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Colorado Funeral Service — Requirements & Free Practice

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Embalmer

Individual Embalmer license under the Mortuary Science Code. Applications are available before mandatory individual licensure begins January 1, 2027. Associate-license applications under C.R.S. 12-135-501(7)(a) start January 1, 2027 and are outside this evaluation date.

Licensing authority: Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations, Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services · Application information

Licensure by endorsement
National Board Exam Sciences
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Equivalence
Supply proof under penalty of perjury of substantially equivalent experience or credentials, or at least one year of a current valid credential with a substantially similar scope of practice; the Director may deny for deficient equivalence or disciplinary grounds.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Out Of Jurisdiction Credential
Hold a current credential in good standing in another state, a U.S. territory, another country or the federal government, or a military occupational specialty as authorized by current C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I). The 2026 statute added another country; the 2025 rule's narrower enumeration is not treated as controlling.
Underlying Qualifications
Rule 1.10.A requires the applicable qualifications of Rule 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9, and C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I)(C) preserves applicable examination requirements. The Licensing Guide's abbreviated endorsement checklist lists the existing license/equivalence requirement and does not expressly waive those underlying requirements.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Initial licensure with educational waiver
National Board Exam Sciences
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education Waiver
Petition the Director for waiver of education to permit sitting the applicable NBE section(s); if granted, passing the NBE satisfies education and examination requirements. Other licensure requirements remain. Examination requirements are not waived without the Director's approval under C.R.S. 12-135-501(6)(c).
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Initial licensure by examination
National Board Exam Sciences
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Military family occupational credential portability
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Eligibility
A military spouse, gold star military spouse, military dependent, or spouse/dependent of another qualified servicemember relocated as statutorily defined must submit satisfactory proof under penalty of perjury of a current license in good standing from another state or U.S. territory.
License Term
The license is valid six years after issuance and may be renewed; the application fee is waived.
Portability
C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(f)(I) provides issuance on that proof, subject to its compact/reciprocity and good-standing exceptions. It does not impose an NBE requirement on this special pathway.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

New license application following revocation
National Board Exam Sciences
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Revocation Waiting Period
C.R.S. 12-20-404(3)(a)(I) makes a person whose license was revoked ineligible to apply for a new license for two years after revocation, subject to that section's exceptions. A new issuance must meet the current qualification rules.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Provisional to full conversion by examination
National Board Exam Sciences
Discipline Condition
Rule 1.9.B.1 additionally requires the provisional licensee not to have been subject to discipline. The statute's 12-135-501(5)(a) exam-conversion text does not express that extra restriction.
Provisional License
Hold a provisional license for the same practice. Obtain the Director's educational waiver and pass the NBE section(s) for that practice; pay the applicable fee.
Provisional to full conversion through peer review
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Exception
This statutory peer-review pathway applies notwithstanding the ordinary qualification statute for this practice and contains no NBE requirement.
Fee
Pay the applicable fee.
Peer Review
An approved, appropriately practicing qualified peer reviewer reviews and discusses each documented case, reports ethical and statutory compliance, and recommends full licensure.
Practice Cases
Embalmed at least 25 human remains; Rule 1.9.B.2 places the cases within the three years before application.
Provisional License
Hold a provisional license and have no discipline.
Workplace Learning
Have the one-year workplace learning required by C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(b)(II).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Full licensure of a provisional licensee approved as a qualified peer reviewer
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Director Approval
A provisional licensee approved as a qualified peer reviewer may also be approved by the Director for full licensure in the profession for which the individual will review.
Experience
Rule 1.9.D.2 requires at least 4,000 hours of relevant active practice before January 1, 2025, Colorado residency, and application/approval.
Practice Cases
Embalmed at least 25 human remains.
Scope
The qualified peer reviewer must practice in the same field and be approved before beginning reviews.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reactivation from inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Inactive Status
Apply to reactivate the existing inactive license, pay the applicable renewal fee, and satisfy postgraduate study or in-service requirements determined by the Director.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of more than five years
National Board Exam Sciences
Application
Complete the reinstatement application, pay its fee, and satisfy the Director's competency determination.
Competency Alternatives
The Director accepts one of: passing the appropriate NBE section(s) within the two preceding years; at least six months of supervised practice on Director-established terms; at least 400 hours per year of active properly licensed practice for the three preceding years; or another means approved by the Director.
Exam Alternative
The currently offered, registered NBE section(s) remain leaves even if the applicant qualifies through another competency alternative. The two-year passing-score limit is an applicant condition.
Expiration
Expired for more than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements upon demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.
Reinstatement after expiration of two years to less than five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply, pay the reinstatement fee, and provide the prescribed competency evidence.
Competency Alternatives
Rule 1.11.C.3 permits proof of a good-standing out-of-state mortuary-science credential and at least 400 hours of annual active practice for the two preceding years, or one CE hour for each month expired. The rule uses "mortuary science practitioner" in the first alternative although its reinstatement heading covers all mortuary science licenses.
Expiration
Expired for at least two years and less than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements for demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of less than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Expiration
Expired for less than two years; submit CE documentation. The Director may deny for violations of the Code or rules.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Removal of the conditional designation from an existing license
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Conditions
Remain free of subsequent criminal convictions or licensing sanctions and no longer be serving the relevant probation or parole. The agency grants the request unless conditional status remains necessary under C.R.S. 24-5-101.
Effect
Removal changes the designation on an already issued license and does not impose an additional examination.
Existing License
Hold the conditional form of this occupation's existing license.
Request Timing
Request removal one year after issuance or at renewal, whichever is later.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

License renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Restoration of a suspended, revoked or denied license after discipline
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Director Decision
The Director may condition reinstatement of a suspended, revoked or denied license on training or further education needed to correct a deficiency. The individual disciplinary order determines corrective requirements; this provision identifies no new examination.
Existing Qualifications
This route restores an existing license under C.R.S. 12-135-507(3)(d); a new application after revocation is treated separately.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Conditional Embalmer

Individual Conditional Embalmer license under the Mortuary Science Code. Applications are available before mandatory individual licensure begins January 1, 2027. Conditional is the designation authorized by C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III) and 24-34-107(5); its removal does not create a new occupational scope. Associate-license applications under C.R.S. 12-135-501(7)(a) start January 1, 2027 and are outside this evaluation date.

Licensing authority: Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations, Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services · Application information

Conditional issuance through endorsement
National Board Exam Sciences
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Equivalence
Supply proof under penalty of perjury of substantially equivalent experience or credentials, or at least one year of a current valid credential with a substantially similar scope of practice; the Director may deny for deficient equivalence or disciplinary grounds.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Out Of Jurisdiction Credential
Hold a current credential in good standing in another state, a U.S. territory, another country or the federal government, or a military occupational specialty as authorized by current C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I). The 2026 statute added another country; the 2025 rule's narrower enumeration is not treated as controlling.
Underlying Qualifications
Rule 1.10.A requires the applicable qualifications of Rule 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9, and C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I)(C) preserves applicable examination requirements. The Licensing Guide's abbreviated endorsement checklist lists the existing license/equivalence requirement and does not expressly waive those underlying requirements.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Conditional issuance in lieu of denial
National Board Exam Sciences
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Reactivation from inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Inactive Status
Apply to reactivate the existing inactive license, pay the applicable renewal fee, and satisfy postgraduate study or in-service requirements determined by the Director.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of more than five years
National Board Exam Sciences
Application
Complete the reinstatement application, pay its fee, and satisfy the Director's competency determination.
Competency Alternatives
The Director accepts one of: passing the appropriate NBE section(s) within the two preceding years; at least six months of supervised practice on Director-established terms; at least 400 hours per year of active properly licensed practice for the three preceding years; or another means approved by the Director.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Exam Alternative
The currently offered, registered NBE section(s) remain leaves even if the applicant qualifies through another competency alternative. The two-year passing-score limit is an applicant condition.
Expiration
Expired for more than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements upon demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.
Reinstatement after expiration of two years to less than five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply, pay the reinstatement fee, and provide the prescribed competency evidence.
Competency Alternatives
Rule 1.11.C.3 permits proof of a good-standing out-of-state mortuary-science credential and at least 400 hours of annual active practice for the two preceding years, or one CE hour for each month expired. The rule uses "mortuary science practitioner" in the first alternative although its reinstatement heading covers all mortuary science licenses.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Expiration
Expired for at least two years and less than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements for demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of less than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Expiration
Expired for less than two years; submit CE documentation. The Director may deny for violations of the Code or rules.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

License renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Restoration of a suspended, revoked or denied license after discipline
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Director Decision
The Director may condition reinstatement of a suspended, revoked or denied license on training or further education needed to correct a deficiency. The individual disciplinary order determines corrective requirements; this provision identifies no new examination.
Existing Qualifications
This route restores an existing license under C.R.S. 12-135-507(3)(d); a new application after revocation is treated separately.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Provisional Embalmer

Individual Provisional Embalmer license under the Mortuary Science Code. Applications are available before mandatory individual licensure begins January 1, 2027. Associate-license applications under C.R.S. 12-135-501(7)(a) start January 1, 2027 and are outside this evaluation date.

Licensing authority: Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations, Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services · Application information

Provisional licensure by endorsement with Rule 1.9 qualifications
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Background
Obtain the fingerprint-based criminal-history check and satisfy the applicable disqualifying-history provisions.
Conflicting Rule Date
C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(b)(I), as amended effective August 6, 2025, sets the experience cutoff before January 1, 2027. Older Rule 1.9.A.1 says: "The applicant has obtained at least four thousand (4,000) hours of work experience equivalent to the work performed by a funeral director, mortuary science practitioner, embalmer, cremationist, or natural reductionist, as applicable, prior to January 1, 2026." The higher-ranked statute governs; the current DPO-linked guide also uses January 1, 2027.
Equivalence
Supply proof under penalty of perjury of substantially equivalent experience or credentials, or at least one year of a current valid credential with a substantially similar scope of practice; the Director may deny for deficient equivalence or disciplinary grounds.
Experience
At least 4,000 hours of equivalent work experience before January 1, 2027, demonstrated by the prescribed verified statement; apply and pay the fee no later than January 1, 2027.
Learning
At least one year of workplace learning, which may run concurrently with the experience hours. Rules 1.13 and 1.14 describe supervised practical learning for the relevant occupation.
Out Of Jurisdiction Credential
Hold a current credential in good standing in another state, a U.S. territory, another country or the federal government, or a military occupational specialty as authorized by current C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I). The 2026 statute added another country; the 2025 rule's narrower enumeration is not treated as controlling.
Provisional Term
A provisional license expires three years after issuance. Reinstatement or extension needs the Director's approval. The provisional statutory provisions repeal January 1, 2031.
Underlying Qualifications
Rule 1.10 expressly accepts the applicable Rule 1.9 provisional qualifications. This route retains the provisional deadline, experience and learning requirements, rather than the full-license NBE qualifications.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Director approved extension of a provisional license
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Approval
Extension of the three-year provisional license requires the Director's approval under C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(c).
Term
The statutory provisional provisions repeal January 1, 2031; no identified examination is required for an extension.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Initial provisional licensure by existing experience
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Background
Obtain the fingerprint-based criminal-history check and satisfy the applicable disqualifying-history provisions.
Conflicting Rule Date
C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(b)(I), as amended effective August 6, 2025, sets the experience cutoff before January 1, 2027. Older Rule 1.9.A.1 says: "The applicant has obtained at least four thousand (4,000) hours of work experience equivalent to the work performed by a funeral director, mortuary science practitioner, embalmer, cremationist, or natural reductionist, as applicable, prior to January 1, 2026." The higher-ranked statute governs; the current DPO-linked guide also uses January 1, 2027.
Experience
At least 4,000 hours of equivalent work experience before January 1, 2027, demonstrated by the prescribed verified statement; apply and pay the fee no later than January 1, 2027.
Learning
At least one year of workplace learning, which may run concurrently with the experience hours. Rules 1.13 and 1.14 describe supervised practical learning for the relevant occupation.
Provisional Term
A provisional license expires three years after issuance. Reinstatement or extension needs the Director's approval. The provisional statutory provisions repeal January 1, 2031.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reactivation from inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Inactive Status
Apply to reactivate the existing inactive license, pay the applicable renewal fee, and satisfy postgraduate study or in-service requirements determined by the Director.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of more than five years
National Board Exam Sciences
Application
Complete the reinstatement application, pay its fee, and satisfy the Director's competency determination.
Competency Alternatives
The Director accepts one of: passing the appropriate NBE section(s) within the two preceding years; at least six months of supervised practice on Director-established terms; at least 400 hours per year of active properly licensed practice for the three preceding years; or another means approved by the Director.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Exam Alternative
The currently offered, registered NBE section(s) remain leaves even if the applicant qualifies through another competency alternative. The two-year passing-score limit is an applicant condition.
Expiration
Expired for more than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements upon demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.
Reinstatement after expiration of two years to less than five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply, pay the reinstatement fee, and provide the prescribed competency evidence.
Competency Alternatives
Rule 1.11.C.3 permits proof of a good-standing out-of-state mortuary-science credential and at least 400 hours of annual active practice for the two preceding years, or one CE hour for each month expired. The rule uses "mortuary science practitioner" in the first alternative although its reinstatement heading covers all mortuary science licenses.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Expiration
Expired for at least two years and less than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements for demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of less than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Expiration
Expired for less than two years; submit CE documentation. The Director may deny for violations of the Code or rules.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

License renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Restoration of a suspended, revoked or denied license after discipline
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Director Decision
The Director may condition reinstatement of a suspended, revoked or denied license on training or further education needed to correct a deficiency. The individual disciplinary order determines corrective requirements; this provision identifies no new examination.
Existing Qualifications
This route restores an existing license under C.R.S. 12-135-507(3)(d); a new application after revocation is treated separately.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Funeral Director

Individual Funeral Director license under the Mortuary Science Code. Applications are available before mandatory individual licensure begins January 1, 2027. Associate-license applications under C.R.S. 12-135-501(7)(a) start January 1, 2027 and are outside this evaluation date.

Licensing authority: Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations, Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services · Application information

Licensure by endorsement
National Board Exam Arts
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Equivalence
Supply proof under penalty of perjury of substantially equivalent experience or credentials, or at least one year of a current valid credential with a substantially similar scope of practice; the Director may deny for deficient equivalence or disciplinary grounds.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Out Of Jurisdiction Credential
Hold a current credential in good standing in another state, a U.S. territory, another country or the federal government, or a military occupational specialty as authorized by current C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I). The 2026 statute added another country; the 2025 rule's narrower enumeration is not treated as controlling.
Underlying Qualifications
Rule 1.10.A requires the applicable qualifications of Rule 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9, and C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I)(C) preserves applicable examination requirements. The Licensing Guide's abbreviated endorsement checklist lists the existing license/equivalence requirement and does not expressly waive those underlying requirements.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Initial licensure with educational waiver
National Board Exam Arts
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education Waiver
Petition the Director for waiver of education to permit sitting the applicable NBE section(s); if granted, passing the NBE satisfies education and examination requirements. Other licensure requirements remain. Examination requirements are not waived without the Director's approval under C.R.S. 12-135-501(6)(c).
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Initial licensure by examination
National Board Exam Arts
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Military family occupational credential portability
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Eligibility
A military spouse, gold star military spouse, military dependent, or spouse/dependent of another qualified servicemember relocated as statutorily defined must submit satisfactory proof under penalty of perjury of a current license in good standing from another state or U.S. territory.
License Term
The license is valid six years after issuance and may be renewed; the application fee is waived.
Portability
C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(f)(I) provides issuance on that proof, subject to its compact/reciprocity and good-standing exceptions. It does not impose an NBE requirement on this special pathway.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

New license application following revocation
National Board Exam Arts
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Revocation Waiting Period
C.R.S. 12-20-404(3)(a)(I) makes a person whose license was revoked ineligible to apply for a new license for two years after revocation, subject to that section's exceptions. A new issuance must meet the current qualification rules.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Provisional to full conversion by examination
National Board Exam Arts
Discipline Condition
Rule 1.9.B.1 additionally requires the provisional licensee not to have been subject to discipline. The statute's 12-135-501(5)(a) exam-conversion text does not express that extra restriction.
Provisional License
Hold a provisional license for the same practice. Obtain the Director's educational waiver and pass the NBE section(s) for that practice; pay the applicable fee.
Provisional to full conversion through peer review
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Exception
This statutory peer-review pathway applies notwithstanding the ordinary qualification statute for this practice and contains no NBE requirement.
Fee
Pay the applicable fee.
Peer Review
An approved, appropriately practicing qualified peer reviewer reviews and discusses each documented case, reports ethical and statutory compliance, and recommends full licensure.
Practice Cases
Directed at least 25 funerals; Rule 1.9.B.2 places the cases within the three years before application.
Provisional License
Hold a provisional license and have no discipline.
Workplace Learning
Have the one-year workplace learning required by C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(b)(II).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Full licensure of a provisional licensee approved as a qualified peer reviewer
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Director Approval
A provisional licensee approved as a qualified peer reviewer may also be approved by the Director for full licensure in the profession for which the individual will review.
Experience
Rule 1.9.D.2 requires at least 4,000 hours of relevant active practice before January 1, 2025, Colorado residency, and application/approval.
Practice Cases
Directed at least 25 funerals.
Scope
The qualified peer reviewer must practice in the same field and be approved before beginning reviews.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reactivation from inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Inactive Status
Apply to reactivate the existing inactive license, pay the applicable renewal fee, and satisfy postgraduate study or in-service requirements determined by the Director.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of more than five years
National Board Exam Arts
Application
Complete the reinstatement application, pay its fee, and satisfy the Director's competency determination.
Competency Alternatives
The Director accepts one of: passing the appropriate NBE section(s) within the two preceding years; at least six months of supervised practice on Director-established terms; at least 400 hours per year of active properly licensed practice for the three preceding years; or another means approved by the Director.
Exam Alternative
The currently offered, registered NBE section(s) remain leaves even if the applicant qualifies through another competency alternative. The two-year passing-score limit is an applicant condition.
Expiration
Expired for more than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements upon demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.
Reinstatement after expiration of two years to less than five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply, pay the reinstatement fee, and provide the prescribed competency evidence.
Competency Alternatives
Rule 1.11.C.3 permits proof of a good-standing out-of-state mortuary-science credential and at least 400 hours of annual active practice for the two preceding years, or one CE hour for each month expired. The rule uses "mortuary science practitioner" in the first alternative although its reinstatement heading covers all mortuary science licenses.
Expiration
Expired for at least two years and less than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements for demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of less than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Expiration
Expired for less than two years; submit CE documentation. The Director may deny for violations of the Code or rules.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Removal of the conditional designation from an existing license
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Conditions
Remain free of subsequent criminal convictions or licensing sanctions and no longer be serving the relevant probation or parole. The agency grants the request unless conditional status remains necessary under C.R.S. 24-5-101.
Effect
Removal changes the designation on an already issued license and does not impose an additional examination.
Existing License
Hold the conditional form of this occupation's existing license.
Request Timing
Request removal one year after issuance or at renewal, whichever is later.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

License renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Restoration of a suspended, revoked or denied license after discipline
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Director Decision
The Director may condition reinstatement of a suspended, revoked or denied license on training or further education needed to correct a deficiency. The individual disciplinary order determines corrective requirements; this provision identifies no new examination.
Existing Qualifications
This route restores an existing license under C.R.S. 12-135-507(3)(d); a new application after revocation is treated separately.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Conditional Funeral Director

Individual Conditional Funeral Director license under the Mortuary Science Code. Applications are available before mandatory individual licensure begins January 1, 2027. Conditional is the designation authorized by C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III) and 24-34-107(5); its removal does not create a new occupational scope. Associate-license applications under C.R.S. 12-135-501(7)(a) start January 1, 2027 and are outside this evaluation date.

Licensing authority: Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations, Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services · Application information

Conditional issuance through endorsement
National Board Exam Arts
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Equivalence
Supply proof under penalty of perjury of substantially equivalent experience or credentials, or at least one year of a current valid credential with a substantially similar scope of practice; the Director may deny for deficient equivalence or disciplinary grounds.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Out Of Jurisdiction Credential
Hold a current credential in good standing in another state, a U.S. territory, another country or the federal government, or a military occupational specialty as authorized by current C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I). The 2026 statute added another country; the 2025 rule's narrower enumeration is not treated as controlling.
Underlying Qualifications
Rule 1.10.A requires the applicable qualifications of Rule 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9, and C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I)(C) preserves applicable examination requirements. The Licensing Guide's abbreviated endorsement checklist lists the existing license/equivalence requirement and does not expressly waive those underlying requirements.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Conditional issuance in lieu of denial
National Board Exam Arts
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Reactivation from inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Inactive Status
Apply to reactivate the existing inactive license, pay the applicable renewal fee, and satisfy postgraduate study or in-service requirements determined by the Director.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of more than five years
National Board Exam Arts
Application
Complete the reinstatement application, pay its fee, and satisfy the Director's competency determination.
Competency Alternatives
The Director accepts one of: passing the appropriate NBE section(s) within the two preceding years; at least six months of supervised practice on Director-established terms; at least 400 hours per year of active properly licensed practice for the three preceding years; or another means approved by the Director.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Exam Alternative
The currently offered, registered NBE section(s) remain leaves even if the applicant qualifies through another competency alternative. The two-year passing-score limit is an applicant condition.
Expiration
Expired for more than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements upon demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.
Reinstatement after expiration of two years to less than five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply, pay the reinstatement fee, and provide the prescribed competency evidence.
Competency Alternatives
Rule 1.11.C.3 permits proof of a good-standing out-of-state mortuary-science credential and at least 400 hours of annual active practice for the two preceding years, or one CE hour for each month expired. The rule uses "mortuary science practitioner" in the first alternative although its reinstatement heading covers all mortuary science licenses.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Expiration
Expired for at least two years and less than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements for demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of less than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Expiration
Expired for less than two years; submit CE documentation. The Director may deny for violations of the Code or rules.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

License renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Restoration of a suspended, revoked or denied license after discipline
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Director Decision
The Director may condition reinstatement of a suspended, revoked or denied license on training or further education needed to correct a deficiency. The individual disciplinary order determines corrective requirements; this provision identifies no new examination.
Existing Qualifications
This route restores an existing license under C.R.S. 12-135-507(3)(d); a new application after revocation is treated separately.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Provisional Funeral Director

Individual Provisional Funeral Director license under the Mortuary Science Code. Applications are available before mandatory individual licensure begins January 1, 2027. Associate-license applications under C.R.S. 12-135-501(7)(a) start January 1, 2027 and are outside this evaluation date.

Licensing authority: Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations, Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services · Application information

Provisional licensure by endorsement with Rule 1.9 qualifications
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Background
Obtain the fingerprint-based criminal-history check and satisfy the applicable disqualifying-history provisions.
Conflicting Rule Date
C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(b)(I), as amended effective August 6, 2025, sets the experience cutoff before January 1, 2027. Older Rule 1.9.A.1 says: "The applicant has obtained at least four thousand (4,000) hours of work experience equivalent to the work performed by a funeral director, mortuary science practitioner, embalmer, cremationist, or natural reductionist, as applicable, prior to January 1, 2026." The higher-ranked statute governs; the current DPO-linked guide also uses January 1, 2027.
Equivalence
Supply proof under penalty of perjury of substantially equivalent experience or credentials, or at least one year of a current valid credential with a substantially similar scope of practice; the Director may deny for deficient equivalence or disciplinary grounds.
Experience
At least 4,000 hours of equivalent work experience before January 1, 2027, demonstrated by the prescribed verified statement; apply and pay the fee no later than January 1, 2027.
Learning
At least one year of workplace learning, which may run concurrently with the experience hours. Rules 1.13 and 1.14 describe supervised practical learning for the relevant occupation.
Out Of Jurisdiction Credential
Hold a current credential in good standing in another state, a U.S. territory, another country or the federal government, or a military occupational specialty as authorized by current C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I). The 2026 statute added another country; the 2025 rule's narrower enumeration is not treated as controlling.
Provisional Term
A provisional license expires three years after issuance. Reinstatement or extension needs the Director's approval. The provisional statutory provisions repeal January 1, 2031.
Underlying Qualifications
Rule 1.10 expressly accepts the applicable Rule 1.9 provisional qualifications. This route retains the provisional deadline, experience and learning requirements, rather than the full-license NBE qualifications.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Director approved extension of a provisional license
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Approval
Extension of the three-year provisional license requires the Director's approval under C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(c).
Term
The statutory provisional provisions repeal January 1, 2031; no identified examination is required for an extension.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Initial provisional licensure by existing experience
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Background
Obtain the fingerprint-based criminal-history check and satisfy the applicable disqualifying-history provisions.
Conflicting Rule Date
C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(b)(I), as amended effective August 6, 2025, sets the experience cutoff before January 1, 2027. Older Rule 1.9.A.1 says: "The applicant has obtained at least four thousand (4,000) hours of work experience equivalent to the work performed by a funeral director, mortuary science practitioner, embalmer, cremationist, or natural reductionist, as applicable, prior to January 1, 2026." The higher-ranked statute governs; the current DPO-linked guide also uses January 1, 2027.
Experience
At least 4,000 hours of equivalent work experience before January 1, 2027, demonstrated by the prescribed verified statement; apply and pay the fee no later than January 1, 2027.
Learning
At least one year of workplace learning, which may run concurrently with the experience hours. Rules 1.13 and 1.14 describe supervised practical learning for the relevant occupation.
Provisional Term
A provisional license expires three years after issuance. Reinstatement or extension needs the Director's approval. The provisional statutory provisions repeal January 1, 2031.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reactivation from inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Inactive Status
Apply to reactivate the existing inactive license, pay the applicable renewal fee, and satisfy postgraduate study or in-service requirements determined by the Director.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of more than five years
National Board Exam Arts
Application
Complete the reinstatement application, pay its fee, and satisfy the Director's competency determination.
Competency Alternatives
The Director accepts one of: passing the appropriate NBE section(s) within the two preceding years; at least six months of supervised practice on Director-established terms; at least 400 hours per year of active properly licensed practice for the three preceding years; or another means approved by the Director.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Exam Alternative
The currently offered, registered NBE section(s) remain leaves even if the applicant qualifies through another competency alternative. The two-year passing-score limit is an applicant condition.
Expiration
Expired for more than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements upon demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.
Reinstatement after expiration of two years to less than five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply, pay the reinstatement fee, and provide the prescribed competency evidence.
Competency Alternatives
Rule 1.11.C.3 permits proof of a good-standing out-of-state mortuary-science credential and at least 400 hours of annual active practice for the two preceding years, or one CE hour for each month expired. The rule uses "mortuary science practitioner" in the first alternative although its reinstatement heading covers all mortuary science licenses.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Expiration
Expired for at least two years and less than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements for demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of less than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Expiration
Expired for less than two years; submit CE documentation. The Director may deny for violations of the Code or rules.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

License renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Restoration of a suspended, revoked or denied license after discipline
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Director Decision
The Director may condition reinstatement of a suspended, revoked or denied license on training or further education needed to correct a deficiency. The individual disciplinary order determines corrective requirements; this provision identifies no new examination.
Existing Qualifications
This route restores an existing license under C.R.S. 12-135-507(3)(d); a new application after revocation is treated separately.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Mortuary Science Practitioner

Individual Mortuary Science Practitioner license under the Mortuary Science Code. Applications are available before mandatory individual licensure begins January 1, 2027. Associate-license applications under C.R.S. 12-135-501(7)(a) start January 1, 2027 and are outside this evaluation date.

Licensing authority: Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations, Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services · Application information

Licensure by endorsement
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Equivalence
Supply proof under penalty of perjury of substantially equivalent experience or credentials, or at least one year of a current valid credential with a substantially similar scope of practice; the Director may deny for deficient equivalence or disciplinary grounds.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Out Of Jurisdiction Credential
Hold a current credential in good standing in another state, a U.S. territory, another country or the federal government, or a military occupational specialty as authorized by current C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I). The 2026 statute added another country; the 2025 rule's narrower enumeration is not treated as controlling.
Underlying Qualifications
Rule 1.10.A requires the applicable qualifications of Rule 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9, and C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I)(C) preserves applicable examination requirements. The Licensing Guide's abbreviated endorsement checklist lists the existing license/equivalence requirement and does not expressly waive those underlying requirements.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Initial licensure with educational waiver
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education Waiver
Petition the Director for waiver of education to permit sitting the applicable NBE section(s); if granted, passing the NBE satisfies education and examination requirements. Other licensure requirements remain. Examination requirements are not waived without the Director's approval under C.R.S. 12-135-501(6)(c).
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Initial licensure by examination
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Military family occupational credential portability
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Eligibility
A military spouse, gold star military spouse, military dependent, or spouse/dependent of another qualified servicemember relocated as statutorily defined must submit satisfactory proof under penalty of perjury of a current license in good standing from another state or U.S. territory.
License Term
The license is valid six years after issuance and may be renewed; the application fee is waived.
Portability
C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(f)(I) provides issuance on that proof, subject to its compact/reciprocity and good-standing exceptions. It does not impose an NBE requirement on this special pathway.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

New license application following revocation
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Revocation Waiting Period
C.R.S. 12-20-404(3)(a)(I) makes a person whose license was revoked ineligible to apply for a new license for two years after revocation, subject to that section's exceptions. A new issuance must meet the current qualification rules.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Provisional to full conversion by examination
Discipline Condition
Rule 1.9.B.1 additionally requires the provisional licensee not to have been subject to discipline. The statute's 12-135-501(5)(a) exam-conversion text does not express that extra restriction.
Provisional License
Hold a provisional license for the same practice. Obtain the Director's educational waiver and pass the NBE section(s) for that practice; pay the applicable fee.
Provisional to full conversion through peer review
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Exception
This statutory peer-review pathway applies notwithstanding the ordinary qualification statute for this practice and contains no NBE requirement.
Fee
Pay the applicable fee.
Peer Review
An approved, appropriately practicing qualified peer reviewer reviews and discusses each documented case, reports ethical and statutory compliance, and recommends full licensure.
Practice Cases
Directed at least 25 funerals and embalmed at least 25 human remains; Rule 1.9.B.2 places the cases within the three years before application.
Provisional License
Hold a provisional license and have no discipline.
Workplace Learning
Have the one-year workplace learning required by C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(b)(II).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Full licensure of a provisional licensee approved as a qualified peer reviewer
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Director Approval
A provisional licensee approved as a qualified peer reviewer may also be approved by the Director for full licensure in the profession for which the individual will review.
Experience
Rule 1.9.D.2 requires at least 4,000 hours of relevant active practice before January 1, 2025, Colorado residency, and application/approval.
Practice Cases
Directed at least 25 funerals and embalmed at least 25 human remains.
Scope
The qualified peer reviewer must practice in the same field and be approved before beginning reviews.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reactivation from inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Inactive Status
Apply to reactivate the existing inactive license, pay the applicable renewal fee, and satisfy postgraduate study or in-service requirements determined by the Director.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of more than five years
Application
Complete the reinstatement application, pay its fee, and satisfy the Director's competency determination.
Competency Alternatives
The Director accepts one of: passing the appropriate NBE section(s) within the two preceding years; at least six months of supervised practice on Director-established terms; at least 400 hours per year of active properly licensed practice for the three preceding years; or another means approved by the Director.
Exam Alternative
The currently offered, registered NBE section(s) remain leaves even if the applicant qualifies through another competency alternative. The two-year passing-score limit is an applicant condition.
Expiration
Expired for more than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements upon demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.
Reinstatement after expiration of two years to less than five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply, pay the reinstatement fee, and provide the prescribed competency evidence.
Competency Alternatives
Rule 1.11.C.3 permits proof of a good-standing out-of-state mortuary-science credential and at least 400 hours of annual active practice for the two preceding years, or one CE hour for each month expired. The rule uses "mortuary science practitioner" in the first alternative although its reinstatement heading covers all mortuary science licenses.
Expiration
Expired for at least two years and less than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements for demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of less than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Expiration
Expired for less than two years; submit CE documentation. The Director may deny for violations of the Code or rules.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Removal of the conditional designation from an existing license
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Conditions
Remain free of subsequent criminal convictions or licensing sanctions and no longer be serving the relevant probation or parole. The agency grants the request unless conditional status remains necessary under C.R.S. 24-5-101.
Effect
Removal changes the designation on an already issued license and does not impose an additional examination.
Existing License
Hold the conditional form of this occupation's existing license.
Request Timing
Request removal one year after issuance or at renewal, whichever is later.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

License renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Restoration of a suspended, revoked or denied license after discipline
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Director Decision
The Director may condition reinstatement of a suspended, revoked or denied license on training or further education needed to correct a deficiency. The individual disciplinary order determines corrective requirements; this provision identifies no new examination.
Existing Qualifications
This route restores an existing license under C.R.S. 12-135-507(3)(d); a new application after revocation is treated separately.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Conditional Mortuary Science Practitioner

Individual Conditional Mortuary Science Practitioner license under the Mortuary Science Code. Applications are available before mandatory individual licensure begins January 1, 2027. Conditional is the designation authorized by C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III) and 24-34-107(5); its removal does not create a new occupational scope. Associate-license applications under C.R.S. 12-135-501(7)(a) start January 1, 2027 and are outside this evaluation date.

Licensing authority: Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations, Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services · Application information

Conditional issuance through endorsement
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Equivalence
Supply proof under penalty of perjury of substantially equivalent experience or credentials, or at least one year of a current valid credential with a substantially similar scope of practice; the Director may deny for deficient equivalence or disciplinary grounds.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Out Of Jurisdiction Credential
Hold a current credential in good standing in another state, a U.S. territory, another country or the federal government, or a military occupational specialty as authorized by current C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I). The 2026 statute added another country; the 2025 rule's narrower enumeration is not treated as controlling.
Underlying Qualifications
Rule 1.10.A requires the applicable qualifications of Rule 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9, and C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I)(C) preserves applicable examination requirements. The Licensing Guide's abbreviated endorsement checklist lists the existing license/equivalence requirement and does not expressly waive those underlying requirements.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Conditional issuance in lieu of denial
Application
Submit the Director-approved application and applicable fee; fingerprints support FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history checks. Do not have a disqualifying criminal history or other statutory disqualifier.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Disclosure
Disclose prior suspension, revocation or adverse action against a mortuary science license, registration or certification, or provide the prescribed affidavit.
Education
Graduate from a Director-recognized accredited mortuary science school; the rule identifies American Board of Funeral Service Education accreditation or a recognized successor.
Licensure Timing
Applications opened May 27, 2025; mandatory individual licensure starts January 1, 2027. Current licensure availability is established by DORA's application-opening bulletin and application page, notwithstanding the older FAQ statement that individual licenses were not yet issued.
Military Credit
Substantially equivalent military education, training or service may be credited by the Director upon timely and complete evidence under Rule 1.15; case-by-case assessment does not itself omit an NBE leaf.
Workplace Learning
Complete at least one year of workplace learning under a corresponding licensee; it may be concurrent with mortuary school. Rule 1.13 permits in-person or virtual instruction and supervision by physical presence or accessible telecommunications.
Reactivation from inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Inactive Status
Apply to reactivate the existing inactive license, pay the applicable renewal fee, and satisfy postgraduate study or in-service requirements determined by the Director.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of more than five years
Application
Complete the reinstatement application, pay its fee, and satisfy the Director's competency determination.
Competency Alternatives
The Director accepts one of: passing the appropriate NBE section(s) within the two preceding years; at least six months of supervised practice on Director-established terms; at least 400 hours per year of active properly licensed practice for the three preceding years; or another means approved by the Director.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Exam Alternative
The currently offered, registered NBE section(s) remain leaves even if the applicant qualifies through another competency alternative. The two-year passing-score limit is an applicant condition.
Expiration
Expired for more than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements upon demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.
Reinstatement after expiration of two years to less than five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply, pay the reinstatement fee, and provide the prescribed competency evidence.
Competency Alternatives
Rule 1.11.C.3 permits proof of a good-standing out-of-state mortuary-science credential and at least 400 hours of annual active practice for the two preceding years, or one CE hour for each month expired. The rule uses "mortuary science practitioner" in the first alternative although its reinstatement heading covers all mortuary science licenses.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Expiration
Expired for at least two years and less than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements for demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of less than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Expiration
Expired for less than two years; submit CE documentation. The Director may deny for violations of the Code or rules.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

License renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Restoration of a suspended, revoked or denied license after discipline
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Conditional Designation
The Director may offer a conditional license in lieu of denial under C.R.S. 12-135-501(3)(b)(III), subject to C.R.S. 24-34-107(5). A pre-application conviction and the Director's individual decision are applicant conditions; conditional status does not itself waive required examinations.
Director Decision
The Director may condition reinstatement of a suspended, revoked or denied license on training or further education needed to correct a deficiency. The individual disciplinary order determines corrective requirements; this provision identifies no new examination.
Existing Qualifications
This route restores an existing license under C.R.S. 12-135-507(3)(d); a new application after revocation is treated separately.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Provisional Mortuary Science Practitioner

Individual Provisional Mortuary Science Practitioner license under the Mortuary Science Code. Applications are available before mandatory individual licensure begins January 1, 2027. Associate-license applications under C.R.S. 12-135-501(7)(a) start January 1, 2027 and are outside this evaluation date.

Licensing authority: Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations, Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services · Application information

Provisional licensure by endorsement with Rule 1.9 qualifications
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Background
Obtain the fingerprint-based criminal-history check and satisfy the applicable disqualifying-history provisions.
Conflicting Rule Date
C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(b)(I), as amended effective August 6, 2025, sets the experience cutoff before January 1, 2027. Older Rule 1.9.A.1 says: "The applicant has obtained at least four thousand (4,000) hours of work experience equivalent to the work performed by a funeral director, mortuary science practitioner, embalmer, cremationist, or natural reductionist, as applicable, prior to January 1, 2026." The higher-ranked statute governs; the current DPO-linked guide also uses January 1, 2027.
Equivalence
Supply proof under penalty of perjury of substantially equivalent experience or credentials, or at least one year of a current valid credential with a substantially similar scope of practice; the Director may deny for deficient equivalence or disciplinary grounds.
Experience
At least 4,000 hours of equivalent work experience before January 1, 2027, demonstrated by the prescribed verified statement; apply and pay the fee no later than January 1, 2027.
Learning
At least one year of workplace learning, which may run concurrently with the experience hours. Rules 1.13 and 1.14 describe supervised practical learning for the relevant occupation.
Out Of Jurisdiction Credential
Hold a current credential in good standing in another state, a U.S. territory, another country or the federal government, or a military occupational specialty as authorized by current C.R.S. 12-20-202(3)(b)(I). The 2026 statute added another country; the 2025 rule's narrower enumeration is not treated as controlling.
Provisional Term
A provisional license expires three years after issuance. Reinstatement or extension needs the Director's approval. The provisional statutory provisions repeal January 1, 2031.
Underlying Qualifications
Rule 1.10 expressly accepts the applicable Rule 1.9 provisional qualifications. This route retains the provisional deadline, experience and learning requirements, rather than the full-license NBE qualifications.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Director approved extension of a provisional license
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Approval
Extension of the three-year provisional license requires the Director's approval under C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(c).
Term
The statutory provisional provisions repeal January 1, 2031; no identified examination is required for an extension.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Initial provisional licensure by existing experience
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Background
Obtain the fingerprint-based criminal-history check and satisfy the applicable disqualifying-history provisions.
Conflicting Rule Date
C.R.S. 12-135-501(4)(b)(I), as amended effective August 6, 2025, sets the experience cutoff before January 1, 2027. Older Rule 1.9.A.1 says: "The applicant has obtained at least four thousand (4,000) hours of work experience equivalent to the work performed by a funeral director, mortuary science practitioner, embalmer, cremationist, or natural reductionist, as applicable, prior to January 1, 2026." The higher-ranked statute governs; the current DPO-linked guide also uses January 1, 2027.
Experience
At least 4,000 hours of equivalent work experience before January 1, 2027, demonstrated by the prescribed verified statement; apply and pay the fee no later than January 1, 2027.
Learning
At least one year of workplace learning, which may run concurrently with the experience hours. Rules 1.13 and 1.14 describe supervised practical learning for the relevant occupation.
Provisional Term
A provisional license expires three years after issuance. Reinstatement or extension needs the Director's approval. The provisional statutory provisions repeal January 1, 2031.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reactivation from inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Inactive Status
Apply to reactivate the existing inactive license, pay the applicable renewal fee, and satisfy postgraduate study or in-service requirements determined by the Director.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of more than five years
Application
Complete the reinstatement application, pay its fee, and satisfy the Director's competency determination.
Competency Alternatives
The Director accepts one of: passing the appropriate NBE section(s) within the two preceding years; at least six months of supervised practice on Director-established terms; at least 400 hours per year of active properly licensed practice for the three preceding years; or another means approved by the Director.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Exam Alternative
The currently offered, registered NBE section(s) remain leaves even if the applicant qualifies through another competency alternative. The two-year passing-score limit is an applicant condition.
Expiration
Expired for more than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements upon demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.
Reinstatement after expiration of two years to less than five years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply, pay the reinstatement fee, and provide the prescribed competency evidence.
Competency Alternatives
Rule 1.11.C.3 permits proof of a good-standing out-of-state mortuary-science credential and at least 400 hours of annual active practice for the two preceding years, or one CE hour for each month expired. The rule uses "mortuary science practitioner" in the first alternative although its reinstatement heading covers all mortuary science licenses.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Expiration
Expired for at least two years and less than five years.
Hardship
The Director may waive reinstatement requirements for demonstrated hardship while considering public protection.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Reinstatement after expiration of less than two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Expiration
Expired for less than two years; submit CE documentation. The Director may deny for violations of the Code or rules.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

License renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the renewal or reinstatement application and applicable fee.
Continuing Education
Complete six hours of qualifying CE per renewal period: at least one hour each of applicable law, ethics and public health; Rule 1.11.B requires three hours through in-person didactic experiences. For other delivery methods Rule 1.12.H requires a proficiency-testing component; this is a course-completion condition, not an identified licensure examination.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
First Renewal
First individual renewal occurs November 2027. A license held twelve months or less before the first renewal period is exempt from that renewal's CE.
Records
Keep course dates, attendance certificates, content synopsis and provider identity for at least four years and comply with any Director audit.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

Restoration of a suspended, revoked or denied license after discipline
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Director Approval
Reinstatement or extension of a provisional license must be approved by the Director.
Director Decision
The Director may condition reinstatement of a suspended, revoked or denied license on training or further education needed to correct a deficiency. The individual disciplinary order determines corrective requirements; this provision identifies no new examination.
Existing Qualifications
This route restores an existing license under C.R.S. 12-135-507(3)(d); a new application after revocation is treated separately.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2025-01-15.

National Board Exam Sciences

Provider
The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards (The Conference); computer-based exam administered by Pearson at Pearson Professional Centers
Format
Computer-based multiple-choice examination, administered, paid for, scheduled and scored separately from the NBE-Arts section; a basic calculator is built into the exam software
Exam questions
170 multiple-choice questions: 150 scored and 20 non-scored pretest questions
Time limit
170 minutes for the exam (the appointment also includes a 3-minute non-disclosure agreement, a 3-minute release-of-results screen and a 7-minute tutorial)
Passing score
Scaled score of 75 (pass/fail)
Exam fee
$285 per section
Examination outline
  • I. Embalming (62 of 150 scored items; 41% of the NBE-Sciences blueprint) (41%)
  • II. Restorative Art (34 of 150 scored items; 23% of the NBE-Sciences blueprint) (23%)
  • III. Other Preparation of the Deceased (28 of 150 scored items; 19% of the NBE-Sciences blueprint) (19%)
  • IV. Funeral Service Sciences (26 of 150 scored items; 17% of the NBE-Sciences blueprint) (17%)
Examination sources

National Board Exam Arts

Provider
The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards (The Conference); computer-based exam administered by Pearson at Pearson Professional Centers
Format
Computer-based multiple-choice examination, administered, paid for, scheduled and scored separately from the NBE-Sciences section; a basic calculator is built into the exam software
Exam questions
170 multiple-choice questions: 150 scored and 20 non-scored pretest questions
Time limit
170 minutes for the exam (the appointment also includes a 3-minute non-disclosure agreement, a 3-minute release-of-results screen and a 7-minute tutorial)
Passing score
Scaled score of 75 (pass/fail)
Exam fee
$285 per section
Examination outline
  • I. Funeral Arranging and Directing (51 of 150 scored items; 34% of the NBE-Arts blueprint) (34%)
  • II. Funeral Service Marketing/Merchandising (21 of 150 scored items; 14% of the NBE-Arts blueprint) (14%)
  • III. Funeral Service Counseling (19 of 150 scored items; 13% of the NBE-Arts blueprint) (13%)
  • IV. Legal and Regulatory Compliance (35 of 150 scored items; 23% of the NBE-Arts blueprint) (23%)
  • V. Cemetery/Crematory/Other Dispositions (24 of 150 scored items; 16% of the NBE-Arts blueprint) (16%)
Examination sources