Confidence votes 40.4K. The incubation period of the common cold is typically 36 to 48 hours, but, in some cases, symptoms can arise within 12 hours, or slightly less, of catching the virus.ccording to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the incubation periods for a few of the most common causative viruses involved with the common cold are: Rhinovirus: 2-7 days. Coronaviruses: 2-10 days. Adenoviruses: 2-14 days.