NIL Laws · CO

Colorado

High-school NIL: permitted with conditions. College NIL is addressed by state law alongside the NCAA/House framework. Agent rules below.

High School NIL
Permitted with conditions

The Colorado High School Activities Association permits NIL activity that is independent of the school and not conditioned on athletic participation or performance.

Citation · CHSAA NIL bylaw
What This Means

High-school NIL is lawful in Colorado with the usual separation-from-school conditions.

Insight: Colorado ski and outdoor brands are active early NIL buyers — category exclusivity in a first deal can block bigger offers later.
College NIL

Colorado's NIL law protects college athletes' right to compensation and representation and has been updated to accommodate institutional involvement post-House.

Citation · C.R.S. §23-16-301 et seq. (SB 20-123)
What This Means

Colorado athletes can earn NIL income and hire representation without eligibility consequences under state law.

Insight: Colorado also emphasizes financial-literacy support at schools — use the campus resources, then get independent review of actual contracts.
Agent Regulations

Colorado requires athlete agents to register with the state under its athlete-agent statute.

Citation · C.R.S. §23-16-201 et seq.
What This Means

Agents must be registered before recruiting Colorado athletes.

Insight: Verify both state registration and NCAA agent-registry status for any agent pitching pre-draft services.
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The NCAA & Federal Layer

State law is only half the rulebook. Wherever you play, the NCAA framework reshaped by the House settlement — plus one federal statute on agents — sits on top of your state's rules.

Revenue sharing (House settlement)

Since July 2025, Division I schools that opted into the House v. NCAA settlement may pay athletes directly, capped at roughly 22% of average power-conference athletics revenue — about $20.5M per school in year one, rising annually. Roster limits replaced scholarship limits.

House v. NCAA settlement (N.D. Cal., approved June 6, 2025)
What this means: Your school can now be a counterparty, not just a bystander. Campus revenue-share agreements are real contracts with real obligations.
NIL Go clearinghouse

Third-party NIL deals of $600 or more must be reported through NIL Go, the clearinghouse run by the College Sports Commission with Deloitte, which reviews deals against a fair-market-value standard.

College Sports Commission — NIL Go reporting requirement
What this means: Most real deals must be disclosed and can be flagged. Paper your deals at defensible market value and keep the deliverables documented.
Enforcement

The College Sports Commission — not the NCAA — enforces the settlement's compensation rules for participating schools. Portions of the settlement remain subject to appeal, so details can shift.

College Sports Commission (est. 2025)
What this means: A new regulator with new processes: expect documentation requests, and expect the rules to keep evolving for a few more seasons.
Agents — the federal floor

The federal SPARTA statute prohibits agents from using false promises, providing inducements, or failing to disclose required warnings when recruiting student-athletes — in every state, on top of any state act.

15 U.S.C. §7801 et seq. (SPARTA)
What this means: Even in states with no agent registry, deceptive agent conduct is federally unlawful. There is always a rulebook.

NIL law moves fast. These summaries are educational, current as of July 2026, and are not legal advice — rules cited here change frequently and some remain subject to pending litigation. Confirm the current rule before acting on it, or ask us. Attorney advertising.

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