Requirements, Application or Status Check
By law, teachers must hold a current Colorado Teaching or Special Services license on or before the first day of teaching in a classroom or working with students as a special service provider.
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Check the status of your Colorado Teaching, Special Services, Administrative Licensure Authorization on line. For license information, visit the CDE website and select "Search for Public Educator License/Authorization and Application Status" under links.
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To apply for a your Colorado Teaching or Special Services license or for license, .
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All applications for licensing are now on-line to download. guides in locating the application(s) appropriate to situations. If you have questions, call the CDE at 720-739-3304 or
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You may also need to take a Colorado state-approved content exam. This will be determined by the type of license issued to you by the Colorado Department of Education. For up-to-date information on content exams, .
Types of Colorado teaching and special services licenses
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Initial License: Issued to those who have a bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited college/university; approved program verification form completed by your preparation program; and demonstrate content knowledge by passing the state-approved content exam (PLACE exam or PRAXIS II exam). It is valid for three years. For information, .
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Interim Authorization: Issued to an out-of-state applicant (teacher, principal, and administrator) who does not have 3 years of full-time out-of-state K-12 work experience or has not passed the required Colorado content area exam. The Interim Authorization is issued for one year and is renewable once. For information on the PLACE and PRAXIS exams, .
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Professional Teaching License: Issued to an initial license holder who has completed an approved induction program, is valid for five years and is renewable through documentation of either six semester hours of credit or 90 clock hours of activities or a combination thereof. Professional licenses are also issued to out-of-state educators who can demonstrate three or more years of continuous, successful evaluated teaching experience.
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Alternative Teacher License: Issued to an individual who has earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and possesses subject matter knowledge appropriate for teaching in public schools; agrees to participate in an on-the-job, one-year, alternative teacher preparation program; is valid for one year and is not renewable. Visit for more info.
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Type III Emergency Authorization: Requested by a District when a licensed person with appropriate endorsements cannot be found. The license is issued to the individual, but is specific to the district, it is valid for one school year only, and is renewable only once at the requesting district's discretion.
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Allows individuals who hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college/university and are participating in a traditional preparation program for special education OR a special services endorsement (except speech-language assistant and orientation and mobility specialists) or completing additional that will meet Colorado's requirement for a full license/endorsement and employed by a CO school district, BOCES, or charter/facility school to serve in that area before program completion.
Educator Recruitment and Retention Program Application (Department of Education)
CDE's provides up to $10,000 in financial assistance toward licensure program fees for alternative teachers, educators with temporary educator eligibility, paraprofessionals and CTE instructors who commit to teaching in a shortage area for three years.
Effective July 1, 2021
Colorado House Bill 21-1104 extended the efficacy of professional licenses from five (5) to seven (7) years. Educators now are required to renew their professional license every seven years instead of every five. To do so, they must complete 90 contact hours of professional learning -- equivalent to six (6) semester hours of college or university coursework (or any combination thereof) -- within the preceding seven years.
Five-year professional teacher, special services, principal and administrator licenses that were valid on July 1, 2021 automatically were extended by two years. Any professional development activities already completed during this cycle indeed will be applicable upon renewal at the end of the extended license.
For more information about renewal of a Colorado Professional license
PSD Resources
- Visit the PSD PD Online Catalog for classes that may meet the special education and behavior health requirements. PSD regularly offers classes in these areas.
- Visit the Language, Culture, and Equity site for more information about the for Cultural and Linguistic Diverse Education (CLDE) that is approved by CDE for the English Language Learner requirement.
- More information for each initiative is available at CDE Educator Professional Development Requirements