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How to buy a specified semiautomatic firearm in Weld 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 Weld 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 Weld 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 Weld County

   Weld County has not published the operational detail for this step — no hours, form, or document list. What it does publish is quoted below. Been through it? Tell me what they asked for.

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 Weld 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 Weld County actually published

"The Weld County Sheriff's Office is now accepting applications online. ... Payment for the $52 fee established by Division of Parks and Wildlife. ... There will be no other charges collected by the Sheriff's Office."

The Weld County Sheriff's Office is accepting applications. The entire process can be completed online, or in person with printed documents at the administration building (1950 O St., Greeley; 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday–Friday) or by appointment at the Southwest Substation. Applicants apply through CPW and submit their background check, vendor attestation, photo ID, and the statewide CPW-set $52 fee to the Sheriff's Office; the office collects no additional charge. If approved, the approval letter and eligibility card are mailed. A resident report (email, August 6, 2026) states the online application is open to Colorado residents regardless of county of residence; the Sheriff's Office's own eligibility-card page does not state a residency limit either way, so this scope is reported, not officially published.

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