COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE

Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers reasonable hunting accommodation permits to customers with disabilities, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These accommodations are granted to individuals who have significant impairments to their daily major life functions, not on their ability to participate in specialized activities such as hunting. 

Important facts about ADA Accommodation Permits:

• Colorado Parks and Wildlife does not honor accommodation permits or applications from other states and/or countries. Customers wishing to utilize an accommodation in Colorado must be approved through our application process to be granted an accommodation.
• Accommodation permits are not licenses; permit holders must still purchase hunting and fishing licenses to participate in these activities.
  
• Possession of an accommodation permit does not exempt the permit holder from obeying all hunting, fishing, and property-use laws. 
• Accommodations may be granted on either a temporary or lifetime basis.
  

How to request an Accommodation Permit:

Hunters who wish to request an accommodation permit(s) should complete the ADA Accommodation Permit Application. Please note that applications may take up to 30 days to be processed.

 Completed applications may be submitted by:

Commonly Requested Accommodations

Note: this list is not all-inclusive and other accommodations may be requested for specific disabilities.

• Crossbow or Draw-Loc during archery season. 
• Conditions that typically qualify include: inability to reach above head, limited range of motion in arms and/or shoulders, decreased grip strength, decreased finger/hand coordination, inability to push or pull, etc.
• Shoot from motor vehicle/OHV
• Conditions that typically qualify you to shoot from a vehicle include: use of a prescribed mobility device such as a wheelchair, crutches, braces, etc., documented severe difficulty getting in/out of a vehicle, problems with standing or balancing, and/or a medically valid need for controlled temperature and environment. CPW does not grant accommodations to shoot from a public road.
• Assistant to track and dispatch wounded game
• If you cannot track and retrieve wounded game, this accommodation allows an assistant to do it for you. CPW does not grant accommodations allowing off road OHV access for the purposes of game retrieval.
• Scopes with magnification greater than 1X on crossbow
  
• Requires documentation of a visual disability in Section 2 as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Hyperopia, myopia, and presbyopia are not considered disabilities under the ADA and will not qualify for an accommodation. Age-related visual impairments will not qualify. NOTE: CPW allows the use of non-magnifying scopes and red dot sights that magnify 1X or less with a Crossbow/Draw-Loc permit. This accommodation does NOT allow laser or battery operated/electronically powered devices that are attached to or incorporated into the crossbow which aid in range finding and/or aiming or a sighting device that emits light from a crossbow to the animal. The intent of these seasons is to provide a “primitive” style recreational opportunity for hunters.
• Scopes on Muzzleloader
• Requires documentation of a visual disability in Section 2 as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Hyperopia, myopia, and presbyopia are not considered disabilities under the ADA and will not qualify for an accommodation.  Age-related visual impairments will not qualify.  For example, this accommodation may be appropriate if you have a visual disability that does not allow you to focus on the front sight, rear sight, and animal at the same time.
  

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I check on the status of an application I submitted?
1. Applications submitted less than 30 days ago will not receive status updates due to the volume of applications we receive. If an application was submitted more than 30 days ago and the applicant has not received any notice, please reach out to us via email (ada.accommodation@state.co.us) or by phone (303-291-7485​) for assistance.
2. When should requests for temporary accommodation permits be submitted?
1. 30-60 days before the start of the desired hunting season.
3. Can previously submitted paperwork that was approved for a temporary accommodation permit be used to re-submit a temporary permit for this year’s hunting seasons?
1. No. Requests for temporary accommodation permits must be resubmitted each year with an updated application.​
   
4. Can CPW accommodate other disabilities with needs that may not be met by one of the above-mentioned permits?
1. Colorado Parks and Wildlife may provide such accommodations if they are reasonably required to allow the customer to participate in wildlife recreation and do not significantly alter the purpose of the Division property or program for which the accommodation is requested, jeopardize the safety of the applicant or any other person, or pose undue hardship to the Division.
5. Can a customer utilize their crossbow accommodation permit from another state while hunting in Colorado during archery season?
1. No. Colorado does not honor crossbow, or any other accommodation permits, issued from other states or countries. The customer must be approved through the CPW application process to utilize a crossbow during archery season in Colorado.
6. Can customers with a Shoot from Vehicle/OHV permit use their vehicle/OHV on any roads while in the field?
1. Vehicle access and use is regulated by the specific land management agency or landowner of properties you wish to hunt. CPW cannot grant vehicle access, off-road access, or off-trail use on property not managed by CPW. Contact the appropriate land management agency (i.e. US Forest Service, BLM, etc) to obtain information on travel use and restrictions within their jurisdiction.
7. When utilizing the Aid to Track/Dispatch accommodation permit, does the permit holder’s assistant have to use the same method of take as the permit holder?
1. Yes. The assistant must use the same method of take as the issued license and/or permit. For example, if the permit holder is utilizing a crossbow permit, the assistant must use either a crossbow or standard compound bow to dispatch the animal.