College and high-school name, image & likeness rules for Colorado (CO) — at a glance, in plain English. Not legal advice; confirm with a compliance office before acting.
At a glance
NIL in Colorado today.
College NIL: Legal (state law). High-school NIL: Allowed, per State NIL law + CHSAA (HS). NIL collectives: operating. Deal-disclosure threshold: $600. Governing statute: Colorado SB 20-123 (as amended by HB 25-1041) (C.R.S. § 23-16-301 et seq.), amended, effective January 2023. High-school governance: Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). Last reviewed August 2026 — this is a plain-English overview pending verification, not legal advice.
What to know
How the rules play out in Colorado.
Colorado was an early NIL-law state and permits college athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness. CHSAA permits high-school NIL under guardrails that keep school branding and boosters out of the arrangement. Third-party deals at settlement schools generally route through the $600 clearinghouse review — confirm per school.
Who governs NIL in Colorado
Colorado was one of the first states to pass a college NIL law. SB 20-123, signed in March 2020 with a delayed start date, took effect January 1, 2023 and is codified at C.R.S. § 23-16-301 et seq. As of August 2026, college NIL in Colorado runs on that statute plus NCAA rules and the House v. NCAA settlement framework. High school NIL is a separate track: it is governed by the CHSAA's amateur bylaws (Article 20 of its Constitution and Bylaws), not by the state statute.
What SB 20-123 actually says
The statute is written as a list of things schools and athletic associations may not do, plus a few duties for athletes.
C.R.S. § 23-16-301(2)(a): an institution shall not uphold any rule, requirement, standard, or other limitation that prevents a student athlete from earning compensation from the use of their name, image, or likeness, and earning that compensation does not affect scholarship eligibility.
§ 23-16-301(2)(b): an athletic association (defined to include the NCAA) shall not prevent an athlete from earning NIL compensation, or block an institution from competing because an athlete is paid.
§ 23-16-301(3)(b): an athlete must disclose an NIL contract to their institution's athletic director within 72 hours of signing, or before the next scheduled athletic event, whichever comes first.
§ 23-16-301(4): any person providing legal representation to a student athlete must be a licensed attorney.
§ 23-16-301(5): an institution shall not revoke a scholarship because an athlete receives NIL compensation or obtains professional or legal representation.
High-school rules
CHSAA reportedly amended its amateur bylaws in 2022 so that high schoolers can earn NIL money, and its published rule restricts NIL only where it touches the school.
CHSAA Bylaw 2000.2: student-athletes are prohibited from monetizing their name, image and likeness with the use of their school's uniform, equipment, logo, name, proprietary patents, products and/or copyrights associated with a CHSAA member school, whether in public, print, or social media.
Bylaw 2000.12: maintaining amateur status is an essential condition of eligibility; a student may not accept cash for playing a sport and may not sign a professional athletic contract.
Bylaw 2010.1: awards tied to CHSAA-sanctioned play must have no intrinsic value and cost less than 100 dollars, a separate limit from NIL income earned away from school.
The practical read
As of August 2026, a Colorado college athlete can sign endorsement, social media, and appearance deals, but should tell their athletic director within 72 hours and, under the NCAA framework, report third-party deals of 600 dollars or more through the NIL Go clearinghouse. A Colorado high schooler can reportedly take NIL deals too, as long as nothing in the deal uses the school's uniform, logo, name, or other school property. None of this is legal advice; the rules keep moving.
What's moving
HB 25-1041, signed March 28, 2025, rewrote parts of the 2020 law to line Colorado up with the House v. NCAA settlement: an institution or athletic association may now compensate a student athlete directly for NIL, the old ban on deals that conflict with a team contract was repealed, and coverage extends to individuals eligible to compete, not just enrolled athletes. The 2025 law also requires institutions to report gender- and sport-based NIL spending to the state annually, while exempting athletes' identifying information from open-records requests. Expect continued adjustment as the settlement era settles in.
Go deeper
Compare states, then run your numbers.
Compare Colorado with every other state in the NIL Rules by State tracker, estimate your take-home on NIL income with the free NIL Tax Calculator, and see what your name, image, and likeness is actually worth with HDBND's free athlete tools.
Frequently asked questions
Is college NIL legal in Colorado?
Yes — college athletes in Colorado can earn from their name, image, and likeness. Status: Legal (state law). Colorado has its own NIL statute layered on top of NCAA policy and the House settlement. Confirm the current rules with each school's compliance office.
Can high school athletes earn NIL in Colorado?
High-school NIL status in Colorado: Allowed, per State NIL law + CHSAA (HS). It's generally permitted under the association's amateurism and recruiting guardrails. This is a general overview, not legal advice.
Do athletes have to disclose NIL deals in Colorado?
The working disclosure threshold here is "$600." Under the House settlement, third-party deals at or above $600 at participating schools go to the NIL Go clearinghouse for review; some schools ask for every deal. Confirm your school's exact process.
Can Colorado high school athletes use their school's logo or uniform in an NIL deal?
No. CHSAA Bylaw 2000.2 prohibits monetizing NIL with the use of a member school's uniform, equipment, logo, name, patents, products, or copyrights, in public, print, or social media. Deals with no school connection are a different story under the association's published rules. Confirm the current bylaws with your athletic director before signing anything.
Can Colorado schools pay their athletes directly?
As of August 2026, yes. HB 25-1041, signed in March 2025, says an institution of higher education or athletic association may compensate a student athlete for the use of their name, image, or likeness, which aligns Colorado law with the House settlement's revenue-sharing model. Each school decides how it participates, so check with the specific program's compliance office for current details.
Who can represent a Colorado college athlete in NIL deals?
The statute lets athletes hire representation and bars schools and associations from preventing it, per C.R.S. § 23-16-301(2)(c)(III). Athlete advisors work under defined advisory contracts, and § 23-16-301(4) requires that anyone providing legal representation be a licensed attorney. Have any advisory or endorsement contract reviewed independently before you sign.