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License Refunds, Reissues, Reversals and Exchanges
License Refunds, Reissues, Reversals and Exchanges

ATTENTION HUNTERS!


​Reissued limited licenses are available to view on a preview list posted every Tuesday by 11 am. Read more about the ​Reissue Process below.

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Refund, Reissue, Reversal, and Exchange Info


To apply for a refund or point restoration, please download and fill out the License Refund / Preference Point Restoration Application​. ​

Note: if you are seeking an exemption to the 30-day rule due to an extreme medical circumstance, you must include the License Refund - Extreme Medical Exemption Form with your refund / preference point restoration application. 

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​​​​Refund and Preference Point Restoration Process

Note, anyone may request and be given a refund or preference point restoration for a license no later than 30 days prior to the start of the season (14 days for turkey licenses) for which the license is valid. Also, most refunds are subject to a $15.00 processing fee.

  • To be eligible for a refund or restoration of preference points, a license must be turned into a CPW location or postmarked at least 30 days prior to the start of the season (14 days for turkey licenses)​ for which the license is valid. 

  • No refunds or preference point restorations will be given on exchanged licenses or licenses that cost less than $15.​​​​ This does not apply to youth licenses.

  • A $15 processing fee will be deducted from most refunds to help recover internal costs of processing that request. The $15 processing fee will not be charged for restoration of preference point requests, refunds to youth licenses, extreme medical circumstances, death of the license holder or license holder’s immediate family member, military deployment, jury duty, or CPW error.  

  • Any request of refund or preference point restoration after the 30 day deadline will be limited to extreme medical circumstances involving the license holder or a license holder’s immediate family member, death of the license holder or license holder’s immediate family member, military deployment, jury duty.

  • The Extreme Medical Exemption Request form must be filled out and signed by a physician for anyone requesting an exception to the submission due date rule to an extreme medical circumstance. Other medical documentation will not be accepted. If a request is submitted without this form, it will be denied.

  • Once a refund or preference point request form, and license, has been mailed or submitted to a CPW location, there is no way to recover that license. 

  • Individuals must still choose between a refund or restoration of preference points; both will not be awarded.

  • Refunds will not be given on annual licenses, to include all qualifying licenses. Refunds are also not granted for mountain lion licenses, application fees, habitat stamps, waterfowl stamps, and Federal duck stamps.

  • Refunds OR restoration of preference points will still be given for any reason prior to 30 days before the start of the season, if submitted or postmarked appropriately.

  • In cases of extreme medical circumstances involving the license holder or a license holder’s immediate family member, death of the license holder or license holder’s immediate family member, or jury duty, applications will be accepted no more than 30 days after the start of the season for which the license is valid, with the exception of military deployment. ​

  • If a request is submitted after a season has started, it must include the License Refund / Preference Point Restoration Application signed and dated by the license holder.

How will I receive my refund?

​Product purchased online or with the Aspira call center:

  • Refunds will be returned to the card used to purchase it (e.g. credit card, debit card, gift card, etc.) if possible. 

    • If you use a gift card (e.g. VISA) to apply for the draw/purchase a license and need a refund later, the money will be returned to that card so we recommend you keep track of it. 

  • If the refund cannot be issued to a card, Aspira will issue a check directly.

  • Credits will show on statements 3-5 business days after being processed by the Refund Office.

  • We cannot accommodate requests for a refund to be issued by a paper check rather than a credit to the card.

  • Once money has been returned to a card, the action is final and cannot be changed. 

​Products purchased at a CPW office, park or external agent:

  • Refunds will be issued as paper checks.

  • May take up to 90 days to process.

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​​Reissue of Limited Licenses

MOST limited licenses returned for refund or preference point restoration will now be reissued, pursuant to Colorado Wildlife Regulation Chapter 16, Article​​ IV, #1670. 

  • ALL reissued licenses are still subject to annual bag limits and refund/preference point restoration regulations. 
  • Sheep, goat and moose licenses continue to be reissued to the next person in the draw order as in years past. 
  • ALL Public Ranching for Wildlife Hunts will now be manually reissued to the next person in the draw order.
  • Due to contractual obligations, Public Ranching for Wildlife licenses can no longer be reissued less than 14 days prior to the start of the season for which the hunt code is valid, which is a change from 30 days in previous years.

 

5 or More Preference​ Points

Returned deer, elk, pronghorn and bear hunt codes that took 5 or more resident preference points to draw, in the current years draw, will be reissued to the next person in the draw order.​

  • ​These reissued licenses will require the use of preference points as per regulation if accepted.

  • If one of the first 5 customers contacted, per returned license, do not accept it, the license will then be reissued utilizing the current Reissue Process.

4 or Less Preference Points

All other returned limited licenses, excluding public Ranching for Wildlife, will be available to any of the public who meet licensing and education requirements. 

  • These returned limited licenses reissued utilizing the current leftover list will NOT require the use of preference points.

  • Limited licenses will continue to be reissued as long as a sufficient number of licenses are returned or unsold.


The Reissue Process

Reissued licenses will be available on the leftover list. 

  • Leftover licenses go on sale starting August 1, 2023. 
  • All additional reissued hunt codes that are not on the initial leftover list will be added starting August 9, 2023.​

See the Reissue Preview List.

  1. The reissue preview list will be posted Tuesdays at 11 am MT. 
    • March 14 spring turkey reissue previews start.
    • August 8 big game and fall turkey reissue previews start.

  2. Wednesdays, all hunt codes that were on the Preview List, will be released for sale as close to 11 AM as the system will allow. As the Leftover List periodically refreshes, any Preview List licenses left unsold will be added to the Leftover List.

  3. The reissue preview list will be cleared after sales begin on Wednesday and will repopulate the following Tuesday.

Will the reissue preview list be available all year?
  • The first reissue preview list will be available Tuesday, March 14 for spring turkey and the first reissue preview list for big game will be available August 8 (the week after leftovers go on sale).
  • The reissue preview list will not be available after spring turkey season ends. 

What happens if there are no hunt codes available for this week?

If there are no hunt codes available for reissue this week, the reissue preview list will get a blank report with the following message: “There are no reissued licenses scheduled for release this week. Please check back”.


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​​Reversals

If a customer makes a purchase in error, a reversal may be available. A customer may call 303-297-1192 M-F 8am-5pm MST within 24 hours of a purchase and we may reverse the purchase if it has not yet been printed. This does not apply to same day 1 day licenses OR annual licenses as these are valid immediately upon purchase.  Any big-game hunting license issued through the draw may not be reversed.


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Exchanges​

  • NEW - ALL license exchanges will be charged a flat rate of $5.00.

  • There are no refunds or preference point restorations available on exchanged licenses.

  • Exchanges can be completed at a CPW office or park up until the day before the season starts on the original license. Once a season starts, an exchange is no longer available.

  • The exchange fee applies if a hunter is changing a license between float groups.

  • Licenses may only be exchanged for a hunt code for the same species as the current license.

  • Hunters can exchange from an OTC license to a limited license of the same species and vice versa, given there is quota available and is before the season start of their current license.

  • Exchanges cannot be completed until leftover licenses and OTC licenses go on sale. Leftover licenses/OTC go on sale August 1, 2023 at 9am.​

Non-resident hunters who need to exchange a license while out of state may mail exchange requests to the Refund Office. Requests must be postmarked no later than the day before the start of the season of the original license. It must include a check for the exchange fee of $5 plus any difference in license fee (if applicable) and clearly specify what hunt code you’d like to exchange to. If the requested hunt code is not available at the time of processing, the original license and payment will be returned to the hunter. ​​​

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