Colorado Youth Sports Concussion Law
What Colorado law requires when a young athlete takes a hit to the head — in plain English, with the statute underneath it.
Checked against the official Colorado statutory text on 2 August 2026. Re-verified every year.
What this actually means for your family
The statutory detail is further down, and it is all sourced. But if you are here because your child got hit this week, these are the six things you came to find out.
My child took a hit to the head. Does the coach have to take them out?
Yes. If your child shows signs of a concussion, or is suspected of having one, they have to come out of that practice or game right away. This is the part of the law that is nearly identical everywhere, and it does not require anyone to be certain — a suspicion is enough, and the coach is not supposed to wait for a diagnosis before acting.
Can they go back in the same day?
In practice, no. Colorado law does not use the words 'same day,' but it bars a return until a provider has examined your child and put a clearance in writing. That is not something that realistically happens between the third and fourth quarter, so the effect is the same.
Whose note does the school have to accept?
Colorado names specific professions in the law, so this one is worth checking before you book — if your provider is not one of them, the school does not have to take their note.
MDs, DOs, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and psychologists with neuropsychology or concussion training. Chiropractors only for athletes in a US Olympic training program.
The exact wording, if you need to show it to a school
- doctor of medicine
- doctor of osteopathic medicine
- licensed nurse practitioner
- licensed physician assistant
- licensed doctor of psychology with training in neuropsychology or concussion evaluation and management
- doctor of chiropractic with training and specialization in concussion evaluation and management — only for athletes in a United States Olympic training program
That list comes straight from Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-43-103 (law.justia.com). This is the text a school, a coach or an athletic director is bound by, so it is the page to print or forward if anyone tells you the rule is something other than what you have read here. Where a state's law runs across several sections, the rest of them are in the sources at the foot of this page.
Is there a minimum number of days out?
Not in the law. This surprises people, but the statute sets no minimum number of days — it just requires a provider to sign off. How long your child sits out is a clinical decision, not a legal one, and a provider who returns a child quickly is not breaking any law. This is the single biggest gap between what these statutes require and what current concussion medicine actually recommends.
Does the school have to help with schoolwork while they recover?
No. Colorado law is silent about school. It governs athletics only. That is a real gap, because recovering from a concussion is usually harder in a classroom than on a field — screens, noise, testing and concentration are exactly what an injured brain struggles with. Ask the school anyway, and if symptoms persist, ask about a 504 plan, which does carry legal weight.
What if the team is not run by their school?
Yes. This is worth knowing, because it is not true everywhere: Colorado wrote its law to cover organised youth sport generally, not just the teams a school runs. A club, a travel team, a municipal rec league — the same removal rule and the same clearance requirement apply. If a club coach tells you the concussion law is a school thing, they are wrong, and you can say so.
Read the law itself, in full: Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-43-103 (law.justia.com). This is the text a school, a coach or an athletic director is bound by, so it is the page to print or forward if anyone tells you the rule is something other than what you have read here. Where a state's law runs across several sections, the rest of them are in the sources at the foot of this page.
If this happened in the last few days
Rule out the emergencies first.
A concussion is not usually a medical emergency, but a small number of head injuries are. Go to an emergency department now for a headache that keeps getting worse, repeated vomiting, seizures, slurred speech, weakness or numbness, one pupil larger than the other, or a child who cannot be woken or is unusually confused or drowsy. None of this is what the concussion statute is about, and none of it should wait for a clearance appointment.
Get the evaluation booked, and book the right kind.
The clearance your school needs has to come from a provider the law recognizes, and that list is different in every state — it is the third question above. Confirming that before the appointment saves families a wasted visit and a second co-pay more often than you would think.
Write down what happened while it is fresh.
The date and time, what the hit looked like, who saw it, what symptoms appeared and when, and who was told. This helps the clinician far more than a general 'he got hit at practice,' and if there is ever a dispute with the school about what was reported, it is the only contemporaneous record anyone will have.
Finding a provider who can sign it
Knowing what the law requires is one half of it; finding someone who can actually do the evaluation is the other. Our directory lists 73 verified concussion providers in Colorado across 18 cities, and you can filter by the kind of clinician the answer above calls for.
What makes Colorado's law different
Colorado's law is unusually broad on the front end and unusually thin on the back end. It reaches private clubs, public recreation facilities, and athletic leagues in the same statute as schools — no separate youth-league act — but it contains no parent/athlete information sheet or signed-acknowledgment requirement at all, which is the piece most states treat as mandatory. It is also one of the few statutes that names a licensed doctor of psychology among the clearing providers, expressly allows the evaluating health care provider to be a volunteer, and carves out chiropractors for U.S. Olympic training program athletes only. The savings clause preserving ski area operator immunity is a genuinely Colorado-specific touch.
| Statute | Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 25-43-101 to 25-43-103 |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Jake Snakenberg Youth Concussion Act |
| Enacted | 2011 |
| Amended | 2019 |
| Who may clear a return to play | Specific professions named |
| Return-to-learn protocol required | No |
| Covers non-school club and rec leagues | Yes — directly |
The statute in detail
Everything above is the short version. This is what the law actually says, section by section, for anyone who needs the precise wording — a school administrator writing policy, a coach checking a duty, or a family that has hit a disagreement with a district.
Who the law covers
Applies to organized athletic activity — competition, or practice/preparation against another team, club, or entity — in which the majority of participants are 11 years of age or older and under 19, expressly excluding college and university athletics. It reaches public and private middle schools, junior high schools, and high schools as well as private clubs, public recreation facilities, and athletic leagues, and it excludes instruction-only activities, lessons, and incidental athletics.
Education and acknowledgment
No athlete/parent information-sheet or signed-acknowledgment requirement in the statute. The education duty runs to coaches: every coach (including volunteer and contract coaches) must annually complete a concussion recognition education course covering signs and symptoms, how to obtain proper medical attention, the nature and risk of concussion, and the danger of continuing to play.
Colorado Return-to-Play Law: Removal From Play
A coach who suspects a youth athlete has sustained a concussion following an observed or suspected blow to the head or body must immediately remove that athlete from the game, competition, or practice. The removal authority is placed on the coach.
Colorado Return-to-Play Law: Getting Cleared to Return
The school coach or the recreational facility's designated personnel must notify the athlete's parent or legal guardian, and the athlete may not return to play until evaluated by a health care provider and given written clearance by that provider. After written clearance is obtained, a licensed athletic trainer with specific knowledge of the athlete's condition may manage the graduated return-to-play progression; the statute does not set a minimum number of days.
Who the law lets sign the clearance
- doctor of medicine
- doctor of osteopathic medicine
- licensed nurse practitioner
- licensed physician assistant
- licensed doctor of psychology with training in neuropsychology or concussion evaluation and management
- doctor of chiropractic with training and specialization in concussion evaluation and management — only for athletes in a United States Olympic training program
Return to learn
Not addressed in the statute.
How the law has changed
- 2019 — HB 19-1083 ('Athletic Trainers License') amended § 25-43-103(4)(c) as a conforming change when athletic trainer regulation was converted from registration to licensure.
What happens if the rules are not followed
This is the part families ask about most and the part these statutes handle least. Almost every one of these laws sets out duties without setting out a penalty for ignoring them, and most go further and grant the school and its staff protection from being sued over concussion decisions. What that protection covers, and where it stops, is a state-specific question:
Section 25-43-103(5) is a savings clause rather than a new immunity: it states that nothing in the article abrogates or limits the protections already available to public entities and employees under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (art. 10, tit. 24), to volunteers and board members under §§ 13-21-115.7 and 13-21-116, or to ski area operators under §§ 33-44-112 and 33-44-113.
Two things are worth being clear about. Immunity clauses of this kind generally stop short of conduct that is willful or reckless, so they are not unconditional. And a school district's or athletic association's own rules sit on top of the statute and can be enforced through the school or the association even where the law provides no remedy — that route is often faster than any legal one. If you believe the rules were not followed and your child was harmed as a result, that is a question for an attorney licensed in your state. It is not something this page can answer, and it is not something a directory should pretend to.
Common questions
Whose note does a school have to accept to clear a concussion in Colorado?
Colorado names specific professions in the law, so this one is worth checking before you book — if your provider is not one of them, the school does not have to take their note. doctor of medicine; doctor of osteopathic medicine; licensed nurse practitioner; licensed physician assistant; licensed doctor of psychology with training in neuropsychology or concussion evaluation and management; doctor of chiropractic with training and specialization in concussion evaluation and management — only for athletes in a United States Olympic training program
Can a student go back in the same day after a head injury in Colorado?
In practice, no. Colorado law does not use the words 'same day,' but it bars a return until a provider has examined your child and put a clearance in writing. That is not something that realistically happens between the third and fourth quarter, so the effect is the same.
How long does a student have to sit out after a concussion in Colorado?
Not in the law. This surprises people, but the statute sets no minimum number of days — it just requires a provider to sign off. How long your child sits out is a clinical decision, not a legal one, and a provider who returns a child quickly is not breaking any law. This is the single biggest gap between what these statutes require and what current concussion medicine actually recommends.
Does Colorado require schools to help with schoolwork after a concussion?
No. Colorado law is silent about school. It governs athletics only. That is a real gap, because recovering from a concussion is usually harder in a classroom than on a field — screens, noise, testing and concentration are exactly what an injured brain struggles with. Ask the school anyway, and if symptoms persist, ask about a 504 plan, which does carry legal weight.
Does Colorado's concussion law apply to club and rec league sports?
Yes. This is worth knowing, because it is not true everywhere: Colorado wrote its law to cover organised youth sport generally, not just the teams a school runs. A club, a travel team, a municipal rec league — the same removal rule and the same clearance requirement apply. If a club coach tells you the concussion law is a school thing, they are wrong, and you can say so.
When did Colorado pass its youth concussion law?
2011. The statute is Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 25-43-101 to 25-43-103. It has been amended in 2019.
How this summary was written
Each summary was built from the statutory text and, where the statute delegates, the state rule or athletic association policy it delegates to. Where a detail could not be traced to a primary source it was left out rather than guessed at, so a section reading “not addressed in the statute” means the law is silent — not that nothing applies.
Not legal advice. This is a plain-language summary of a statute, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading the law or asking a lawyer about a specific situation. Statutes are amended; school district and athletic association rules sit on top of them and are often stricter. Every source used for this page is linked below so you can check it against the text.
Sources
What the law does not tell you
A statute sets the minimum a school has to do. It does not describe what recovery actually looks like, how long symptoms usually last, or which clinician treats which symptom — and on those questions the clinical consensus has moved a long way ahead of most of this legislation.
- The six-step return-to-play protocol — the graduated progression most of these laws point at without describing.
- Concussion symptoms and red flags — what warrants an emergency room rather than a sideline decision.
- The six stages of recovery — what the progression looks like in practice, and why the two-week figure misleads families.
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Compare with other states
Laws that look identical on paper often differ on the one point that matters to you.