The rule
High school sports in Colorado are governed by the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). The rule is Article 20, Amateur Standing, Bylaws 2000.3 (Name, Image and Likeness) and 2000.4 (NIL Guidelines), with notice at 2000.6 and the agent bar at 2000.51, in the CHSAA Bylaws 2026-27, a Google Doc linked from the association's bylaws page; the NIL language took effect for 2025-26 according to CHSAA's July 8, 2025 article, and the PDF bylaw book posted on the site is the older 2023-24 edition. Everything on this page is taken from the CHSAA's own text, linked under Sources.
| Question | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Allowed? | Yes, since 2025-26 |
| Who must be told | The school's athletic director, by the student or the parents or guardians; no form is named (2000.6) |
| By when | Within 10 days of entering into any NIL contract or agreement |
| School and CHSAA marks | No school or district name, logo, uniforms or mascots; no CHSAA logo; no school or district apparel or equipment; no member-school facility |
| Banned categories | No fixed list; no activity in conflict with the district's policy, with tobacco, alcohol and controlled substances as the examples |
| Pay-for-play and recruiting | No pay contingent on participation, performance or achievement, and none as an incentive to enroll or stay; NIL may not be used to violate Bylaw 1900, the Recruitment Rule (2000.32) |
| Schools, boosters, collectives | No pay from the school, a booster club, an individual booster (1640.12), a collective, or anyone acting as the school's agent |
| Agents | Barred for career management; except for a Letter of Intent, no agreement with any corporation, association, partnership or individual agent to manage the athletic career until the student has left high school (2000.51); signing or verbally committing with an agent makes the student a professional |
| Penalty | Immediate loss of eligibility (2000.33); ineligibility for up to one calendar year or until the Board reinstates (2000.7) |
What the rule says
- The permission. "A student-athlete/participant may benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) provided the NIL is not connected to their CHSAA high school, team or activity program."
- The 10-day notice. "Within 10 days of entering into any NIL contract/agreement, a student, or the student's parents/guardians, must notify the member school's Athletic Director of the agreement."
- No school identity or facilities. No school or district name, logo, uniforms or mascots; no CHSAA logo; no school or district apparel or equipment; no member-school facility.
- Not from the school's side. No pay from the school, a booster club, an individual booster, a collective, or anyone acting as the school's agent.
- Not for performance, not for enrolling. No pay contingent on participation, performance or achievement, and none as an incentive to enroll or stay. "NIL activities may not be utilized to violate CHSAA bylaw 1900 (Recruitment Rule)."
- Categories by district policy. No fixed list; nothing in conflict with the district's policy, with tobacco, alcohol and controlled substances as the examples.
- No career agent until graduation. Under 2000.51, except for a Letter of Intent, no agreement with any agent "to manage his/her athletic career for their services as an athlete until they have terminated their attendance in high school."
- The penalty. Under 2000.33 the student "shall immediately lose eligibility" if anyone enters a non-compliant agreement on the student's behalf; under 2000.7, ineligibility lasts up to one calendar year or until the Board reinstates.
What sits on top of it
- Your school and district. A school or district can set a stricter policy than the CHSAA. The athletic director is the person who knows it.
- Private and non-member schools. The rule covers CHSAA member schools. A school in another association follows that association's rule.
- College rules later. A deal that is fine in high school can still matter to the NCAA, NJCAA or NAIA. At Division I, third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go, and prospects report from the first day of junior year. The NIL guide has the college windows and NIL Go has its own page.
- Agents. The state's athlete-agent law applies to high school athletes; can a high school athlete have an agent? and the state-by-state registration table cover it.
- Taxes. NIL pay is taxable at any age. NIL taxes in plain words.
- The contract itself. What each clause means.
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state, level and age, and a disclosure packet for the school comes with a countdown to the deadline. It is a summary, not a ruling; your school decides. Athletes 13 to 17 use Leave through an account a parent or guardian creates, and are visible to businesses only when the guardian has turned that on and the state allows high school NIL. Leave is software, not an agent. You decide, you send.
Questions about high school NIL in Colorado
Can high school athletes sign NIL deals in Colorado?
Yes, since the 2025-26 year. CHSAA Bylaw 2000.3 lets a student benefit from their NIL provided it is not connected to their CHSAA high school, team or activity program, with no school or CHSAA marks and no money from the school, a booster or a collective.
Who do I report an NIL deal to in Colorado, and by when?
The school's athletic director, within 10 days of entering into any NIL contract or agreement, under Bylaw 2000.6. The student or the parents or guardians give the notice; no form is named.
Can a Colorado high school athlete have an agent?
Not to manage their athletic career. Bylaw 2000.51 says that, except for a Letter of Intent, a student shall not enter into any agreement with any corporation, association, partnership or individual agent to manage their athletic career for their services as an athlete until they have terminated their attendance in high school, and a note defines a professional as someone who signs or verbally commits with an agent. Colorado's athlete-agent act has no registration.
Which version of the CHSAA bylaws is current?
The 2026-27 Google Doc linked from the CHSAA bylaws page. The PDF bylaw book posted on the site, dated March 2026, is the 2023-24 edition with the old Rule 2000.2 and does not carry the NIL language that took effect for 2025-26.
Be your own agent. Leave.