Colorado licenses physical therapists and certifies PT assistants through the State Physical Therapy Board in DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations (DPO). Colorado's online application expects you to have passed the NPTE already. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. PT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), CAPTE, the PT Compact Commission or any state board; NPTE and FSBPT are their marks, used here only to name the exam.
Colorado at a glance
Physical therapist (PT)
PT assistant (PTA)
Exam
NPTE-PT (225 questions, 5 hours), $485 to FSBPT
NPTE-PTA (180 questions, 4 hours), $485 to FSBPT
Board fees
Shown when you apply online; check with DPO (no refunds or fee transfers)
Same
Law exam
None in the application preview
None
Background check
Fingerprint and criminal background check (IdentoGO or American BioIdentity), within a week of applying
Same
Provisional license
PTLP: direct supervision by a Colorado PT, up to 120 days, one time only
Check with DPO
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a Colorado compact privilege instead of a full license, and a Colorado license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Colorado, step by step
Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA)
Pass the NPTE first: the application asks for your FSBPT ID and a passing score released to Colorado. If you have not passed and requested your scores, the Division says do not apply.
Apply online through DPO's licensing portal (the PT, PTA and provisional application questions are posted as previews on the Applications and Forms page). Fees are not refunded or transferred if you file the wrong application or do not qualify.
Fingerprints: a fingerprint and criminal background check is required for PT and PTA licensure. Schedule it with IdentoGO or American BioIdentity within a week of submitting, or processing may be delayed.
Provisional license (PTLP): a provisional PT license lets you practice only under the direct supervision of an actively licensed Colorado PT (including record review and co-signed notes). It expires no later than 120 days after issue and is issued once; it cannot be renewed.
Timing: a license issued within 120 days of the next renewal date gets the following expiration date. Colorado is in the PT Compact.
Every state licenses physical therapists and PT assistants on the NPTE, with the same passing score everywhere (600 on a 200-800 scale): a CAPTE-accredited degree, your state board's application, then NPTE registration with FSBPT ($485 plus Prometric's sitting fee), which your board approves before FSBPT sends your Authorization to Test. The PT exam is 225 questions in 5 hours and the PTA exam 180 questions in 4 hours, both on fixed dates four times a year; you may test 3 times in 12 months and 6 times in a lifetime (FSBPT NPTE Candidate Handbook). The full walk-through: How to get your PT license.