UPDATE 3/4/26: The CPW Commission voted to approve these rules today. Changes include allowing the sale, breeding, and possession of certain captive-bred herps, which are currently not allowed, including Western hognose, cornsnakes, kingsnakes, and others. The rules passed today are nearly identical to those posted below in our 1/5/26 update. One change, as requested by USARK, was the addition of “propagated” to the list of allowed activities. We also have a summary of changes in our 1/5/26 update below. Thank you to everyone who engaged and worked for these changes in Colorado.
You can read the final version at https://usark.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/26-Colorado-Herp-Rule-final.pdf.
UPDATE 2/1/26: The next Commission meeting will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton – Westminster, 8773 Yates Dr, Westminster, 80031, on March 4-5. The comment deadline is February 27 at 12:00 pm MT. This will be the second hearing for the herp rules (details below), and the Board will likely vote at this meeting.
Submit comments via the portal at https://engagecpw.org/pwc-public-comment/surveys/pwc-public-comment-form.
UPDATE 1/15/26: The first hearing of the draft was today, and it was discussed as “Issues Identification.” The vote should be at the March 4-5 Commission meeting. USARK’s Phil Goss testified on behalf of responsible Colorado herpetoculturists. The National Animal Interest Alliance and a devoted field helper also testified.
UPDATE 1/5/26: The draft regulations were just released (not on Dec. 31 as dated on the document). The next Commission hearing is on January 14-15, and this item should be discussed around 10:40 Mountain Time on January 15, but the agenda may be changed. The deadline for written comments is 1/9/26 at noon Mountain Time. You must register for virtual testimony by 1/9/26. In-person testimony is allowed without pre-registration.
This will be the Commission’s initial introduction to the draft. The vote should occur at the March 4-5 Commission meeting.
Email comments to: dnr_cpwcommission@state.co.us
Read the draft at https://usark.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26-Colorado-herp-reg-draft-1.pdf.
Register for virtual testimony by noon on 1/9 at https://cpw.state.co.us/committees/colorado-parks-and-wildlife-commission#4257225834-195688521. Scroll down to Comment Submission Deadlines for 2026 and click the Google Form.
Meeting location (hybrid): CPW Headquarters Hunter Education Building, 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO, and https://www.youtube.com/@ColoradoParksandWildlife/streams.
Draft highlights (not all-inclusive):
- Establishes a new Resident Herpetofauna Collection and Possession License for the possession and collection of wild herps. pages 7-9 and reporting on pages 9-10
- Creates three Appendices of herps, with rules applying to each.
- Allows “legacy” possession of state-native species and of newly prohibited species held prior to the new rules. page 9
- Field herping section. page 10
- Legacy possession of Heloderms. page 10-11
- New “invasive herpetofauna” species: red-eared sliders and bullfrogs. page 11
- Appendix A is a “white list” of herps that may be “possessed, sold, offered for sale, purchased, or transported without a license or documentation…” pages 11-13
- Appendix B is a list of species that may be “possessed, sold, offered for sale, purchased, or transported with documentation…” page 13
- Appendix C is a list of species that may be “captured from the wild within Colorado, possessed, and transported within Colorado…” with a Resident Herpetofauna Collection and Possession License. page 13-14
There will be many benefits for Colorado herpetoculturists, such as the ability to sell and possess captive-bred Western hognose, corn snakes, king snakes, and other snake species (see Appendix B). However, Appendix A is a white list approach, and it is much more problematic than a simple prohibited list system.
Note that the document is 55 pages, but the first 16 pages are the most relevant. The remainder is the current language with strikethroughs (repealed text). The new herp rule covers the repealed language from the current CPW regulations.
UPDATE 10/29/25: Please submit comments to Colorado Parks and Wildlife by November 6 to support allowing certain species to be kept and sold in Colorado.
To provide comments, submit through the form below by November 6, 2025! You can read potential changes published by CPW at https://usark.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/25-co-potential.pdf
Sample Message (Remember to be civil and professional. Please edit to personalize.)
Step 1: Use this link to create a CPW account. It only requires your email and zip code: https://engagecpw.org/register
Step 2: Complete this Feedback Form at https://engagecpw.org/reptile-amphibian-regulations/surveys/reptile-amphibian-regulations-feedback-form. The form only has 1 question and one comment box. You can enter the below (or your personal comment) in the comment box marked Please use the space below to provide any other feedback regarding reptile and amphibian regulations. Colorado residents will have the most impact! DO NOT copy/paste the below message if you are not a Colorado resident and do not enter a Colorado zip code for your registration. For non-residents, you could comment if you are a breeder, especially of U.S. native species, and have been contacted by Colorado residents to buy pet herps, for example.
Sample Message
I am a responsible herpetoculturist and Colorado resident who supports CPW’s work in writing a new chapter of regulations dedicated to herps. I support allowing Colorado residents to possess legally acquired, captive-bred Western hognose and California king snakes, as well as U.S. native herps that are not native to Colorado, from out-of-state or in-state breeders and sellers.
UPDATE 10/7/25: On tonight’s webinar, CPW provided likely steps moving forward, including creating a section in regulation specifically for native herps. No formal proposals have been posted, but CPW discussed some drafted frameworks regarding future regulations. We may see a formal proposal in January 2026, with the fastest timeline being an effective date of May 2026.
UPDATE 9/25/25: CPW will host a virtual public webinar to discuss potential changes to the state’s herp regulations. Following the meeting, comments may be submitted through a form posted at the link below. Comments must be submitted by November 6, 2025.
Virtual meeting: October 7 at 6:00 PM Mountain Time.
Read more information from CPW (and future link for the comment form) at https://engagecpw.org/reptile-amphibian-regulations.
You can read potential changes published by CPW at https://usark.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/25-co-potential.pdf
Register at https://cpw-state-co.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HQSsqm3zQHqyuIj6oqJ3dg#/registration. NOTE: The webinar is set to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and not Mountain Standard Time (MST). The meeting is on October 7 at 6:00 PM MST, which is the same as the UTC time/date shown when registering.
August 22, 2025: Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is reviewing its herp regulations and will likely create a section/chapter dedicated to herps (reptiles and amphibians). CPW will begin a public input process this year and hopes to present some of that feedback to the Commission early next year. This information comes from today’s (8/22/25) Commission meeting. We will post updates as they become available.
CPW Staff did present three potential approaches to future regulations, but no formal proposal has been submitted.
CPW Commission information can be found at https://cpw.state.co.us/committees/colorado-parks-and-wildlife-commission.
