.
Colorado CDL Requirements at a Glance
This is the fee, age, and testing detail for Coloradospecifically — for the full step-by-step process see how to get a CDL, and for what Class A, B, and C each permit see CDL classes.
| Commercial learner’s permit (CLP) | |
|---|---|
| CLP fee | $20 |
| Minimum holding period before skills test | 14 days |
| CLP validity | 12 months |
| Age minimums | |
| Intrastate minimum age | 18 |
| Interstate minimum age | 21 (federal floor) |
| Fees | |
| Application fee | — |
| Initial CDL fee | $35 |
| Renewal fee | $35 |
| Renewal period | 4 years |
| Knowledge test fee | — |
| Skills test fee | — |
| Testing rules | |
| Third-party testers allowed | Yes |
| Retest waiting period | — |
Other published fees
- Duplicate CDL or Instruction Permit: $12.30
- Subsequent Duplicate CDL or Instruction Permit: $16.40
- Driving Knowledge (Written) Retest: $11.50
- Driving Skills (Road Test) Retest: $15.40
Colorado's CDL Instruction Permit (CLP) is valid for one year from issuance and is NOT eligible for renewal or extension — if the underlying CDL isn't obtained before it expires, all required written knowledge tests must be retaken from scratch. A CLP is single-purpose: the written test results are valid for only one CLP issuance, so adding a different class or endorsement later requires re-taking the corresponding knowledge test(s) for a new CLP. CLPs must be held 14 calendar days before the CDL skills test can be taken (matching, not exceeding, the federal floor), and a CLP holder may only drive accompanied by a CDL holder of the same class or higher who is at least 21 years old and seated closest to the driver.
Colorado's CDL Manual states the minimum age to apply for a CLP or CDL is 18; drivers 18 through 20 are issued Colorado's own "K" (intrastate-only) restriction code on the credential, which is removed once the driver turns 21. The same K restriction code is also applied to a driver who self-certifies to either intrastate self-certification category, or who holds a Colorado State Patrol medical waiver, regardless of age.
Colorado DMV states directly that its state driver license offices "no longer offer Driving Skills Tests"; all CDL skills testing (Classes A, B, C and all skills-tested endorsements) is conducted exclusively through DMV-approved third-party testing facilities, while all knowledge testing (general CDL knowledge and every endorsement knowledge test) remains administered at state driver license offices. County motor vehicle offices, which in Colorado operate independently under elected county clerks and handle only vehicle registration/titling, have no role in CDL knowledge or skills testing. Colorado's Vets-2-Trucks program waives the CDL skills test (written knowledge tests are still required) for Colorado residents currently serving, soon to be discharged, or discharged within the past year. No day-based retest waiting period is published; a written-knowledge retest costs $11.50 and a skills/road-test retest costs $15.40 per the state fee schedule.
Colorado CDL Endorsements
| Endorsement | Available | Fee | Knowledge test | Skills test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous materials (H) | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| Tank vehicle (N) | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| Doubles/triples (T) | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| Passenger (P) | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| School bus (S) | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
Hazardous materials: Endorsement code H (hazmat only) or X (combined tanker + hazmat); addable to a Class A, B, or C CDL. A Class R (non-commercial) license holder who wants to haul placarded hazmat must first upgrade to at least a Class C CDL (which carries its own skills test as part of the class upgrade — not as a hazmat-specific requirement). Colorado requires hazmat endorsement renewal to include an in-person written hazmat knowledge retest at a driver license office (appointment required), on top of maintaining current TSA clearance — a renewal step not required for Colorado's other endorsements. No separate DMV endorsement fee is published; H/X testing cost is bundled into the standard CDL/CLP fees.
Tank vehicle: Endorsement code N; required to haul liquids or liquefied gases in bulk or IBC tanks (119+ gallon individual capacity, 1,000+ gallon aggregate); addable to a Class A, B, or C CDL. Colorado's own endorsements page specifically clarifies that cement mixers do NOT require the tanker endorsement. No separate DMV endorsement fee is published.
Doubles/triples: Endorsement code T; required to tow two or three trailers with a combined GCWR of 10,001 pounds or more; addable only to a Class A CDL. No separate DMV endorsement fee is published.
Passenger: Endorsement code P; required to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver; addable to a Class A, B, or C CDL. Colorado's endorsements page notes a class-specific nuance: a driver who completes the passenger skills test in a Class B passenger vehicle is also qualified for other Class B vehicles generally, but a driver who tests in a non-passenger Class B vehicle cannot then operate a passenger bus. No separate DMV endorsement fee is published.
School bus: Endorsement code S; cannot stand alone — the driver must already hold, or simultaneously obtain, the Passenger (P) endorsement, and the skills test must be performed in an actual school bus. Depending on the CDL class, S pairs with an additional Colorado restriction code: an M restriction on a Class A CDL or an N restriction on a Class C CDL. No separate DMV endorsement fee is published.
For what each endorsement permits, the federal knowledge/skills testing baseline behind it, and hazmat’s separate TSA security threat assessment, see CDL endorsements.
Federal requirements that apply in Colorado
These are set by federal regulators and are the same in every US jurisdiction. Full detail here.
- Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT). Since February 2022, first-time CDL applicants — and drivers upgrading to Class A or seeking a first-time school bus, passenger, or hazmat endorsement — must complete Entry-Level Driver Training with a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before testing.
- DOT medical certificate. Most CDL holders who operate in interstate commerce must hold a valid DOT medical examiner's certificate, issued by an examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.
- Interstate minimum age. Federal rules set 21 as the minimum age to drive commercially across state lines; states set their own intrastate minimum, commonly 18.
- Hazmat security threat assessment. A hazardous materials endorsement additionally requires a TSA security threat assessment, which is a federal process separate from the state endorsement.
Self-certification in Colorado
Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:
- Non-Excepted Interstate
- Excepted Interstate
- Non-Excepted Intrastate
- Excepted Intrastate
Colorado's CDL Manual (Section 1.2.3) reproduces all four FMCSA self-certification statements as the checkbox options on the CDL application. Drivers who self-certify to either intrastate category are issued Colorado's "K" (intrastate-only) restriction on their CDL.
Source Notes
Where a source is stale, conflicting, or required a judgment call, we document it here rather than presenting a single confident-sounding number. See our methodology for how these calls are made.
- As of this record's verification date, Colorado DMV states it has suspended issuance and renewal of Non-Domiciled CDLs/CLPs (effective September 29, 2025) and that asylum seekers, refugees, and DACA recipients are not eligible for a Colorado CDL (effective March 16, 2026), per federal FMCSA regulations as implemented by the Colorado DMV. Readers in these categories should confirm current eligibility directly with Colorado DMV before applying.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- Colorado DMV — Commercial Driver License (CDL) Overview
- Colorado DMV — State DMV Fees (Commercial Driver's License fee table)
- Colorado DMV — CDL Endorsements and Restrictions
- Colorado DMV — Commercial Driver License Manual (DR 2251)
- Colorado DMV — CDL Requirements (class/endorsement overview)
- Colorado DMV — State DMV Services (skills-test delegation to third-party testers)
- Colorado DMV — County Motor Vehicle Offices
- Colorado DMV — State and County DMVs
Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)