"The Secretary of State alone is authorized to affix the Great Seal of Colorado to any document whatsoever, and then only, in pursuance of law. As custodian of the Seal the Secretary of State is responsible for its safekeeping and official use."
The circular Seal of the State of Colorado is an adaption of the Territorial Seal which was adopted by Joint Resolution of the First Territorial Assembly on November 6, 1861. The statutory provision for the official seal of statehood was provided for by Act of the First General Assembly of the State of Colorado, approved on March 15, 1877. By statute, the Seal of the State is two and one-half inches in diameter with the following device inscribed thereon: A heraldic shield, the upper portion of which depicts three snowcapped mountains with clouds surrounding them; the lower part consists of a miner's badge, as prescribed by the rules of heraldry; as a crest above the shield, the eye of God with rays proceeding from the lines of a triangle; below the crest, and above the shield, as a scroll, is the Roman "fasces" which is a bundle of sticks with an ax blade projecting, bound by a band imprinted with the words, "Union and Constitution"; below the whole motto, "Nil Sine Numine," which commonly translated means "Nothing Without Providence"; the whole is surrounded by the words, "State of Colorado," and the figures, "1876," the year of Colorado's statehood. The official colors of the seal, fixed by a 1976 Executive Order, are as follows: Red: The sky behind the mountains, the single band with the word "UNION" and the ring containing the words "STATE OF COLORADO, 1876"; White: The snowcaps of the three mountains, the clouds surrounding the mountains, the band with the word "AND", the banner containing the words "NIL SINE NUMINE", the triangle of the Eye of God, the fasces, and innermost ring; Dark Blue: The mountains, the background behind the shield, the single band with the word "CONSTITUTION", and the six stars dividing the year of statehood from the lettering "STATE OF COLORADO", the two dots separating the words "STATE OF COLORADO"; Gold: The Eye of God, the rays emanating from the Eye, the background in the lower shield, the small decorative circles on the innermost white ring, and the ring situated between the red ring and outer silver ring of the seal; Silver: The outside ring of the seal, the lettering "STATE OF COLORADO" and "1876", the ax head, the heads of both miner's tools, the two bands binding the fasces behind the two bands entitled "UNION" "CONSTITUTION", the outline of the shield, and the dividing line between the upper and lower portions of the shield; Brown: The handles of the miner's tools, the handle of the ax; Black: The lettering of the words "UNION", "AND", "CONSTITUTION", the words "NIL SINE NUMINE", the outline tracing the cascade of the banner containing the words "NIL SINE NUMINE", the outlines encircling the small decorative circles on the innermost white circle, and the outlines of the single band "AND". Use of the Colorado State Seal The design of the Colorado State Seal is determined by statute (CRS 24-80-901). The Secretary of State is given the authority to affix and monitor the use of the Colorado State Seal (CRS 24-80-903). Illegal use of the seal is a class 5 felony (CRS 24-80-902). Since the office of the Secretary of State receives numerous requests for use of the Colorado State Seal, the Secretary of State has implemented the following policies:
All requests for use of the Colorado State Seal must be submitted to the Deputy Secretary of State in writing. A written response will be provided granting or denying the requested use based on the guidelines listed above. Guidelines for use of the Colorado State Seal by Members of the Colorado General Assembly Memorandum to the Colorado
General Assembly
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