Licenses and permits in Colorado

The Secretary of State records the entity. It does not hand you one license for the work itself. What you need depends on what you do and where you do it.

What’s different in Colorado

• No single business license from the business registry. the Department of Regulatory Agencies for some kinds of work, and the city or county for others.
• Denver keeps its own list. Denver's Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection publishes the city’s business and occupational licenses. The page we could re-read does not state one fee that covers every Denver business.* Ask the department for your activity.
• Food splits between the state and the county. Cottage food and a restaurant are not the same filing.
• Two food pages did not return their text to the quote checker. The rules below were read in a browser on November 7, 2026. Confirm them on the linked page.

Do this

1. Name the work, then the place. The starting a business FAQ says the Department of Regulatory Agencies for some kinds of work, and the city or county for others. Ask before you sign a lease.
2. Check a professional license if your work is licensed. accountants, attorneys, and the other professions the Secretary of State lists may need a professional term in the name. Read Title 12 and ask the licensing agency. The Secretary of State’s list includes accountants, attorneys, chiropractic, dentists, medical practice, optometry, physical therapists, podiatry, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, and addiction counselors. If your field is not on that list, still ask the Department of Regulatory Agencies. We did not open that department’s license search on a page the checker can re-read.* Use the department’s own search.
3. Check the city. In Denver, start at the business licensing center, run by Denver's Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Other cities are not on that page. Call the city clerk or the licensing office where you will operate.
4. Selling food from home? Read CDPHE’s cottage foods page. The selling section we opened says the product goes directly from the producer to the customer, it cannot be sold to a restaurant or a grocery store, it is sold in Colorado, and the sign at the sale says the home kitchen is not subject to state licensure or inspection. Internet sales are allowed if the delivery stays inside that rule. The page also says the Tamale Act begins January 1, 2027.* Read that page for what the act changes. We are not guessing a sales cap. The section we opened did not state one.
5. Opening a restaurant, food truck, or grocery store? Read CDPHE’s retail food licensing page. It says the department itself licenses and inspects those businesses only in Clear Creek, Dolores, Gilpin, Moffat, Ouray, Park, Pitkin except the City of Aspen, Rio Blanco, and San Juan counties. Any other county goes to the local public health agency. The page lists a plan-review application fee and a review charge, and it says a Colorado sales tax license is required. Those dollar amounts are not repeated here.* Read them on the page. Sales tax registration is in Get your tax IDs.
6. Selling alcohol, or contracting? We did not confirm the state office, the local approval, or the fee on a page we can re-check.* Ask the agency that regulates alcohol, and ask the city about contractor registration, before you take a job or a lease.
7. Ask for help if the list gets long. The SBA’s Colorado District Office offers funding programs, counseling, federal contracting certifications, and disaster recovery. It covers the whole state and sits at 721 19th St., Suite 426, Denver, CO 80202.

What you get back

One license or permit from each office that regulates the work, each with its own renewal date. Write the date down when the approval arrives. A city license and a state professional license do not replace each other.