Colorado Nonresident Elk Tag Cost: What CPW Charges in 2026, Fee by Fee

You want to hunt elk in Colorado, you don't live there, and you want to know what the tag costs. Fair question. The number people quote online is usually the license by itself, but you'll probably pay for a few other things in the same checkout. This post walks through what Colorado charges a nonresident, one line at a time, using the state's own fee table.

This post only covers the state's side of the bill. A guided hunt is a separate bill, and we don't cover it here. Gas, food, a motel, and meat processing aren't covered either. This is just what goes to the state.

Where these numbers come from

Every dollar figure below comes from one page: Colorado Parks and Wildlife's "Hunting Elk" page, in its "License, Application Processing & Habitat Stamp Fees" section, on the Nonresident tab. That page labels its stamp the "2026 Habitat Stamp," links to the 2026 Big Game Brochure, and says the fishing half of a nonresident combo license "is good through March 31, 2027." So these are CPW's 2026 license-year prices.

CPW also says on the same page: "All license fees include a $1.25 search-and-rescue fee and a $1.50 fee for the Wildlife Education Fund, when applicable." Those two small fees are already in the prices below. Don't add them a second time.

Fees change from year to year. Your CPW checkout screen shows the price that actually counts, so compare it with this list before you pay.

The short answer

For 2026, CPW lists the nonresident adult elk license as:

• Elk/fishing combo Adult: $845.16

That's the tag. CPW doesn't sell a nonresident adult an elk-only license on this page. It's an elk license bundled with fishing, and CPW says the fishing portion runs through March 31, 2027. If you like to fish, that's a nice bonus. If you don't, nothing changes: $845.16 is still the price.

For a younger hunter, the same table lists:

• Elk/fishing combo Youth: $130.07

The page doesn't give an age cutoff for "youth" in that row. If you're buying for a kid, check the Big Game Brochure for the age rule before you plan around the lower price.

Most people pay more than $845.16 in total, though. That depends on how you get the license, and Colorado has two main ways to do it.

Two ways to get a tag, two different bills

CPW sorts elk licenses into two groups, and the group decides what else you have to buy.

Limited licenses. CPW says that "each year, a set (limited) number of licenses is allotted to each game management unit." To get one, you apply in the big game draw. If you miss, you can still pick up a leftover limited license after the draws. The page says "a qualifying license is required prior to applying for limited licenses through the big game draw(s)."

Over-the-counter (OTC) licenses. CPW says these "are not restricted in quantity but are restricted to certain units, seasons and manners of take." The money part is the most important line on the page: OTC licenses "do not require buying/having a qualifying license, do not use preference points and may be purchased any time before and during a season."

So the draw route costs more than the OTC route, and the difference is the qualifying license plus the application fee. The sections below cover each fee.

One 2026 change matters for nonresident archery hunters. CPW's Nonresidents page says nonresidents "can no longer purchase over-the-counter (OTC) archery elk licenses" for units west of I-25 and GMU 140, and that those units now have limited nonresident archery elk hunt codes you apply for in the draw. The same page says nonresidents can still buy OTC rifle elk licenses. If you hunt with a bow, read that page and the brochure before you assume you can just buy a tag at a counter.

The habitat stamp

• 2026 Habitat Stamp (required & nonrefundable): $12.76

CPW's note says: "Only one is required per person, ages 18–64, per year buying or applying for a license." Further down, the page says the annual stamp "is automatically added to a license purchase for anyone ages 18 to 64."

You'll pay it on either route if you fall in that age range, and you only pay it once a year no matter how many licenses you buy. It's nonrefundable, so it stays spent even if your plans change.

The table also lists a Lifetime Habitat Stamp: $384.16. That's a one-time purchase, not a yearly fee, so don't split it up into a yearly cost. Whether it's worth it depends on how many years you expect to keep hunting Colorado, and only you know that.

The qualifying license (draw route only)

If you're applying in the draw, the Nonresident tab says: "All applicants, including youth, must purchase a qualifying hunting license to apply for the big-game draw." It lists these qualifying licenses for nonresidents:

• Annual small game, Adult: $104.86
• Annual small game, Youth: $2.53
• Spring turkey, Adult: $194.21
• Spring turkey, Youth: $130.39
• Fall turkey (valid for the secondary draw ONLY), Adult: $194.21
• Fall turkey (valid for the secondary draw ONLY), Youth: $130.39

For most adults who only want elk, the annual small game license is the cheapest one that qualifies, at $104.86. The turkey options cost more, and CPW notes the fall turkey license counts for the secondary draw only. If you were going to buy a spring turkey license for a turkey hunt anyway, it'll qualify you too, so you won't need a second license.

CPW's Nonresidents page explains the order: "A qualifying license purchase and application for the big game draw can be completed in the same transaction but the qualifying license must be added to the cart first." It also says a qualifying license "does not need to be purchased for over-the-counter licenses."

The application processing fee (draw route only)

• Nonresident application processing fee (per species & nonrefundable): $11.49

Note the unit: it's per species. If you apply for elk only, you pay it once for elk. If you also apply for deer or another species, each one gets its own fee. It's nonrefundable, so it stays spent whether or not you draw.

The page also says "hunters can submit one application per species to participate in the draw" and that "applications can include up to four hunt choices." So you pay one $11.49 for elk, even if you list four hunt choices.

Putting the pieces together

These are the two common versions for one adult nonresident. Treat each total as an example to check against your own cart, not a price CPW guarantees.

Draw route, adult, small game as your qualifying license:

$845.16 + $12.76 + $104.86 + $11.49 = $974.27. Example only, not a quote.

OTC route, adult:

$845.16 + $12.76 = $857.92. Example only, not a quote.

The two totals differ by the qualifying license and the application fee. That's the gap between buying an OTC tag and applying for a limited one.

The fee section on this CPW page doesn't say exactly when the elk license fee itself comes out of your card on the draw route. Its only timing note is about sheep and goat licenses, which get charged after the draw. Check the 2026 Big Game Brochure for how elk payment works, and plan your cash flow around that answer. Don't guess.

If you don't draw

The page explains preference points in plain terms. One point goes to "each applicant who qualifies for and does not draw their first-choice limited license for deer, elk, pronghorn or bear in the primary draw." It also mentions a "preference point only" hunt code you can enter as your first choice if you can't hunt this year but plan to later.

What it costs you: going by the fee labels, the habitat stamp and the application fee are both nonrefundable, and you have to buy the qualifying license before you apply. Those three are what you pay for a year of not drawing. The elk page doesn't list a separate dollar price for a point-only elk application, so we don't either. Check your cart and the brochure for that line.

If you miss in the primary draw, CPW says "most elk, deer, pronghorn and bear licenses not issued through the primary draw are available in a secondary draw." After both draws are done, leftover limited licenses go on sale. The page says "leftover licenses will go on sale August 4th, 2026." Buying a secondary-draw or leftover license won't use any of your preference points.

Buying in October

This post goes up in early October, so the 2026 draws are done. If you still want to hunt this season, you have two places to look.

1. OTC. CPW says OTC licenses "may be purchased any time before and during a season," online, by phone, or at sales agents. If you're a nonresident with a rifle and your unit and season have OTC licenses, your bill is the OTC example above.
2. Leftover and reissued licenses. CPW updates the reissue list weekly. The page says new hunt codes are released "as close to 11 a.m. MT as possible on Wednesday of every week." Leftover licenses don't use preference points.

Either way, pull up the current brochure for your unit and season before you pay. This post is about price. Legal units and dates come from CPW.

What else you need at checkout

These don't cost extra, but if you're missing one, you can't check out:

• Hunter education. CPW says "individuals born on or after January 1, 1949, must complete an approved hunter education course before applying for or purchasing a Colorado hunting license." Have your card or proof ready.
• A Social Security number or ITIN for hunters 12 and older, which the page says federal law requires.
• Proper identification.

Where the tag money stops and the trip money starts

After you know the tag number, you can budget the trip around it. Our hunting trip cost calculator breaks out the rest: fuel, food, lodging, processing. If you've already read our Iowa nonresident deer tag cost post, this one does the same job for Colorado elk. For the hunting itself rather than the paperwork, see your first elk hunt or the ultimate elk hunting guide.

Gear worth buying once the tag is paid for

After spending close to a thousand dollars on paperwork, the gear worth buying is whatever keeps you hunting all season.

• Glass. Most elk hunting is looking. A good pair of binoculars lets you check far-off country before you walk to it.
• A way to call for help. Elk country often has no cell service, and you're alone out there. A satellite communicator or GPS lets you send a message when your phone can't.
• A small cleaning kit. If you're flying or driving a long way with a rifle, a travel gun cleaning kit takes care of dust, snow, and a bumpy ride before opening morning.
• Boots for the cold end of the year. If your season runs into cold weather, insulated hunting boots let you stay out on the glass longer.

The bottom line

CPW's 2026 price for a nonresident adult elk license is $845.16, sold as an elk/fishing combo. Add the $12.76 habitat stamp if you're 18 to 64. If you apply in the draw, you'll also buy a qualifying license (the adult annual small game license is $104.86) and pay the $11.49 nonresident application processing fee, which is charged per species. If you buy an OTC license, you skip the qualifying license and the application fee.

Write down your route's total, compare it with your CPW cart before you pay, and plan the rest of the trip after that.

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