Colorado Substitute Teaching License Requirements
A Colorado substitute teacher license, officially called a substitute authorization, comes in three tiers issued by the Colorado Department of Education: one-year, three-year, and five-year. Each tier has different education or licensing requirements plus a CBI fingerprint-based background check. Application fees run $60 for the one-year authorization and $90 for the three-year and five-year authorizations.
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Colorado doesn’t require a full teaching license to work as a substitute. Instead, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) issues three substitute authorizations, each tied to a different level of education or prior teaching experience. Here’s what each tier requires, what the application costs, and how the background check and renewal process work.
Colorado Substitute Authorization Types
One-Year Authorization
The one-year authorization requires a high school diploma or its equivalent, plus successful experience working with children. CDE doesn’t require additional documentation beyond that experience during the application. This tier is a common starting point for recent high school graduates and career changers without a college degree.
Three-Year Authorization
The three-year authorization requires a bachelor’s or higher degree in any content area from a regionally accredited college or university. You’ll upload an official transcript showing the conferred degree during the application. Degrees earned outside the United States need a course-by-course equivalency report from a NACES member organization.
Five-Year Authorization
The five-year authorization requires an active or expired Colorado teacher license, or an active or expired teacher license from another state. This has to be a full, post-preparation teacher license. Alternative, provisional, temporary, or special services, principal, and administrator licenses don’t qualify, and neither does an existing substitute, emergency, or other type of authorization. If you’re licensed elsewhere, check Colorado’s teacher reciprocity rules to confirm your out-of-state license qualifies before you apply.
Once issued, any of the three authorizations is valid for substitute work in every Colorado school district, BOCES, charter school, and CDE-approved facility school. None of the three tiers come with a grade level or subject-area endorsement. If substitute work is a step toward a professional license rather than the end goal, see what it takes to become a full teacher in Colorado.
Application Process, Fees, and Background Check
Applications for all three authorizations go through CDE’s Colorado Online Licensing (COOL) system, not a paper form. Before you apply, you’ll need a fingerprint-based criminal history check on file with CDE. Fingerprints are submitted through a CBI-approved vendor, IdentoGO or Colorado Fingerprinting, and the state and FBI processing fee is $39.50, plus the vendor’s own service fee charged at your appointment. You have 30 days from the date CDE receives your background check results to submit your application, or you’ll need to resubmit fingerprints.
The application fee itself is $60 for the one-year authorization and $90 for the three-year or five-year authorization. Once you submit a complete application in COOL, CDE typically evaluates it within 45 business days. If anything is missing, CDE will notify you and give you 60 days to provide it.
Renewing Your Colorado Substitute Authorization
You can renew a substitute authorization once you’re within six months of its expiration date, through the same COOL account you used to apply. Applying earlier than that six-month window means CDE won’t process it, and you’ll need to reapply once you’re inside the window. If your authorization lapses entirely, you’ll typically need a new fingerprint-based background check before CDE will issue a new one.
Finding Substitute Teaching Work in Colorado
Holding a substitute authorization doesn’t automatically place you in a classroom. Each school district, BOCES, or charter school handles its own hiring, so you’ll need to apply directly to the districts where you want to work. Use CDE’s District & BOCES Websites directory to find contact information for the district you’re interested in, then follow that district’s application steps for substitute teachers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a bachelor’s degree to substitute teach in Colorado?
No. The one-year authorization only requires a high school diploma or its equivalent, along with successful experience working with children. A bachelor’s degree is required for the three-year authorization.
How much does a Colorado substitute teacher license cost?
The CDE application fee is $60 for the one-year authorization and $90 for the three-year or five-year authorization. You’ll also pay a separate $39.50 state and FBI fingerprint processing fee, plus the fingerprinting vendor’s own service fee, before you apply.
How long does it take to get a Colorado substitute authorization?
Fingerprint results typically come back within a day to two weeks through a CBI-approved vendor. Once you submit a complete application in COOL, CDE generally evaluates it within 45 business days.
Can I use my Colorado substitute authorization in any school district?
The authorization itself is valid statewide across every Colorado school district, BOCES, charter school, and CDE-approved facility school. You still need to apply separately to each district where you want to substitute.
How do I renew a Colorado substitute teaching authorization?
Log in to your COOL account within six months of your authorization’s expiration date and submit a renewal application for the same tier. Applying more than six months early won’t be processed.
- Three authorization tiers, three different bars to clear — the one-year needs a high school diploma and experience with kids, the three-year needs a bachelor’s degree, and the five-year needs a current or former full teacher license.
- Fees add up beyond the CDE application — plan on $60 to $90 for the CDE application plus a separate $39.50 CBI fingerprint fee.
- Everything runs through COOL — Colorado’s online licensing system handles the application, renewal, and status checks. There’s no hardcopy option.
- Renewal has a six-month window — CDE won’t process a renewal application submitted earlier than six months before expiration.
- Statewide validity still means district-by-district hiring — the authorization works anywhere in Colorado, but you apply to each district separately for actual placement.
Find accredited teacher certification programs in Colorado, including options that can help you move from a substitute authorization toward a full teaching license.
