Colorado Optometry Licensing, Including the Telehealth Method

Colorado's Division of Professions and Occupations (DPO) lists three ways to get an initial optometrist license through its online system: "Optometrist - Initial license by Examination, Endorsement and Telehealth Method." For an optometrist licensed elsewhere, endorsement is the main route, and the State Board of Optometry's Rule 1.14 makes it unusually short on years: one year of licensure in a jurisdiction with a substantially similar scope of practice. What Rule 1.14 adds is a procedure competency requirement that many applicants will need to document. The telehealth method is listed, but the board's published rules and pages do not set out its criteria, so treat it as a question for the DPO rather than a known shortcut.

The details below come from the DPO's optometry application, renewal and CE pages and the board's rules, 4 CCR 728-1 (current version effective February 2, 2026).

What does Rule 1.14 require for endorsement?

Rule 1.14, "Licensure by Endorsement," says a licensed optometrist may endorse into Colorado when the applicant:

1. holds an active license in good standing in another state or jurisdiction, or through the federal government, or holds a qualifying military occupational specialty;
2. pays the application fee;
3. submits proof of having held, for at least one year, a current and valid license in another jurisdiction "with a scope of practice that is substantially similar to the scope of practice for optometry" under Article 275 of Title 12, C.R.S., and the board's rules; and
4. demonstrates competency as an optometrist in a manner the board approves.

The one-year requirement is short compared with many endorsement states. The scope comparison is where files get complicated: an optometrist from a state with a narrower scope than Colorado's has to show the gap is covered. When your home state's scope is narrower than the new state's walks through that.

Which procedure competency does Rule 1.14 require?

Subsection E of Rule 1.14 states that Colorado "requires competency to perform laser procedures or treat ocular adnexa," and sets the ways to show it:

• graduation in 2019 or later from an accredited optometry school where laser procedures and ocular adnexa treatments were taught, plus passage of the standardized national exam the board approves; or
• completion of 32 hours of board-approved coursework, including six hours of hands-on proctored clinical sessions with an optometrist or ophthalmologist licensed to perform the procedures in any jurisdiction.

Documentation of the education and training must be provided to the board on request. Adverse outcomes, as the board defines them, must be reported within ten days of the date you become aware of them. And an applicant who has not performed a laser procedure in the past two years must complete a proctored clinical session before performing any. For an older graduate from a state without these procedures, the 32-hour coursework is the practical path; plan it before you apply. ISE and LSPE: states that ask for the injection and laser exams explains NBEO's procedure exams, and how states decide on laser procedures gives the wider picture.

Is the Colorado telehealth method a shortcut?

The DPO lists it alongside examination and endorsement as a way to apply for an initial license through DPO Online Services, and the DPO publishes application previews that show the questions each online application asks. The board's published rules and the DPO's pages do not set out who qualifies or what it authorizes, so do not assume it is a lighter version of endorsement or a registration. Before choosing it, read the application preview and ask the DPO in writing what the license allows and how it renews. For the broader question of which state licenses a remote optometrist needs, see tele-optometry: which state licenses you need, and for other states' telehealth registrations, White Glove Telemedicine's list of states with telehealth registrations.

Do Colorado's rules change how you practice day to day?

A few of the board's rules shape day-to-day work for a newly licensed OD:

• Prescription release. Rule 1.12(B) requires the optometrist to provide the eyeglass prescription and the contact lens prescription immediately at the end of an exam where a valid prescription has been determined, "regardless of whether the patient requests it or not."
• Records. Patient records are kept for seven years after the last contact, and records for minors at least seven years after the patient turns 18.
• Professional liability insurance. Rule 1.11 lists the categories exempt from Colorado's liability coverage requirement, including an optometrist who "does not engage in any patient care within Colorado" and one covered by an employer's policy in the statutory amounts. Everyone else is subject to the liability requirements of section 12-275-128, C.R.S.
• Reporting. Rule 1.17 requires a written report to the board within thirty days of a malpractice judgment or settlement, a felony conviction or plea, and disciplinary action by another licensing agency.

When do Colorado licenses renew?

"All Optometry licenses expire on March 31 of odd-numbered years." Renewals open about four to five weeks before expiration through DPO Online Services. New licenses issued within 120 days of the next renewal date receive the following expiration date instead, which can save you an immediate renewal.

The DPO's CE page requires at least 24 hours of CE each two-year license period:

• All 24 hours must be clinically based. Practice and personnel management, financial subjects and promotional presentations do not count.
• At least 16 hours must be synchronous, in person or virtual, sponsored by COPE, the AOA or AOA-recognized state associations, the American Academy of Optometry, COVD, OEP or qualifying academic clinical facilities.
• No more than 8 hours may be asynchronous, sponsored or approved by COPE or an accredited optometry school, with a post-test.
• Clinical observation and ICD-10 coding training may each count for up to 4 hours.
• Licensees keep their own CE records for at least four years; the board audits after each license period.

First renewals are prorated: no CE if you were licensed 12 months or less before the first expiration date, and 12 hours if you were licensed 12 to 24 months. The DPO's page also lists at least one hour of substance use prevention training each license period, with exemptions, and notes that under SB26-138 the board will repeal that requirement on or before July 1, 2027. Optometry CE requirements across states compares Colorado's 24 hours with other states.

Where does a licensing service fit in a Colorado move?

Our Optometry License, One State service is $699 for Colorado. We confirm your year of licensure and compare your current scope with Colorado's, document the procedure competency pathway that fits your training, request verifications, prepare the DPO Online Services application with a question-by-question guide and ask the DPO in writing about the telehealth method if you are considering it. If you need the 32-hour coursework documented, our Laser and Advanced Procedure Credential ($399 per state) organizes the course and proctored-session records. You answer and sign the application, complete any coursework and pay the DPO. See the Colorado licensing page to compare states.