Moving between states / Colorado
Californiato
Colorado, Truck driverMoving from California to Colorado as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in California has to do to work in Colorado, what the move does to your pay, and who in Colorado is hiring from out of state.
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Colorado resident you surrender the California CDL at a Colorado driver licence office, pass the vision test, pay the fee, and your endorsements carry over. A hazmat endorsement needs a fresh TSA threat assessment in Colorado. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Colorado leaves you roughly $2,946 a year more than California does, because Colorado's rate is lower.
| Salary | California state tax | Colorado state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $3,724 | $1,760 | +$1,964 |
| $60,000 | $5,586 | $2,640 | +$2,946 |
| $90,000 | $8,379 | $3,960 | +$4,419 |
Rough figures for a single filer: exact in the flat-rate and no-tax states, approximated at 70% of the top bracket in the progressive ones. In California: plus a 1.1% payroll tax for disability insurance. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: California to Colorado
Transfers by reciprocity. Your California certificate stays on the California Department of Public Health, Aide and Technician Certification Section; to work in Colorado you apply to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Nurse Aide Registry for reciprocity. It accepts an active certificate in good standing from another state; there is no retest if your record is clean. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.
RN and LPN: California to Colorado
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. California is not in the compact, so your California licence is single-state. Apply to the Colorado board for licensure by endorsement (Nursys verification, fingerprints, the board's fee); six to twelve weeks is normal, so start before you give notice. Because Colorado is a compact state, ask for the new licence to be issued as a multistate licence: from then on it works in every compact state.
Electrician: California to Colorado
Reciprocity likely. Colorado licenses electricians at state level through the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA), and endorsement for journeymen licensed in a state with a comparable exam and a year of licensed work. Your California licence comes from the Division of Industrial Relations (certification) and Contractors State License Board (C-10), a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
Does Colorado pay you to come?
No statewide program in Colorado pays people to move in. Towns sometimes list an offer through MakeMyMove, and employers in short-staffed trades pay relocation themselves; ask for it in writing before you accept.
Openings filed in Colorado
125 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Colorado employers who could not fill them locally.
- Malware Defense Senior Manager (MRA)Bank of America · Denver
- Veterinary Assistant (VA) - DenverModern Animal, Inc. · Denver
- Senior Systems Engineer (Identity and Access)Flexport · Gunnison
- Injury Claims Examiner (Central to West region)USAA · Colorado Springs
- Business Banking Relationship Manager - Denver MarketBank of America · Denver
- Financial Solutions Advisor Registration Candidate - Citadel Financial Center - Spanish PreferredBank of America · Colorado Springs
Your own route from California to Colorado
Tell us your trade and your licence. We write the steps for your case, check the job offer for scams, and keep your resume ready for Colorado employers.
Plan my move to ColoradoSame move, by trade
CNA: California to Colorado · RN or LPN: California to Colorado · Electrician: California to Colorado · All licences: California to Colorado
From California to the states next to Colorado
Wyoming (no state income tax) · Nebraska (progressive, top rate 5.2%) · Kansas (progressive, top rate 5.58%) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · New Mexico (progressive, top rate 5.9%) · Arizona (flat 2.5% state income tax) · Utah (flat 4.5% state income tax)
To Colorado from the states next to California
Everything about working in Colorado · All moves between states · All 50 states