What you pay for a Colorado learner's permit
The current learner's permit fee in Colorado is $18.55. That covers the application, the knowledge test, the vision screening, and your temporary paper permit and mailed plastic card. If you fail the knowledge test, most Colorado offices charge a re-test fee for each additional attempt — confirm the current schedule on the CO DMV site before your appointment.
Road test, license issuance, and renewal
After your supervised period of 12 months, the road test itself is generally included in your original application fee, but a no-show or a failed road test can trigger an additional fee on the next attempt. The first full driver license in Colorado is typically issued for a four- to eight-year term and costs comparable to or slightly more than the $18.55 permit fee.
For a deeper read on this topic across all 50 states, see our right-of-way, speed limits, and alcohol and drugs articles.
Reinstatement and SR-22
If your Colorado license is suspended, the standard reinstatement fee is $55. DUI-related reinstatements add a substantial alcohol-program fee, an ignition-interlock device installation fee, and several years of SR-22 financial-responsibility filing. SR-22 itself is not a fee paid to the CO DMV — it is a certificate your insurer files on your behalf, and your premiums during the SR-22 period typically increase 50% to 100%.
Replacement and address change
A replacement Colorado driver license costs roughly half the original fee. A change of address is free and can be done online at the CO DMV site within 10 days of moving — required by law, even if you do not need a new card mailed to you. Your address on file determines where renewal notices and any suspension paperwork are mailed.
REAL ID upgrade
Upgrading a standard Colorado license to a REAL ID-compliant card carries no extra fee at most renewals — you pay the standard renewal price but bring an additional set of documents (passport or birth certificate, Social Security card, two proofs of Colorado residency). After May 7, 2025 a REAL ID is required to board a domestic flight or enter a federal facility.
Quick facts about Colorado
- Capital: Denver
- Minimum permit age: 15
- Current permit fee: $18.55
- Supervised hold period: 12 months
- Adult BAC limit: 0.08% · Under-21 BAC: 0.02%
- Default speed limits: 75 mph rural Interstate, 65 mph urban Interstate, 25 mph residential, 20 mph school zone
- Handheld phone use: banned
- Vision standard: 20/40 acuity in at least one eye, corrected or uncorrected
- Reinstatement fee after suspension: $55
- Official source: CO DMV
Other Colorado guides on PermitPrep
Each link below opens a dedicated Colorado page. Every guide is built from the same official CO DMV handbook so the rules stay consistent across topics.
- Colorado Permit Practice Test — Practice test for Colorado drivers.
- Colorado Driving Permit Guide — Permit guide for Colorado drivers.
- Colorado Road Signs Test — Signs test for Colorado drivers.
- Colorado Traffic Laws Summary — Traffic laws for Colorado drivers.
- Colorado Right-of-Way Rules — Right of way for Colorado drivers.
- Colorado Speed Limits Explained — Speed limits for Colorado drivers.
- Colorado DUI Laws — DUI laws for Colorado drivers.
- Colorado Cell Phone Laws — Cell phone laws for Colorado drivers.
Ready to test what you have learned? Take the free Colorado permit practice test — 20 randomized questions, instant grading, full explanations.