If you have been ordered to register as a sex offender in Colorado following a criminal conviction, you need to know the rules about:
In this article I explain what you need to know about these four issues. Also listen to our informative podcast on the subject:
1. When to Register
In most cases, Colorado sex offender registration laws require you to update your information with the county sheriff once a year within five business days of your birthday. However, you must re-register every three months (four times a year) if either:
- You have been classified as a sexually violent predator (SVP); or
- You have been convicted out-of-state, and your conviction would require quarterly registration in Colorado; or
- You have been convicted as an adult in Colorado of either:
You must also re-register any time you:
- Change or add an address;
- Move your trailer or motor home; or
- Legally change your name.
In addition, you must re-register when you study or begin working at an institution of higher education. You must then re-register whenever you change your work status or location at the institution.1
2. Length of Registration
Once you have registered as a sex offender for the minimum required years in your case, you may then be eligible for removal.
Colorado Sex Crime |
When You May Petition to Get Off the Registry |
Sexually violent predators (SVPs); or felony sexual assault or incest; or at least two convictions of unlawful sexual behavior | Never |
Other class 1, 2, and 3 felonies | After 20 years |
Other class 4, 5, and 6 felonies; or class 1 misdemeanor sexual assault or sexual contact | After 10 years |
Other misdemeanors | After 5 years |
Failure to register | After 1 year (in addition to the required years for the underlying sex crime) |
Deferred sentence and adjudication; or you were a juvenile | After dismissal of your case |
Once you are eligible for removal from the registry, you must complete this “Discontinue Sex Offender Registration” form and notify:
- The police agency you are required to register with; and
- The prosecutor in the jurisdiction of that law enforcement agency; and
- The prosecutor who was assigned to your case.
If you are a Colorado resident, you do not need to pay a filing fee. However, there may be fees for obtaining records.2
3. What the Public Sees
If you are a sex offender in Colorado and have been convicted of a felony, Colorado’s sex offender registry website shows the following information about you:
- Name and aliases
- Date of birth
- Residential address and county
- Vehicles
- Custody status
- Headshot
- Gender
- Race
- Height and weight
- Hair and eye color
- Scars, marks, and tattoos
- Dates of crimes and conviction
- Whether you are an SVP
- Modus operandi information (details of predatory habits), if known
- Whether you ever violated registration requirements before
This information can also be posted on the websites of local law enforcement agencies.3

Failing to register as a sex offender is typically a felony crime in Nevada.
4. Failing to Register
Failure to register as a sex offender is a class 6 felony in Colorado if the underlying sex offense is a felony. Penalties include:
- 1 to 1 ½ years in Colorado State Prison and/or
- $1,000 to $100,000.
A second or subsequent offense is a class 5 felony. The punishments include:
- 1 to 3 years in prison and/or
- $1,000 to $100,000.
Meanwhile, failure to register is an extraordinary risk class 1 misdemeanor if you were convicted of a misdemeanor sex offense. The sentence is:
- 6 to 18 months in jail and/or
- Up to $1,000.4
Convictions for failing to register will also be noted on your registry profile page.
Additional Resources
For more information, refer to the following:
- Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) – The state agency that provides forensic, investigative, and criminal justice support to law enforcement.
- Colorado Department of Corrections – The state agency responsible for managing prisons and supervising parolees.
- Colorado Sex Offender Management Board – The regulatory body that sets treatment and supervision standards for sex offenders.
- Colorado Sex Offender Registration Unit – The state office that oversees the registration and tracking of sex offenders.
- Colorado Department of Public Safety – The agency that coordinates law enforcement, emergency response, and criminal justice services.
- Colorado Office of Community Corrections – The state agency that oversees alternatives to incarceration, such as halfway houses and reentry programs.
Also see our related articles on Colorado’s Sex Offender Intensive Supervision Program (SOISP), residency restrictions on sex offenders, and travel restrictions on sex offenders.
Legal References
- Colorado Revised Statutes 16-22-103; CRS 16-22-108. Jamison v. People, (1999) 988 P.2d 177. Convictions of any of the following criminal offenses trigger a requirement to register as a sex offender in Colorado:
- Sexual assault (CRS 18-3-402)
- Unlawful sexual contact (CRS 18-3-404)
- Sexual assault on a child (CRS 18-3-405).
- Sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust (CRS 18-3-405.3)
- Sexual assault on a client by a psychotherapist (CRS 18-3-405.5)
- Enticement of a child (CRS 18-3-305)
- Keeping a place of child prostitution (CRS 18-7-404)
- Pimping of a child (CRS 18-7-405)
- Inducement of child prostitution (CRS 18-7-405.5)
- Patronizing a prostituted child (CRS 18-7-406)
- Trafficking in children (CRS 18-3-502)
- Sexual exploitation of children (CRS 18-6-403)
- Procurement of a child for sexual exploitation (CRS 18-6-404)
- Indecent exposure (CRS 18-7-302)
- Soliciting for child prostitution (CRS 18-7-402)
- Pandering of a child (CRS 18-7-403)
- Procurement of a child (CRS 18-7-403.5)
- Sexual conduct prohibited under CRS 18-7-701
- Wholesale promotion of obscenity to a minor (CRS 18-7-102(1.5))
- Promotion of obscenity to a minor (CRS 18-7-102(2.5))
- Class 4 felony internet luring of a child (CRS 18-3-306 (3))
- Internet sexual exploitation of a child (CRS 18-3-405.4)
- Invasion of privacy for sexual gratification (CRS 18-3-405.6)
- Second-degree kidnapping (CRS 18-3-302(3)(a)
- Incest (CRS 18-6-301)
- Aggravated incest (CRS 18-6-302)
- certain other unlawful sexual offenses and child abuse offenses defined under prior Colorado laws
- CRS 16-22-113. See also People v. Dulac (Colo.App. 2024) 2024 COA 14; Curtiss v. People, (2014) COA 107, 410 P.3d 539.
- CRS 16-22-103.
- CRS 18-3-412.6 & CRS 18-3-412.5; see also CRS 16-22-115. Prior to March 1, 2022, extraordinary risk class 1 misdemeanors carried 6 to 24 months in jail, and/or a fine of $500 to $5,000. SB21-271.