Colorado Advertising Rules for Medical and Wellness Practices
A sourced brief on Colorado advertising standards for med spa, dental, chiropractic, wellness, and longevity practice owners. Every rule below was verified against the statute or board regulation cited; topics we could not verify in a primary source are omitted.
Verified against Colorado Medical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) sources, 2026-07-02
Educational summary for practice owners. Not legal advice.
False, misleading, or deceptive advertising
Under the Medical Practice Act, advertising in a manner that is misleading, deceptive, or false is unprofessional conduct for physicians, per C.R.S. 12-240-121(1)(z). Board Rule 1.24 applies this standard to advertising in all media, including print, radio, television, and the internet. At the time an advertisement is placed, the licensee must possess and rely on information that, when produced, would substantiate the truthfulness of any assertion, omission, or claim in the ad.
C.R.S. 12-240-121(1)(z) and 3 CCR 713-1.24 checked 2026-07-02
Testimonials, guarantees, superiority claims, and deceptive discounts
Medical Board Rule 1.24 identifies seven categories of prohibited advertising, including unsubstantiated claims that services, personnel, or equipment are superior to the ordinary standard, unsubstantiated third-party testimonials, promises of satisfaction or cure, and free-service or discount offers intended to mislead. Subjective testimonials that cannot be verified should carry disclaimers or warnings as to the credentials of the person making the testimonial. Misrepresenting board certification or academic degrees in a way that confuses the public is also prohibited.
3 CCR 713-1.24, Colorado Medical Board checked 2026-07-02
Med spa delegation and how unlicensed staff may be described
Medical Board Rule 800 (3 CCR 713-30) governs physician delegation of medical services, including medical-aesthetic services, to unlicensed persons. The delegating physician must verify the delegatee's education, training, or experience and conduct over-the-shoulder direct observation before authorizing performance outside the physician's presence. On the advertising side, the rule prohibits describing unlicensed delegatees with terms like licensed, doctor, or Dr., and flags titles such as medical aesthetician for unlicensed aestheticians as misleading, which constrains how med spas may present staff in marketing.
3 CCR 713-30.4 (Rule 800), Colorado Medical Board checked 2026-07-02
Dental advertising: testimonials, specialty claims, and fee disclosures
Colorado Dental Board Rule 3 CCR 709-1.17 prohibits ads that create unjustified expectations about results, make unsubstantiated superiority or cure claims, or use bait-and-switch tactics, and requires substantiation to exist at the time the ad runs. Patient testimonials require the patient's contact information on file, actual receipt of the service, disclosure of any compensation, written consent, and a statement that results may vary in individual cases. General dentists advertising specialty procedures must display General Dentistry in larger or noticeably more prominent text, and ads quoting rates must disclose that insurance may pay for all or part of the services.
3 CCR 709-1.17, Colorado Dental Board checked 2026-07-02
Chiropractic free and discounted service advertising
Under Board of Chiropractic Examiners Rule 3 CCR 707-1.12, advertising free or discounted services is deemed false or misleading unless the claims are truthful and detailed as to the specific services provided free or at a discount. Before performing the free or discounted evaluation, the licensee must give the patient a written contract describing what is free or discounted and the price of other services offered for a fee. The free service or reduced fee differential may not be billed to a third-party payer, and prepaid plans must state there is no claim or representation of a guarantee of results, outcome, or cure.
3 CCR 707-1.12, Colorado Board of Chiropractic Examiners checked 2026-07-02
What this means by practice type
Med spas
Marketing copy that calls injectors or laser technicians medical aestheticians, or implies they are licensed clinicians, runs into Rule 800's title restrictions for unlicensed delegatees. The safer posture is naming the delegating physician relationship accurately and describing staff by their actual credential.(3 CCR 713-30.4 (Rule 800))
Dental
Colorado's dental rule is unusually specific: review pages and video testimonials need written consent, compensation disclosure, and a results-may-vary statement, and any implants or orthodontics promotion by a general dentist needs General Dentistry displayed more prominently than the specialty service.(3 CCR 709-1.17)
Chiropractic
The common free consultation or new-patient special offer is regulated directly: the ad must detail exactly what is free or discounted, a written contract listing paid services must precede the evaluation, and the discount differential cannot be billed to insurance.(3 CCR 707-1.12)
Longevity and GLP-1
Weight-loss and longevity claims sit squarely under Medical Board Rule 1.24: outcome figures need substantiation in hand when the ad is placed, and guarantee or cure framing, superiority claims about protocols or equipment, and unverified patient success stories without credential disclaimers are all listed as misleading advertising.(3 CCR 713-1.24)
Telehealth posture
C.R.S. 12-30-124 provides that professional practice standards and laws applicable to in-person health-care services in Colorado, including those on prescribing, identity verification, documentation, informed consent, confidentiality, privacy, and security, apply equally to health-care services delivered through telehealth. The statute also creates a registration pathway, effective January 1, 2026, for out-of-state providers with active, unencumbered credentials, who must disclose their location and that they have no physical office in Colorado. Practices advertising virtual GLP-1 or wellness consults to Colorado patients should assume the same advertising and practice standards as in-person care.
C.R.S. 12-30-124 checked 2026-07-02
Markets in Colorado
Common questions
Can a Colorado med spa advertise discounts or free services?
The Medical Board's advertising rule does not ban discounts; it lists free-service or discount offers intended to mislead consumers as prohibited advertising, so a truthful, clearly scoped offer is consistent with the rule. If the practice operates under a chiropractic license, Rule 3 CCR 707-1.12 adds specific requirements, including a written contract before any free or discounted evaluation and a bar on billing the discount differential to insurance.
Are patient testimonials allowed in Colorado health-care advertising?
Yes, with conditions. Medical Board Rule 1.24 treats unsubstantiated testimonials as misleading and says subjective testimonials that cannot be verified should carry disclaimers about the credentials of the person giving them. The Dental Board goes further, requiring the patient's information on file, proof the service was actually provided, disclosure of compensation, written consent, and a results-may-vary statement.
Who can own or run a med spa in Colorado?
The advertising rules reviewed for this brief do not address ownership directly. What the board's published rules do establish is that medical-aesthetic services such as injections and Class IIIb or higher laser treatments are the practice of medicine, and Rule 800 requires a delegating physician who verifies training and directly observes unlicensed delegatees before they work outside the physician's presence. Ownership structure questions should go to a Colorado health-care attorney.
Marketing that survives your board
The free growth audit includes a compliance read of your current site and ads against your state's advertising rules.