Visit on usatf.org:
Back to OFFICIALS

Certification



OFFICIALS' CERTIFICATION 

 

We currently have a great crew of certified officials in Colorado; a breakout is shown below.

Colorado Certified Officials (as of December 12, 2025)

Apprentice Association National Master Emeritus  Total  Men   Women
29 26 13 19   87 64% 34%

All USATF officials are certified for a four-year term, concurrent with each Olympiad. 

Certification Overview

The benefits of USATF officials' certification include: certification recognized nation-wide; training; opportunities to work regional and national championship meets; a USATF rule book; official's ID card and pin; and more.

Training and certification of officials is central to USATF's goal of ensuring fair and safe competitive opportunities for athletes.  USATF recognizes an official's skill development through four progressive levels of certification: Apprentice, Association, National, and Master; plus an Emeritus category. Officials are certified on an overall basis, and also for specific disciplines. 

Certification Requirements 
See full details at the USATF Officials’ Certification page at this page.

  • Photo
  • Age 18 or over
 


Send your items to Marty Johnson or bring them to a clinic.


Rules Reviews 
USATF Basic Review - You may certainly take and submit that review yourself online at this link.
 

Timelines
New officials may apply for initial Apprentice-level certification at any time.  Certified officials are recertified for each four-year Olympiad at the end of the year following the Olympic Summer Games. 

Upgrades
Officials may seek advancement to higher levels of certification when they meet the criteria.  Advancement from one level to another is earned through knowledge of the rules  and demonstrated proficiency and achieving specific criteria for each level.  Checklists for those skills have been developed for most disciplines.  Upgrade to Association or National levels requires a National or Master level official to sign off on the “Training and Certification Upgrade Checklist” items for the candidate; an upgrade to the Master level requires a Master official to sign off.

Here are the checklists:   

Use this form to request an upgrade of your certification level.

Certification Upgrade Criteria - click here