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How to buy a specified semiautomatic firearm in Larimer County, Colorado

Buying a specified semiautomatic firearm in Colorado from 2026-08-01 requires a firearms safety course eligibility card, issued by your county sheriff after a name-based background check. This page is the Larimer County version of that process: what the county publishes, what it charges, and what is still unanswered.Check your exact model against the state's listbefore you start.

Every step, in order

These 8 steps run in order and are the same statewide. Step 2 is the only one your county controls, so it is expanded with what Larimer County publishes.

1. 1

   Create a Firearm Safety System (FSS) profile online at coloradofss.com. The application portal is live as of July 20, 2026.

2. 2

   Take a government-issued photo ID and a name-based background check to your county sheriff's office. Fees are collected at this step.

   In Larimer County

   Apply online

   app.permitium.com/online-portal/colarimer ↗

   Who they take

   County residents only

   What to bring

   • A name-based background check from a third-party vendor
   • A government-issued photo ID (front and back)
3. 3

   The sheriff reviews the application and issues an eligibility card if approved. The card is valid for 5 years.

4. 4

   Find a sheriff-verified firearms instructor anywhere in Colorado. The instructor checks your FSS record to determine which course you need.

5. 5

   Basic course: 4 hours, for applicants with a CPW-verified hunter-education credential. Extended course: 12 hours over at least 2 days, for everyone else.

6. 6

   Pass a written exam and a hands-on practical with a score of 90% or better.

7. 7

   A passing course score is valid for 5 years from the date you complete it.

8. 8

   At the time of sale, the dealer checks your eligibility in the FSS before completing the transfer.

What it costs in Larimer County

The sheriff fee and the $52 CPW record fee are separate charges and add together. Course prices and background-check vendor prices are not published by anyone, so the total above is a floor, not a quote. Seewhat this process has actually cost people.

What Larimer County actually published

"Next, visit our Larimer County SSF portal and select the Specified Semiautomatic Firearms Training Eligibility application."

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office publishes a five-step SB25-003 process, and every step runs online: applicants first create an account and apply through the CPW Firearms Safety System, then obtain a name-based background check from a third-party vendor covering national and Colorado criminal history, judicial database records, and a vendor attestation, then submit that background check and a government-issued photo ID through the Larimer County SSF portal at app.permitium.com/online-portal/colarimer. There is no in-person or mail option. The portal step is limited to Larimer County residents. The Sheriff's Office then reviews the documentation and issues an eligibility card valid for five years. The official page states no start date and no sheriff fee, but the live application form itself charges a $25 LCSO fee plus the separate $52 CPW record fee ($77 total); the $25 figure was a community report from an earlier email and is now independently confirmed by the sheriff's own application system.

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