How to Register a Trademark in Colorado (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Colorado · Last updated August 12, 2026
Colorado trademark registration is handled by the Colorado Secretary of State under the state's trademark statute, C.R.S. 7-70-101 et seq. Unlike a federal USPTO registration, a Colorado registration only protects your mark inside the state, but it is inexpensive and fast. Colorado is notable for being online-only: the Secretary of State requires trademark documents to be filed electronically, and the base filing fee is $30. A Colorado registration lasts five years and is renewable, which is a shorter term than the federal ten-year cycle.
How much does it cost to register a trademark in Colorado?
The Colorado Secretary of State charges a $30 filing fee to file a Statement of Trademark Registration. That is far cheaper than the federal USPTO base fee of $350 per class. The trade-off is that a Colorado registration only protects your mark within Colorado, not nationwide, and it does not give you the right to use the federal registration symbol.
Where do I file a Colorado state trademark?
You file with the Colorado Secretary of State, not the USPTO. Colorado is an online-only state: the Secretary of State requires trademark documents to be filed electronically through its business filing system at sos.state.co.us. There is no paper option for filing a Statement of Trademark Registration, so you complete and submit the form entirely online.
How long does a Colorado trademark registration last?
A Colorado trademark registration is effective for five years from the date it is filed, under C.R.S. 7-70-101 et seq. You must file a Statement of Renewal before it expires to keep it active, and it can be renewed for additional five-year terms. This is a shorter cycle than a federal registration, which runs in ten-year terms.
Should I register in Colorado or with the USPTO?
If you sell across state lines or online, a federal USPTO registration is usually the better choice because it protects your mark nationwide. A $30 Colorado registration suits a business that operates only inside Colorado and wants a low-cost, in-state filing. Many owners use the state registration as a stopgap until they are ready to file federally.
Colorado is an online-only trademark state
Colorado's trademark law lives in Title 7, Article 70 of the Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S. 7-70-101 et seq.), administered by the Colorado Secretary of State's Business Division rather than a separate trademark office. What sets Colorado apart operationally is that the Secretary of State moved its business filings, including trademarks, to a mandatory electronic system. You cannot mail in a paper Statement of Trademark Registration; the form is completed and submitted online through sos.state.co.us. The base filing fee is a flat $30, one of the lower state trademark fees in the country, and a registration is effective for five years before it must be renewed. Colorado also publishes its registered trademark data openly through the Colorado Information Marketplace, so existing state registrations are searchable. Note that a Colorado registration protects a mark only within Colorado and coexists with the state's separate trade name system under Article 71; a trade name is not the same thing as a trademark.
Relevant Laws
Colorado Trademark Statute, C.R.S. 7-70-101 et seq.
Title 7, Article 70 of the Colorado Revised Statutes governs state trademark registration through the Secretary of State, including definitions, registration, the five-year term, and renewal.
Colorado Secretary of State, Trademark Filing (online only)
The Secretary of State's business division administers Colorado trademark registration. Filing is electronic only; the Statement of Trademark Registration carries a $30 filing fee.
Colorado Uniform Trade Secrets Act, C.R.S. 7-74-101 et seq.
Colorado's adoption of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, providing civil remedies for misappropriation of trade secrets such as injunctions and damages.
Lanham Act (federal), 15 U.S.C. §1051 et seq.
The federal trademark statute administered by the USPTO. Federal registration gives nationwide priority and the right to use the registered mark symbol, which a Colorado state registration does not.
Regional Variances
Colorado registration vs. federal registration vs. common law
Colorado (Secretary of State, C.R.S. 7-70-101)
In-state protection only. Flat $30 filing fee, online-only filing, and a five-year term that is renewable. No right to use the federal registered mark symbol.
Federal (USPTO, Lanham Act)
Nationwide priority, presumption of ownership, and the ® symbol. Costs $350 per class and lasts ten years, renewable. The right choice for interstate or online sellers.
Common law (use in Colorado)
Rights arise from actual use in your Colorado trading area with no filing and no fee, but they are the narrowest and hardest to enforce, and give no registration record.
How Colorado's rules differ from federal on specific points
Registration term
Colorado runs five-year terms; the USPTO runs ten-year terms. Colorado renewals therefore come up twice as often as federal ones.
Filing channel
Colorado is online-only through sos.state.co.us with no paper option. The USPTO also files online via the Trademark Center but has different fee structures.
Trade secrets and publicity
Colorado adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (C.R.S. 7-74-101) but has no right-of-publicity statute, relying instead on the common-law appropriation tort.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Confirm in-state use and gather a specimen
Before filing days after startingVerify the mark is actually in use in Colorado and collect a specimen plus the date of first use, both required by the Colorado Statement of Trademark Registration under C.R.S. 7-70-101 et seq.
File the Statement of Trademark Registration online
When ready to register days after startingComplete and submit the Statement of Trademark Registration electronically at sos.state.co.us and pay the $30 fee. Colorado has no paper filing option.
Calendar the five-year renewal deadline
Before the 5-year expiration days after startingA Colorado registration lasts five years. Diary the expiration date and file a Statement of Renewal of Trademark Registration online before it lapses to keep the mark registered.
Document trade-secret protections
Ongoing days after startingTo rely on the Colorado Uniform Trade Secrets Act (C.R.S. 7-74-101 et seq.), take reasonable steps such as NDAs and access controls so confidential information qualifies as a protectable trade secret.
Assess whether federal registration is needed
After state filing days after startingIf you sell outside Colorado or online, evaluate a federal USPTO application under the Lanham Act for nationwide priority and the right to use the registered mark symbol, which the state registration does not provide.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm in-state use and gather a specimen | Verify the mark is actually in use in Colorado and collect a specimen plus the date of first use, both required by the Colorado Statement of Trademark Registration under C.R.S. 7-70-101 et seq. | - | Before filing |
| File the Statement of Trademark Registration online | Complete and submit the Statement of Trademark Registration electronically at sos.state.co.us and pay the $30 fee. Colorado has no paper filing option. | colorado-trademark-registration | When ready to register |
| Calendar the five-year renewal deadline | A Colorado registration lasts five years. Diary the expiration date and file a Statement of Renewal of Trademark Registration online before it lapses to keep the mark registered. | - | Before the 5-year expiration |
| Document trade-secret protections | To rely on the Colorado Uniform Trade Secrets Act (C.R.S. 7-74-101 et seq.), take reasonable steps such as NDAs and access controls so confidential information qualifies as a protectable trade secret. | - | Ongoing |
| Assess whether federal registration is needed | If you sell outside Colorado or online, evaluate a federal USPTO application under the Lanham Act for nationwide priority and the right to use the registered mark symbol, which the state registration does not provide. | - | After state filing |
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A registration under C.R.S. 7-70-101 et seq. only gives you rights within Colorado. It does not stop someone from using a similar mark in another state, and it does not give nationwide priority. If you need protection beyond Colorado, you have to register federally with the USPTO, which covers all fifty states.
No. The Colorado Secretary of State requires trademark documents to be filed electronically. There is no paper Statement of Trademark Registration to mail in. You complete and submit everything, including the specimen and the $30 fee, through the online business filing system at sos.state.co.us.
A trademark under Article 70 protects a brand name or logo used to identify your goods or services. A trade name under Article 71 is simply the name a business operates under, a doing-business-as style filing. Registering a trade name does not give you the brand-protection rights that a trademark registration provides, so they serve different purposes.
Yes. Colorado adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, codified at C.R.S. 7-74-101 et seq. It lets a trade secret owner sue for misappropriation and seek injunctions and damages. This is separate from trademark law and protects confidential business information such as formulas, customer lists, and processes, provided you take reasonable steps to keep them secret.
No. Colorado has no separate right-of-publicity statute. Instead, Colorado courts protect a person's name and likeness through the common-law tort of invasion of privacy by appropriation, which requires proving the defendant used your name or likeness for their own benefit and that you were harmed. It is a common-law remedy rather than a statutory one.
Other Colorado guides
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