Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Colorado has no separate falconry board. Colorado Parks and Wildlife issues the license, and the Parks and Wildlife Commission writes the rules under federal standards in 50 CFR 21.82. You need the license before you touch a bird. The paper path: find a sponsor, pass an 80 percent exam, pass a facilities inspection, then serve at least two years as an apprentice. Confirm fees and forms with CPW. Nobody can promise you an approval date.
Who is the falconry board in Colorado?
No standalone Colorado falconry board votes on your license. Colorado Parks and Wildlife issues the license. The Parks and Wildlife Commission writes the state raptor rules. Federal standards in 50 CFR 21.82 set the floor for exams, classes, housing, and wild-take reports. [1]
People say "board" because some states keep an advisory committee or a named permit panel. Colorado does not run your apprentice application through a public board hearing. You deal with CPW staff, and for the walk-through, a district wildlife manager or area officer. [2]
That split matters on paper. The Commission changes Chapter W-6 in public meetings. CPW implements whatever is in force the day you apply. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service already certified Colorado's program, so a valid state falconry license replaces a separate federal falconry permit. The 2008 federal rule that handed daily falconry permitting to certified states is still the backbone. [3]
Call looking for the "falconry board" and you will get redirected. Ask for the falconry or special-license contact at CPW instead. You will not get a hearing. You get a form, an exam slot, and an inspection.
Print 50 CFR 21.82 and the current Chapter W-6 raptor regulations and work from those two texts. Forum summaries go stale. The regulation text does not.
Falconry in Colorado sits under the same federal migratory-bird system every certified state uses. The local difference is who answers the phone and which extra limits Colorado layered on top.
Do you need a license for falconry in Colorado?
Yes. You need a Colorado falconry license before you possess a raptor for falconry. Unlicensed take or possession of a migratory raptor breaks the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Colorado wildlife law. A small game license is not a substitute. [4][5]
The federal statute is blunt. 16 U.S.C. 703 says "it shall be unlawful at any time, by any means or in any manner, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill" migratory birds except as permitted by regulation. [4] Hawks, falcons, and eagles used in falconry all sit inside that statute.
Colorado's Title 33 makes wildlife the state's to regulate and makes unlicensed hunting and possession its own offense. [5] CPW officers write those tickets.
Rehab permits, education permits, and zoo permits are different paper. If the bird lives with you so you can train it and hunt with it, you are practicing falconry. Get the falconry license first.
Apprentice, general, and master are classes of the same state falconry license. Federal rules set those three classes. Colorado follows that structure. [1]
Do not buy a bird, take a transfer, or trap a passage hawk while the application still sits somewhere. The 3-186A acquisition report assumes you already hold a valid permit. [6]
Want photos of a hawk and nothing more? This sport will make you miserable. The license is for people who will house, weigh, and hunt a bird for years.
How do you apply for a Colorado falconry license?
You apply to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, not to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for the basic falconry license. The working order is sponsor, exam, facilities, then the written application and inspection sign-off. Confirm the current form with CPW before you print yesterday's PDF.
Read 50 CFR 21.82 and Chapter W-6 first. Then find a Colorado general or master who will sponsor you. That search is the slow step. Some Front Range counties have several active falconers. Some mountain counties have none. A writeup of the falconry board in Arizona or the falconry board in Idaho will not produce a Colorado sponsor.
Sit the exam. Federal rules say a state cannot move an apprentice application until you "correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions on an examination administered by your State, tribe, or territory." [1][3] That line is not folklore.
Build the mews and weathering area to the written standard. Ask for the inspection. If it fails, you fix the hardware. You do not argue about wind.
File the application CPW is using this year. Pay the fee printed on that form. I will not invent a CPW dollar figure. Confirm it.
Once the license is in hand you may acquire a legal bird and file the 3-186A. [6]
Want the exam topics, sponsor questions, and mews checklist in one packet? FalconryPath publishes a $149 one-time State Exam + Sponsor + Mews Kit at /start. You can also pull the same public rules yourself. FalconryPath is an independent publisher, not CPW and not a law firm.
What is on the Colorado falconry exam?
It is a closed-book test of care, handling, housing, diseases, species ID, and the federal and Colorado rules. You need at least 80 percent. Federal falconry rules set the exam passing score at 80 percent (50 CFR 21.82). [1]
Colorado schedules and proctors the sitting. Retake waits are a CPW operations detail. Confirm them with the same desk that books the test.
The 2008 federal rule still describes the content. It says the exam "must cover care and handling of falconry raptors, Federal and State laws and regulations relevant to falconry, and other appropriate subject matter." [3]
Expect questions on jesses, perches, bath pans, food handling, West Nile, frounce, aspergillosis, reporting clocks, and what an apprentice may trap. Expect to identify common Colorado raptors.
Nobody has good public data on Colorado pass rates. Study the regulation text. If a sponsor hands you a 2014 packet, check every answer against the current eCFR and Chapter W-6.
Don't book a trapping week around a hoped-for exam date. Dates slip.
How long does falconry take in Colorado?
Plan on at least two years as an apprentice after the license exists, plus the uncounted months you spend chasing a sponsor, the exam, and the inspection. Federal standards require at least 2 years at apprentice class before a general-class upgrade (50 CFR 21.82). [1]
The two years do not start when you buy screws. They start when you are licensed and actually flying your own bird. Read the current 50 CFR 21.82 upgrade language. It has long required real maintaining, training, flying, and hunting, not a paper anniversary.
Sponsor search is the wild card. A month if you already know people. A year if you do not. Falconers cluster along the Front Range and a few western slope towns.
Exam prep is weeks if you already hunt and read statutes. Longer if raptor medicine is new to you.
The mews can be two focused weekends or a whole building-permit saga. Check HOA covenants before you spend a dollar. Some covenants kill the project outright.
Inspection timing depends on the local officer. Confirm. Do not take a promised date from a stranger online.
Master class needs five years as a general. Skip it unless you have a reason. Eagle work is master class plus extra federal paper under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. [7]
A focused adult with land and a sponsor can reach a first legal flight in one season. Plenty of people spend a year just getting the license. The apprenticeship after that is still two years.
How much does falconry cost in Colorado?
Official CPW falconry fees change. Confirm the number on the application in force this year. I will not invent it. The real cost is housing, telemetry, food, and vet care.
Colorado mews have to take January wind and July hail. A tight DIY shed with proper wire, perches, and a safety door runs a few hundred dollars in materials. Hired work runs to several thousand. Light prefab kits that cannot hold a Front Range snow load are a waste of money.
Used telemetry can be a few hundred dollars. Buy a system that works before you buy a pretty giant hood. Losing a passage red-tail is ugly.
Food is a monthly line. Quail, rats, or chicks. If that number does not fit your household budget, stop now.
Avian vets who will see a hawk are thin on the ground. Factor a drive to whoever actually takes raptors. West Nile hits Colorado in late summer. Talk to a vet. I am not one.
You will also buy a hunting license, and a habitat stamp if you are in the age group CPW lists, before you hunt legal quarry. [8] Waterfowl adds HIP registration. Those prices are on CPW pages and they move.
The pattern matches what you will see in California or Alaska. The state fee is small. Keeping the bird alive is not.
Skip engraved perches and any class that promises a bird without a Colorado sponsor. Put the money into wire, a better latch, and a gram scale that zeros.
Do you need a sponsor and a mews inspection?
Yes at apprentice class. You need a general or master sponsor, and you need housing that keeps raptors in "humane and healthful conditions" before you possess a bird. Both requirements sit in the federal standards Colorado already adopted. [1][9]
Your sponsor signs that they will help. Pick someone who still flies. Ask how many apprentices they finished. Ask what they expect from you in August when the bird is hot and you are tired.
Can't find a Colorado sponsor? You wait. A license from the falconry board in Illinois does not sponsor you here unless CPW says that person meets Colorado's sponsor rule. Get that answer in writing. Do not assume.
The inspection is a walk-through. Indoor housing, weathering area, perches, bath water, food storage, predator-proofing. Federal facilities language is about weather, predators, and domestic animals, not about pretty stain colors. [9]
Overbuild the latch. Failed inspections are sloppy hardware.
Zoning and HOAs are a separate fight. CPW can like a mews your covenants still ban. Read the covenants first.
What birds can you fly at each Colorado class?
Federal rules cap birds by class and limit apprentice species. Colorado can be tighter. Confirm the current Colorado list and numbers in Chapter W-6 before you trap or take a transfer. Do not copy another state's list onto your application. [2][1]
| License class | Time in grade (federal) | Sponsor | Wild-bird cap in 50 CFR 21.82 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | Entry class | Required | 1 |
| General | At least 2 years as apprentice | Not required | 3 |
| Master | At least 5 years as general | Not required | 5 |
Those caps come from the federal standards. [1][12] Colorado may cut them further. The table is a floor check, not your trapping plan.
A lot of western apprentices still start on a passage red-tailed hawk or an American kestrel. Sponsors know those birds cold. That is habit plus legality, not destiny. If Colorado's current list says otherwise, the list wins.
Do not plan a peregrine or a gyr as bird one. Most apprentices will be told no. Captive-bred birds have their own paper. Wild take has seasons, methods, and a reporting clock. Wild-take reporting is due no later than 10 days after capture on form 3-186A (50 CFR 21.82). [6][1]
Eagles are a master-class problem plus Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act permits. [7] Bald eagles are not a beginner project.
A parking-lot bird is how people lose licenses. Transfers go through permit numbers.
Do you need a hunting license to hunt with a hawk?
Yes, if you hunt legal game with the hawk. The falconry license covers possession and training of the raptor. It does not replace small game, furbearer, or waterfowl privileges for the quarry. Buy the hunting license that matches what you slip at. [5][8]
Rabbits and hares are common apprentice quarry on the plains. That usually means small game. Waterfowl means waterfowl privileges plus HIP. Seasons and bag limits still apply. A hawk is a legal method only where the regulations say it is.
You need a habitat stamp if you are in the age group on CPW's current stamp page. Look that page up the week you buy. [8]
Private land still needs permission. State wildlife areas have their own rules. Some properties restrict falconry. Call the property desk, not a comment thread.
Nonresidents pay nonresident hunting fees. Reciprocity for an out-of-state falconry permit is a CPW question. Do not paste a Florida story onto Colorado and hope.
What reports and records does CPW expect?
Keep your license, your 3-186A history, and any CPW take or transfer forms. Federal rules require a report when you take a wild raptor, and the clock is 10 days. That filing is how CPW and the Service know the bird is on your permit. [6][1]
File when you capture, receive, transfer, lose, or bury a bird. Electronic filing runs through the Service's falconry reporting system. Confirm the portal CPW wants you on this year.
If the bird dies, you report. If it is lost, you report. Bands and captive-bred paper stay with the bird. Do not pull a band because it photographs poorly.
CPW can inspect facilities and records after you are licensed. Keep the folder dull and complete.
I also keep a weight log. It is husbandry. A bird that goes light tells you before it crashes.
Can you move to Colorado with an out-of-state falconry license?
No automatic transfer. Call CPW before the birds cross the state line and ask for the current import, inspection, and license steps. A desk like the falconry board in Alabama cannot clear a Colorado mews. Your old card does not replace that call.
Federal rules let a moving falconer bring legally held birds, but the new state still inspects housing and issues its own permit. Deadlines in 50 CFR 21.82 are short. Read them. Missing one is a dumb way to start. [1]
Your class usually carries if the sending state was certified. Bring the old license, the 3-186A history, and any upgrade letters. Ask whether Colorado still wants its own exam.
Do not ship a hawk to a friend in Denver and sort the paper later. That is unlicensed possession.
What violations does CPW actually care about?
Unlicensed take, the wrong species for your class, a late 3-186A, failed housing, and hunting quarry you are not licensed to take are the violations that actually end falconry licenses. Releasing a hybrid or lying on an application will do it too. CPW and federal agents can seize birds. [4][6][1]
Call if a bird gets out. Officers can tell a panicked apprentice from someone who has been flying off-book.
Do not try "it is just a kestrel." American kestrels are migratory birds. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act has no cute-animal clause. [4]
I will not invent fine tables. Read Title 33 and the MBTA penalty provisions if you need numbers.
Hold the right license. Hold the right bird. File the form. Hunt only what the hunting license covers.
Want one packet of the exam, sponsor, and mews paper path? The FalconryPath kit is at /start. The regulations stay free on eCFR and the CPW rules pages either way.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for falconry in Colorado?
Yes. You need a Colorado Parks and Wildlife falconry license before you possess a raptor for falconry. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Title 33 of the Colorado Revised Statutes both bar unlicensed take and possession. A hunting license alone is not enough. Rehab and education permits are different paper. Confirm the current application with CPW.
How much does falconry cost in Colorado?
The state license fee is the small line. Confirm it on the current CPW form. Plan real money for a weather-worthy mews, telemetry, a gram scale, food, and an avian vet. Food is monthly. Decorative hoods are a waste. Hunting licenses and a habitat stamp (if you are in the required age group) sit on top when you hunt.
How long does falconry take in Colorado?
After you are licensed, federal rules require at least two years as an apprentice, with the bird actually flown and hunted, before general class. Finding a sponsor and passing inspection can take months on their own. Master class needs five more years as a general. Nobody should promise you a CPW approval date.
Is there a Colorado falconry board I can attend?
No public falconry board hears apprentice applications. CPW issues the license. The Parks and Wildlife Commission adopts Chapter W-6 in its regular public process. You can follow Commission meetings if you care about rule changes. Your own license still goes through staff, an exam, and a facilities inspection, not a board vote.
How old do you have to be to start falconry in Colorado?
Federal standards set a floor of 12 years old for apprentice class, with a parent or guardian on the application if you are under 18. Colorado can set a higher minimum. Confirm the age CPW is using on the current form before you study or build. Do not treat a forum number as the rule.
Do you still need a federal falconry permit in Colorado?
Not a separate federal falconry permit. Colorado's program is federally certified, so the state license is the falconry permit. You still file federal 3-186A acquisition and disposition reports. Eagles need extra federal paper under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Confirm any current Service portal with CPW.
Where do you take the Colorado falconry exam?
CPW schedules and proctors it. Location and retake waits are operations details, not something a national article should invent. Call the falconry or special-license contact and ask for the next sitting. Bring a government ID. Study 50 CFR 21.82 and Chapter W-6 until you can restate the possession and reporting rules.
Can a nonresident practice falconry in Colorado?
Sometimes, and the paper is easy to get wrong. Hunting privileges and falconry possession are different licenses. Reciprocity for an out-of-state falconry permit is a CPW question, and nonresident hunting fees still apply to quarry. Ask CPW in writing before you trailer birds or trap. Do not copy another state's nonresident story.
Can an apprentice trap a first bird in Colorado?
Only after the apprentice license is issued, only in a legal season, only a legal species for that class, and only with the methods Chapter W-6 and 50 CFR 21.82 allow. Your sponsor should be in the loop. File the 3-186A within 10 days of capture. Confirm the current take window with CPW before you set a trap.
Can you keep a golden eagle for falconry in Colorado?
Not as an apprentice, and not on a basic general-class plan. Eagle falconry is a master-class path plus extra authorization under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Bald eagles are not an ordinary falconry project. If this is your goal, read the eagle rules first and talk to CPW and the Service before you spend a dollar.
Does CPW reinspect your mews every year?
I will not invent an annual inspection calendar. Federal and state rules let officers inspect facilities and records after you are licensed. Some checks happen at upgrade or after a complaint. Keep the mews legal every day, not the week before a rumored visit. Ask your district office what they actually do locally.
Can you fly a hawk on Colorado public land?
Only where the property rules and your hunting license allow it. State wildlife areas, federal land, and county open space each have their own access and method rules. Some units restrict falconry or hours. Get permission on private land. Call the property desk for that unit. A statewide yes does not exist.
Sources
- eCFR, 50 CFR 21.82 Falconry standards and falconry permitting: Federal falconry standards set an 80 percent exam score, apprentice/general/master classes, a 2-year apprentice minimum, a 5-year general period for master, facilities duties, and wild-take reporting.
- Federal Register, Migratory Bird Permits; Changes in the Regulations Governing Falconry (E8-23759): The 2008 rule let certified states issue falconry permits meeting federal standards and required an exam covering care, handling, and federal and state falconry law, with an 80 percent passing score.
- U.S. Code, 16 U.S.C. 703 Migratory Bird Treaty Act: Unless permitted by regulation, it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, or kill migratory birds.
- Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 33 Parks and Wildlife (2024): Title 33 is Colorado's parks and wildlife code and is the statute CPW and the Commission use to license and enforce wildlife possession and hunting.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Falconry / 3-186A electronic reporting (FALCP): Falconers report raptor acquisition, transfer, loss, and disposition on the Service 3-186A process through the falconry reporting system.
- U.S. Code, 16 U.S.C. 668 Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act: Take and possession of bald and golden eagles require authorization beyond a standard falconry class license.
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Habitat Stamp page: CPW requires a habitat stamp for many hunting and fishing license buyers; the current age window and price are on the habitat stamp page.
- eCFR, 50 CFR 21.82 facilities and care standard: Federal falconry standards require raptors held under a falconry permit to be kept in humane and healthful conditions, with inspectable indoor and outdoor facilities.
- North American Falconers Association, Getting Started: NAFA's getting-started guidance describes the sponsor, exam, and facilities path new falconers follow under the state-permit system.
- Federal Register PDF, 73 FR 59448, falconry final rule (Oct. 8, 2008): The 2008 falconry rule text sets class possession structure used as the federal floor, including one raptor at apprentice, three at general, and five wild raptors at master.