Chronic Wasting Disease Laws in Colorado: What Hunters and Landowners Need to Know

Chronic wasting disease has been spreading through Colorado’s deer, elk, and moose populations for decades, and the state has built one of the most active regulatory frameworks in the country to slow its advance. Whether you hunt big game, raise captive cervids, or simply live near wildlife habitat, the rules around CWD affect you directly.

This guide covers every major category of chronic wasting disease laws in Colorado — from baiting prohibitions and carcass transport restrictions to mandatory testing requirements and the penalties you face for non-compliance. Read each section carefully before your next season opens, because the rules rotate and update annually.

CWD Status and Affected Areas in Colorado

CWD is a fatal neurological disease caused by abnormally shaped proteins — known as prions — found in deer, elk, and moose. The disease results in the early death of an infected animal, often within two to two-and-a-half years of infection, along with significant decreases in survival rates of infected herds over time. No immunity develops, and infected animals do not recover.

CWD is currently well established in herds throughout Colorado. As one Northwest Region CPW spokesperson noted, “CWD is widely distributed across NW Colorado, with CWD detected in mule deer herds in all but one Data Analysis Unit.”

As of an April 2025 memo, CPW reports from the 2022 to the 2024 hunting seasons confirm CWD has decreased in four herds, increased in 14 herds, and remained the same in 16 herds. The disease is not confined to one corner of the state — CWD has been confirmed in mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, and moose in Colorado.

To address increasing CWD prevalence, the Parks and Wildlife Commission approved a statewide CWD response plan in 2019 — the Colorado Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan. The plan rotates mandatory testing of hunter-harvested deer around the state for 15 years and creates a compulsory management threshold of 5% prevalence or higher in adult male deer for when management action must be taken.

Once CWD is established in an area, the CWD prions stay in soil and water for years. That persistence is a key reason Colorado’s regulations focus heavily on where and how carcasses are handled and transported. You can review current distribution data through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife CWD page and the USGS North American CWD Distribution Map.

Baiting and Feeding Restrictions in Colorado

Colorado takes a firm statewide stance on baiting and feeding wildlife. These rules apply regardless of whether you are hunting in a known CWD zone or in an area with no confirmed detections.

• Big game baiting is illegal statewide. Big game baiting is illegal in Colorado, and feeding of certain wildlife species, including big game, is also illegal.
• No mineral licks or attractants. The prohibition on baiting extends to the use of mineral blocks, salt licks, or any other substance placed to attract deer, elk, or moose for the purpose of hunting or taking them.
• No exceptions for CWD zones. The ban is not zone-specific — it applies across the entire state under Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission regulations.

CWD is caused by a misfolded protein — a prion — that builds up in nervous and lymphatic tissue and can persist in soil and on equipment long after an infected animal is gone. Concentrating animals at bait sites dramatically increases the chance of prion transmission through shared saliva, urine, and feces, which is the primary reason Colorado bans the practice outright.

If you have questions about what qualifies as a prohibited attractant, contact your nearest CPW regional office before setting anything out in the field. You can also review related animal-management rules for Colorado at wildlife removal laws in Colorado.

Carcass Transportation Rules in Colorado

How you move a harvested deer, elk, or moose — whether across county lines or out of state — is one of the most regulated aspects of CWD management in Colorado. Regulations increasingly focus on where carcasses go and how hunters move high-risk parts like heads and spines across the landscape.

Colorado has established regulations addressing the transport of deer and elk out of CWD areas. The following carcass parts are generally permitted to be transported out of a CWD management area:

• Meat that is cut and wrapped (either commercially or privately), and quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached.
• Cleaned skull plates with antlers attached (no brain tissue)
• Finished taxidermy mounts
• Hides with no head attached
• Teeth

Whole carcasses, spinal columns, and heads with brain tissue intact are the parts most restricted from transport out of designated areas, because the suspected infective agent (prion) is concentrated in the brain, spinal cord, and lymph glands.

When transporting game, carcasses must have the carcass tag and evidence of sex attached. The carcass tag must be securely attached to the carcass — not the head or hide — or must accompany processed meat.

It is illegal to have or transport a big-game carcass without evidence of sex naturally attached. It is illegal to have only detached evidence of sex accompany the carcass. Evidence of sex is not required if a donation certificate accompanies less than 20 pounds of meat, or after the carcass is cut into processed meat, wrapped and frozen, or stored at the licensee’s home.

For context on how Colorado compares to neighboring states’ inbound restrictions, note that it is illegal to bring into Montana the whole carcass of any deer, elk, or moose from states where CWD has been detected — and as of 2025, Colorado is on that list.

CWD Testing Requirements for Hunters in Colorado

Colorado uses a rotating mandatory testing system that changes from year to year. The CPW Director has authority to administratively impose mandatory hunter testing by unit to meet sampling objectives, and mandatory hunter testing rotates around the state each year to achieve adequate sample sizes for monitoring in selected population units.

2026 Testing Rules at a Glance

In 2026, CPW will require mandatory submission of CWD test samples (heads) from all elk harvested during rifle seasons from specific hunt codes to better evaluate the prevalence of CWD in herds. There will be no mandatory CWD testing for harvested deer in the 2026 seasons.

There will be no charge for mandatory testing. Not all hunt codes in a GMU were selected for mandatory CWD testing. Find the hunt codes selected for mandatory testing on pages 41–52 of the 2026 Big Game Brochure.

Expanded testing is part of CPW’s Colorado Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan, a 15-year plan that will rotate mandatory testing of hunter-harvested deer around the state to monitor CWD prevalence.

If a hunter is not selected for mandatory testing but wants to know whether their harvested deer or elk has CWD, they can submit their animal’s head and pay a testing fee of $25.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommends that hunters not eat the meat of an animal that tests positive for Chronic Wasting Disease. In the case that a harvested deer tests positive for CWD, the hunter should carefully discard the animal. CPW currently advises that all parts of a CWD-infected animal, including processed meat, should be carefully contained in two heavy-duty plastic garbage bags.

You can find current submission site locations and hours through the CPW CWD testing page. For related disease-reporting obligations on the livestock side, see livestock disease reporting in Colorado.

Captive Cervid and Deer Farming Rules in Colorado

Captive cervid operations — including elk ranches, fallow deer farms, and commercial wildlife parks — face a separate and detailed regulatory framework in Colorado. Oversight is shared between two agencies.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) regulates wildlife imports and has authority over commercially raised mule deer and other commercially raised wildlife species. The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) has authority over alternative livestock (fallow deer and elk). Authority over possession, importation, and movement of alternative livestock is shared, and CWD management in alternative livestock facilities requires CDA and CPW approval of the herd plan.

There is a moratorium on new licensing of cervid ranches by CPW; however, CDA is licensing new alternative livestock facilities.

Key Requirements for Captive Cervid Operators

• CWD-free status period: 60 months of CWD-free status from a qualifying surveillance program is required for importation and intrastate movement of captive cervids.
• Mandatory mortality testing: Except for fallow deer, all cervid mortalities of animals 12 months of age or older must be submitted for CWD testing.
• Movement approvals: All movements of alternative livestock must be approved by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Commercial Wildlife Parks facilities seeking to move live cervids within Colorado must also obtain written authorization from the CPW Director and shall request such authorization at least 30 days prior to the proposed movement date.
• Import tagging: All alternative livestock imported into Colorado must be marked with a United States Department of Agriculture alphanumeric test tag or an official Canadian alphanumeric test tag.
• TB testing: All live captive cervids transported within Colorado must test negative for tuberculosis (TB) within sixty days prior to movement anywhere within Colorado.

A positive diagnosis of CWD in an alternative livestock facility — including in a wild cervid within the exterior boundaries of the facility — subjects the herd to immediate quarantine by the State Veterinarian. The quarantine remains in place and no restocking of any fallow deer or elk is allowed until a herd plan has been successfully developed and approved by the State Veterinarian and the Division of Wildlife.

In cooperation with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Alternative Livestock Health Program tracks chronic wasting disease and tuberculosis in captive elk and fallow deer. Program staff also grants approvals and issues permits to allow for both in-state and import movement of alternative livestock. For more on related animal-ownership rules in Colorado, see goat ownership laws in Colorado.

Reporting Sick or Suspected Deer in Colorado

If you spot a deer, elk, or moose in the field that looks ill, Colorado law and CPW guidance both call for prompt reporting — not a shot. Acting quickly helps CPW collect samples and update its distribution maps before the disease spreads further.

Symptoms in infected animals include drastic weight loss, stumbling, drooling, and listlessness. More specifically, you should contact CPW if you observe any of the following:

• Adult deer, elk, or moose that appear to be thin or poor-doing, or that seem to lack awareness or concern or to behave oddly.
• Carcasses of adult deer, elk, or moose that appear to be thin.
• Animals with excessive salivation, difficulty swallowing, or an unusual gait
• Animals that appear unafraid of humans or vehicles

If hunters see a deer while in the field that appears to be sick, they should note the location as specifically as possible and call the closest CPW office as soon as possible. Do not shoot the animal.

Reporting obligations extend beyond hunters. Landowners, wildlife watchers, and anyone who discovers a dead or visibly ill deer, elk, or moose should contact their nearest CPW office. Infected animals often show no signs of illness in the early stages, which is why CPW relies on a combination of hunter-submitted samples and field reports to track the disease’s spread. You can find contact information for every regional CPW office through the CPW CWD reporting page. For broader context on how Colorado handles wildlife health issues, see pet import laws in Colorado.

Penalties for CWD Violations in Colorado

Colorado enforces its wildlife regulations through a tiered penalty system that combines fines, license suspension points, and in serious cases, criminal charges. CWD-related violations typically fall under the broader wildlife law enforcement framework administered by CPW officers.

Most citations for hunting law violations carry fines, some of which are over $10,000, but for certain offenses there is the potential for jail and/or prison time. There is also the risk of losing your hunting privileges, not only in Colorado, but also in the other 47 states that participate in the nationwide wildlife compact agreement.

Fine and Point Schedule for Common Violations

A conviction of illegal possession of elk carries a $1,000 fine and fifteen license suspension points. A conviction of illegal possession of deer carries a fine of $700 and fifteen license suspension points.

For violations involving three or more animals, fines can reach a maximum of $10,000 per animal, or imprisonment for not more than one year in the county jail, or both. Upon conviction, the commission may suspend any or all license privileges of the person for a period of one year to life.

On the captive cervid side, the consequences for non-compliance are particularly severe. Any cervids, except fallow deer, transported within Colorado in violation of CWD documentation standards must be immediately destroyed and tested for CWD. Egregious violations may result in revocation of the Alternative Livestock license.

Due to the regular amending of regulations in Colorado, it is recommended that before hunting you check the current CWD regulations, as well as those of any other states or provinces in which you will be hunting or traveling through while transporting cervid carcasses. You can review the full penalty schedule under Colorado wildlife law through the Animal Legal and Historical Center’s Colorado wildlife enforcement statutes. For other Colorado animal law topics, see animal cruelty laws in Colorado and dog bite laws in Colorado.

Staying Compliant with Colorado’s CWD Laws

Colorado’s CWD regulatory framework is one of the most active in the country, and it changes every season. The mandatory testing rotation shifts annually, hunt codes selected for required elk head submission change year to year, and captive cervid movement rules are updated as new CWD detections occur.

Before each season, take these practical steps to stay on the right side of the law:

1. Download the current CPW Big Game Brochure. Pages 41–52 of the 2026 edition list the specific hunt codes subject to mandatory elk CWD testing. Confirm whether your tag falls under a mandatory submission requirement before you go afield.
2. Know the carcass transport rules for every state you will pass through. If you are driving harvested meat across state lines, the receiving state may have its own restrictions on whole carcasses or spinal column material from Colorado.
3. Never bait or feed big game. The prohibition is statewide and year-round. No exceptions apply for deer, elk, or moose regardless of whether you are in a CWD-positive area.
4. Report sick animals immediately. Call the nearest CPW office with a precise location. Do not shoot a visibly ill animal.
5. If you operate a captive cervid facility, confirm your herd’s CWD surveillance status and get written approval from both CPW and the Colorado Department of Agriculture before moving any animals.

For questions specific to your operation or hunt unit, contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife directly at cpw.state.co.us or reach the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Alternative Livestock Health Program at ag.colorado.gov. You may also find it useful to review roadkill laws in Colorado and livestock disease reporting in Colorado for related state-level animal health obligations.