Colorado Recording, Tracking & Surveillance Laws

At a glance

Adult subject — e.g., a spouse

Your own minor child

As a parent you generally have broad authority to monitor your own minor child — especially on a phone, computer, or vehicle you own or provide. The gray area is recording the child's conversations with other people, where wiretap law and the “vicarious consent” doctrine come in and outcomes vary — and if you're co-parenting, custody orders and the other parent's rights matter. Those are marked “seek legal advice.”

General (any subject)

Recording & consent

Colorado is a one-party consent state. Under C.R.S. § 18-9-303 (wiretapping) and § 18-9-304 (eavesdropping), you may record a conversation or call as long as you're a party or one party consents. Intercepting or recording a communication you're not part of, without consent, is a Class 2 misdemeanor.

Conversations in public with no reasonable expectation of privacy can be recorded without consent. The federal overlay still applies.

Recording law enforcement

Recording on-duty police in public is protected by the First Amendment — the Tenth Circuit, which covers Colorado, has recognized the right — and Colorado has a statute (C.R.S. § 16-3-311) affirming the right to record police and allowing a civil claim if an officer interferes. Don't physically interfere with officers.

GPS & vehicle tracking

Colorado has no statute written only for GPS trackers. Tracking a vehicle you own or co-own is generally lawful; secretly tracking someone else can be charged under Colorado's stalking law (C.R.S. § 18-3-602), which covers repeated surveillance or following that causes fear. Treat non-consensual tracking as a lawyer question.

Private-investigator licensing

Colorado is unusual: the state does not currently license private investigators. Colorado ran a PI licensing program that was allowed to sunset, so there is no active state PI license today. Investigators still must comply with the recording, privacy, and trespass laws on this page and any local business-licensing rules.

Out-of-state investigator reciprocity

Because Colorado has no active statewide PI license, there's nothing to reciprocate — an out-of-state investigator doesn't need a Colorado professional license to work in the state, though local business rules and all the surveillance laws on this page still apply.

Hidden cameras in private areas

Colorado's criminal invasion-of-privacy statute (C.R.S. § 18-7-801) makes it a crime to knowingly observe or photograph a person's intimate parts without consent where they reasonably expect privacy. The statute is camera-agnostic — a hidden cam, a phone, or a drone all count — so concealed cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, and changing areas are off-limits.

Cameras in your own home / nanny cams

You can put cameras in your own home, including nanny cams in common areas. The limits: don't aim a camera at a space a guest, tenant, or worker would reasonably treat as private (a bathroom, or a live-in caregiver's bedroom) — that risks the invasion-of-privacy statute — and remember audio follows the recording law. Colorado's one-party rule means a hidden mic capturing conversations you're not part of can be unlawful even at home.

Doorbell & outdoor cameras

A doorbell or outdoor camera covering your own porch, yard, or the street is fine — no reasonable expectation of privacy in public view. Trouble starts if you point a camera into a neighbor's window or fenced yard, or capture their private conversations. Aim at your property, not through someone else's walls.

Workplace & employee recording

Colorado's one-party consent rule applies at work: someone who is part of a conversation may record it. Secretly recording conversations you're not part of, or planting a device, runs into the wiretap statute. Employers who monitor email or work systems should still give clear notice, and federal workplace rules can apply.

Drone surveillance

Colorado has no dedicated drone-surveillance statute, but its criminal invasion-of-privacy law (C.R.S. § 18-7-801) is camera-agnostic and reaches a drone used to observe someone's intimate parts in a private place. Using a drone to spy into private spaces can be a crime; general flight and filming from public vantage points is not. Because there's no on-point general privacy statute, treat drone surveillance of people as a lawyer question. FAA rules govern the airspace.

See an error or an out-of-date citation? Please let us know.

General legal information only, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Statutes and their interpretation change; entries may be incomplete or outdated. We disclaim all warranties and any liability for reliance on this page. Confirm the current law at the official Colorado Codes and consult a licensed Colorado attorney before recording, tracking, installing cameras, or gathering evidence.