Business license · Colorado

Does Your LLC Need a Business License in Colorado?

The short answer. We have not confirmed whether Colorado requires a general state business license, so do not assume it does not; check MyBizColorado. Your local government may also require its own license.

Colorado Business License at a Glance

General state business license	Not confirmed
City or county licenses	Local governments may require one (see Local licenses)
Trade and professional licenses	Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies

Read from the government sources listed at the foot of this page, last checked September 30, 2026. See the sources.

Does Colorado Require a State Business License?

We have not confirmed whether Colorado requires a general state business license, so do not assume it does not; check MyBizColorado.

Colorado's own guide to business licenses and permits is MyBizColorado.

City and County Business Licenses

Colorado's Secretary of State says that some business licenses are issued through local city or county offices. Check with the city and county where your business operates.

Professional and Trade Licenses

Colorado licenses many regulated businesses and occupations through the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), depending on the type of business. Check whether your trade or profession needs a DORA license before you open.

Our verified guides for specific trades in this state:

See trade and business license requirements by state for every trade we cover.

Other Colorado Registrations to Check

Colorado articles of organization, the filing that creates the LLC itself.
Colorado Sales Tax License, for a business that sells taxable goods or services.
Colorado resale certificate, to buy inventory for resale without paying tax on it.
How to get an EIN, the federal tax ID most LLCs need to open a bank account or hire.

Frequently Asked Questions

: We have not confirmed whether Colorado requires a general state business license, so do not assume it does not; check MyBizColorado.
: Colorado's Secretary of State says that some business licenses are issued through local city or county offices. Check with the city and county where your business operates.
: Colorado licenses many regulated businesses and occupations through the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), depending on the type of business. Check whether your trade or profession needs a DORA license before you open.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's law and agencies say about a general state business license, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you which licenses your own business needs: that turns on what the business does, where it operates, and what its city or county requires, and fees and exemptions change between our reviews. Confirm your own position with the state agency named on this page, the city or county where the business is located, and any state board that licenses your trade before you open.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Colorado sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

coloradosos.gov/pubs/business/FAQs/startBusiness.htmlColorado Secretary of State, Business FAQs: Starting a Business
coloradosos.gov/pubs/business/businessHome.htmlColorado Secretary of State, Business Home

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Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.