How to become a vet tech in Colorado

Last checked October 25, 2026 against the sources listed below. Information, not legal advice: confirm with the board before you apply or take on a task.

Colorado requires vet techs to hold a state registration as a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), issued by the State Board of Veterinary Medicine in the Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA). Registration is required to practice as a veterinary technician, not just to use the title. First you earn a credential from the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians (CACVT), which requires an AVMA-accredited program and a passing VTNE score. Then you register with the state.

Colorado vet tech credential at a glance

Item	Colorado
Title	Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT or VT). Registered techs with a recognized specialty can add the Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) designation.
Issued by	Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine, Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA). A CACVT credential, from a private association the board has approved, comes first.
Type	State registration, built on a private CACVT credential.
Required to work as a tech	Yes You must be registered to practice as a veterinary technician. Unregistered staff may still do tasks a vet delegates, but only under direct or immediate supervision.
Education	Graduation from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program. From January 1, 2027, state law says "an accredited program" instead. The board's matching rule change was still pending in October 2026.
Exams	The VTNE, run by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB). CACVT requires a passing score. No state jurisprudence exam for techs was found.
Renewal and CE	State registration renews every two years. You must keep your CACVT credential active, which takes 20 CE hours per two-year cycle, at least 10 of them medical.
Moving from another state	Registration by endorsement: a current, unrestricted license, at least one year of practice, and a CACVT credential confirming an AVMA-accredited program and a passed national exam.

How to get your RVT in Colorado

Graduate from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program.
Pass the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE), which the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) runs.
Apply to the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians (CACVT) for a credential. If you hold a credential in another state, use CACVT's credential transfer path.
Once CACVT credentials you, apply to DORA through DPO Online Services. Upload your CACVT certificate, answer the screening questions and pay the fee. You must be at least 18.
Wait until your registration is issued before you work as a vet tech. State law requires registration to practice as a veterinary technician.
If you hold a certification from a NAVTA-recognized specialty academy, you can apply for the VTS designation along with a new or renewal registration.

What a credentialed tech can do, and what an assistant can do

Colorado's Veterinary Practice Act and the board's delegation rule (Rule 1.7, in effect since October 15, 2025) list tasks a veterinarian may delegate to an RVT and the minimum supervision for each. A vet may always choose closer supervision, but not less than the rule sets. Staff who are not registered techs may be given tasks within their competence, but only under direct supervision (the vet is on the premises and able to supervise) or immediate supervision (the vet is in the immediate area, within sight or hearing). Only a licensed veterinarian may diagnose, give a prognosis, prescribe or perform surgery.

Task	Credentialed tech	Veterinary assistant
Assisting in surgery	Yes, with conditions Immediate supervision.	Yes, with conditions Under immediate supervision, if within the person's competence. The rules set immediate supervision for techs on this task, so check the board rule before using any lower level.
Dental cleaning, polishing and single-root extractions that need no sectioning of tooth or bone	Yes, with conditions At least direct supervision.	Yes, with conditions Cleaning and polishing may be delegated under direct or immediate supervision. The rules list extractions only for techs, so check with the board before delegating them.
Treating minor medical conditions under a vet's protocol	Yes, with conditions At least direct supervision, with training, a protocol or consultation, and the vet available.	No The rules limit this task to registered techs and specialists.
Giving prescription drugs and controlled substances	Yes, with conditions At least indirect supervision, unless state or federal law prohibits it.	Yes, with conditions Only under direct or immediate supervision, if within the person's competence and not barred by other state or federal law.
Radiographs and other imaging	Yes, with conditions At least indirect supervision.	Yes, with conditions Only under direct or immediate supervision, if within the person's competence.
Diagnosing, prescribing or performing surgery	No Veterinarian only.	No Veterinarian only.

A registered tech with the VTS designation may be given any task not restricted to veterinarians under at least indirect supervision.

Veterinary assistants in Colorado

Colorado has no state permit or registration for veterinary assistants. Assistants may do tasks a veterinarian delegates, if the vet judges the task within their competence and supervises directly or immediately. They may not treat minor medical conditions. A trained person may give rabies vaccines under a vet's direct supervision. Assistants may not use the titles "veterinary technician", "registered veterinary technician", "VT" or "RVT". People who practice as a tech without registration face penalties under state law. At animal shelters, trained staff may care for shelter animals under indirect supervision when they follow a veterinarian's written or verbal protocol.

Renewal and continuing education

State registration renews every two years. You pay the fee and show a current CACVT credential. The state sets no separate CE hours for techs. Instead you must meet CACVT's requirements: 20 CE hours per two-year cycle, at least 10 in medical topics. CACVT credentials renew by June 30 of even-numbered years. Colorado veterinary licenses expire October 31 of even-numbered years, and CACVT says tech registrations follow the same date. The board says to keep your CE records for at least four years.

Recent changes

2024: Registration became mandatory on January 1, 2024. The window to apply for provisional registration, for working techs without a credential, closed that day.
2024: HB24-1047 (signed March 22, 2024) set out the list of tasks vets may delegate to techs, with supervision levels, and created the VTS designation and title. The board's delegation rule took effect October 15, 2025, and VTS designation began January 1, 2026.
2026: New endorsement rules apply to tech applications filed on or after February 12, 2026.
2026: Expired provisional registrations cannot be reinstated after October 31, 2026. Provisional registrants have until December 31, 2027 to apply to CACVT using work-experience routes (6,500 hours plus a national exam, or 9,000 hours), and provisional status ends by January 1, 2028.
2027: HB26-1198 (signed April 29, 2026) takes effect January 1, 2027. It replaces the AVMA-accredited education requirement with "an accredited program". The board held a hearing on October 8, 2026 on proposed changes to its tech registration rule. No outcome was posted as of October 2026.
Veterinary professional associate (VPA): Voters passed Proposition 129 on November 5, 2024, creating a new role between the tech and the veterinarian. HB25-1285 set the details, effective January 1, 2026. A VPA needs a master's degree in veterinary clinical care (or a board-approved equivalent) and a national exam. A VTS may qualify through an equivalent pathway. A vet may supervise no more than three practicing VPAs at once. The board says VPA registrations cannot be obtained until the AAVSB exam is developed. AAVSB lists the exam date as "To be determined".

FAQ

Do I need to be registered to work as a vet tech in Colorado?

Yes. Since January 1, 2024, anyone who practices as a veterinary technician must hold a state registration. Unregistered staff can still do delegated tasks, but only under direct or immediate supervision, and they cannot use the tech titles.

Is my CACVT certification the same as state registration?

No. They are two separate steps. CACVT issues the credential, and the State Board of Veterinary Medicine issues the registration. You need both, and you must keep the CACVT credential active to renew.

I am licensed as a vet tech in another state. How do I move to Colorado?

Apply to CACVT through its credential transfer path, then apply to DORA by endorsement. The board looks for a current, unrestricted license, at least one year of practice, and a CACVT credential showing an AVMA-accredited program and a passed national exam.

Can I become an RVT through on-the-job experience?

Not as a new applicant. The experience route was only for people who applied for provisional registration by January 1, 2024. Those provisional registrants have until December 31, 2027 to apply to CACVT.

What is a veterinary professional associate, and can I become one now?

A VPA is a new role created by Proposition 129. A VPA practices veterinary medicine only as delegated and supervised by a licensed veterinarian, and needs a master's degree in veterinary clinical care and a national exam. The board says registrations cannot be obtained until the AAVSB exam is developed, and AAVSB lists its availability as "To be determined".

Sources

Rules change and boards apply them case by case. If your situation is unusual, ask the Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine directly.

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