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Resident permit · CO → ME

Is a Colorado Resident Permit Valid in Maine?

Permit not recognized — but permitless carry appliesVerified 2026-08-08

Maine does not honor the Colorado resident permit. What saves the trip is Maine's permitless-carry law for adults 21+: eligible visitors can carry concealed without any permit.

Why

Maine recognizes a permit 'issued by another state to its resident' only where that state recognizes Maine's resident permit - non-resident permits are not honored. Extra conditions: permit holders from Alaska, Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and Virginia must be 21+ (Virginia holders must also carry government-issued photo ID). In practice most visitors 21+ may simply carry permitless.

The permit (Colorado)

Permit
Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP)
Issued by
County sheriff
Issue policy
Shall-issue

The destination (Maine)

Recognition policy
Honors a named list of 23 states
Permitless carry
Yes (21+)
Duty to inform
No (present permit on demand)
Magazine limit
No state limit

Carry rules in Maine

Your Colorado habits may not match Maine's law. Check these three areas before you carry there.

Off-limits places in Maine

Maine bans carry in 6 kinds of places. The first on the list:

See all 6 places you can't carry in Maine →

Colorado vs Maine: what changes at the state line

Crossing from Colorado into Maine changes 3 rules: permitless carry (No → Yes (21+)); magazine limit (15 rounds → None); out-of-state permits honored (34 states → 23 states).

RuleColoradoMaine
Permitless carryNoYes (21+)
Duty to inform policeNoNo
Magazine limit15 roundsNone
Out-of-state permits honored34 states23 states
Open carryYes, no permitYes, no permit

Going the other way, a Maine resident permit in Colorado: not recognized.

Driving on from Maine

How a Colorado resident permit fares in the states bordering Maine:

Check a whole route with the Trip Checker →

See the full 50-state map for a Colorado resident permit →

Frequently asked questions

Does Maine honor a Colorado non-resident permit?
Colorado does not issue non-resident carry permits (no non-resident permits. Armed-forces members stationed in Colorado on permanent duty station orders, and their immediate family living in Colorado, are deemed legal residents (C.R.S. 18-12-203(1)(a))), so the question does not arise.
Can a Maine resident permit holder carry in Colorado?
Not recognized. Reciprocity is decided by the destination state, so the answer in this direction depends on Colorado's law, not Maine's.
Where does Maine publish its official reciprocity list?
Maine publishes its recognition policy on an official state page, linked in the sources on this page. That page is the authority — check it shortly before travel, because recognition lists change without much notice.

Official sources