You need a Colorado driver license first
Colorado does not issue a standalone motorcycle license. In the DMV’s own words, “you must possess a valid Colorado driver license to apply for or add a motorcycle endorsement.” The motorcycle privilege is an endorsement on the card you already hold.
There are two of them. An M endorsement covers two- and three-wheeled motorcycles. A 3 endorsement covers three-wheelers only. If you might ever ride a two-wheeled machine, M is the one you want — it includes everything the 3 covers.
The distinction between an endorsement and a separate license, which varies from state to state, is explained in motorcycle endorsement vs license.
The two routes
Colorado offers a choice, and the second one removes a test.
| Option 1 — test at the DMV | Option 2 — the MOST course | |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Pass the motorcycle written exam | Complete a Motorcycle Operator Safety Training course |
| Step 2 | Purchase a motorcycle instruction permit | Present your original MOST license waiver card at your appointment |
| Step 3 | Book an appointment and pass the motorcycle drive skills test | Purchase a new driver license with the endorsement |
| Step 4 | Purchase a new driver license with the endorsement | — |
Note the wording on the second route: original MOST license waiver card. A photocopy or a photograph of it is not the document. Lose the card and you are back to the drive skills test.
One procedural rule that catches people who assume the DMV works like every other transaction: “you cannot add a motorcycle endorsement by mail, online or over the phone.” It is an in-person appointment, either way you go.
Under 18: the twelve-month permit
This is the requirement that most affects planning, and it is one of the longest in the country.
Per Colorado law, a minor under 18 must purchase and hold a motorcycle instruction permit for 12 months before the endorsement can be added. Arizona asks for six months; Washington does not impose a holding period at all. In Colorado a seventeen-year-old who wants to ride next summer needs the permit this summer.
Below sixteen the sequence inverts. A minor under 16 must successfully complete a motorcycle safety training program approved by the Colorado State Patrol before obtaining a permit. The course is not the shortcut at that age — it is the entry ticket.
The paperwork has a trap in it too. When a motorcycle permit is issued to a minor, a DR 2460M Affidavit of Liability (Motorcycle) must be submitted, and the same liable party who signed the previous credential has to sign this one, accepting liability for the minor when operating a motorcycle. A parent or guardian must also give permission. If the adult who signed the original learner’s permit is not available, that is a problem to solve before the appointment, not at it.
Permit conditions more generally are covered in what a motorcycle permit does not allow.
The out-of-state card rule nobody publishes
If you trained elsewhere, read this before booking anything.
“The State of Colorado does not accept out-of-state Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) cards with the exception of those acquired on a military base (must have a valid military ID).”
That is unusually strict. A rider who completed an MSF Basic RiderCourse in another state and moved to Colorado cannot use that card to skip the drive skills test here. The single exception is a card earned on a military base, and it requires valid military identification to use.
Practically, it means two things. Newcomers should assume they are on route one, or take a Colorado MOST course. And service members should keep the base card and the ID together, because that pairing is the only version Colorado honours.
What the training itself involves, and how completion cards are treated elsewhere, is in motorcycle safety course, with the duration in how long is the motorcycle safety course and pricing in motorcycle safety course cost.
What MOST actually is
MOST stands for Motorcycle Operator Safety Training, and it is worth understanding as a program rather than as a single class, because the name appears on the DMV’s page without explanation.
It is the state’s rider training scheme, and the training programs that count for a minor under 16 are those approved by the Colorado State Patrol — the DMV’s wording is explicit on that point. The card the program issues is called a license waiver card, which describes exactly what it does: it stands in place of the drive skills test at the counter.
Three things follow from that which are easy to miss.
- The waiver is a physical document. The DMV asks for the original card at the appointment. Treat it like a title, not like a receipt.
- It replaces the riding test, not the whole process. You still attend an appointment in person and still purchase a new driver license to carry the endorsement.
- It is state-specific. Colorado’s refusal of civilian out-of-state MSF cards means the waiver route runs through Colorado providers, whatever training you already hold.
Moving to Colorado with a motorcycle endorsement
Two separate questions get tangled here, and they have different answers.
An existing motorcycle endorsement from another state is handled as part of transferring your driver license, because in Colorado the endorsement lives on the license. What is not transferable is a training card: an MSF Basic RiderCourse completion earned as a civilian in another state does not waive Colorado’s drive skills test, and the DMV says so in terms. The only out-of-state cards Colorado accepts are those acquired on a military base, used with valid military identification.
So a rider arriving from, say, Texas or Florida with years of riding and a course card in the drawer is in the same position as a new applicant if the license transfer does not carry the endorsement across: written exam, permit, drive skills test — or a Colorado MOST course.
The machine has its own clock running at the same time. New residents get a limited window to move a motorcycle onto Colorado plates, and the fee formula here stacks value-based and local components rather than a flat rate. Both are covered in motorcycle registration.
Helmets in Colorado
Colorado requires a helmet from riders and passengers aged 17 and younger. Adults are not covered. That puts it in the same group as Arizona and Montana and against neighbouring Nevada, which requires one from everybody — a border worth remembering on a trip south.
The complete state-by-state table is in the state-by-state helmet table, and what makes a helmet compliant rather than decorative is in what DOT, ECE and SNELL actually mean.
What you can do once you are endorsed
Colorado is one of five states that has authorized a version of filtering, and its law is the strangest of the group for two reasons: the statute permits passing in the same lane rather than between lanes, and the authorization is written to repeal itself on 1 September 2027. Both are set out in is lane splitting legal in Colorado, and the five states compared in lane filtering.
The machine’s own paperwork — title, plate, the annual bill — is in motorcycle registration and how much is motorcycle registration. And if you are working through this from scratch, the general sequence is in how the licensing process works.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a motorcycle endorsement in Colorado?
You must already hold a valid Colorado driver license. Then either pass the motorcycle written exam, buy an instruction permit and pass the drive skills test at an appointment, or complete a MOST course and present the original waiver card. Either way you finish by purchasing a new driver license carrying the endorsement, in person.
How long must a minor hold a motorcycle permit in Colorado?
Twelve months. A minor under 18 must purchase and hold a motorcycle instruction permit for a year before the endorsement can be added to their license.
Can a 15-year-old get a motorcycle permit in Colorado?
Only after training. A minor under 16 must successfully complete a motorcycle safety training program approved by the Colorado State Patrol before obtaining a permit.
Does Colorado accept an out-of-state MSF card?
No, with one exception: cards acquired on a military base, which require a valid military ID to use. An MSF card earned as a civilian in another state does not waive Colorado’s drive skills test.
What is the difference between an M and a 3 endorsement in Colorado?
An M endorsement allows you to drive two- and three-wheeled motorcycles. A 3 endorsement allows three-wheeled machines only.
Can you add a motorcycle endorsement online in Colorado?
No. The DMV states that you cannot add a motorcycle endorsement by mail, online or over the phone — it requires an appointment at a driver license office.