8 published records
Business licenses and permits in Arapahoe County, Colorado
Arapahoe County, Colorado, seat Littleton; population 666,918 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). Arapahoe County Public Health (ACPH) licenses retail food establishments and mobile food units at the annual fees Colorado sets by statute (C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1), as enacted by SB25-285), issues special event food licenses, licenses body art establishments under its Board of Health's Body Art Establishment Regulations, and reviews and approves child care facility plans before state licensing. The Body Art Regulations define ACPH's jurisdiction as "the county of Arapahoe, Colorado, including all municipalities contained therein." For unincorporated Arapahoe County, the Public Works and Development Department licenses building contractors under Resolution No. 23-155 and issues building permits only to licensed contractors; the department also charges the sign, fence, temporary use and zoning letter fees in the county's Zoning Fee Schedule as amended on July 28, 2026. The U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 place-by-county file lists 13 incorporated places in Arapahoe County: Aurora, Bennett, Bow Mar, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Columbine Valley, Deer Trail, Englewood, Foxfield, Glendale, Greenwood Village, Littleton and Sheridan (Aurora also extends into Adams and Douglas counties). Each city and town runs its own business licensing, building and zoning, which stack on the county records here; unincorporated communities include Byers, Cherry Creek, Dove Valley, Four Square Mile and Inverness.
What are you opening in Arapahoe County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Arapahoe County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning Permits and Letters: sign, fence, temporary use, zoning verification (Arapahoe County Zoning Fee Schedule)only if it applies to you | Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, Zoning | Per the Arapahoe County Zoning Fee Schedule as amended (Board matter 26-378, passed July 28, 2026): sign permit, regular/unlit $23 base plus $1.15 per sq. ft.; electrically lit $23 base plus $1.15 per sq. ft. plus $100 electrical; fence permit residential $48, commercial $240, perimeter $1,000; temporary use permit $500, feather sign/banner $100; zoning verification letter $100; Board of Adjustment regular meeting $450, special meeting $900. | per permit or letter | 2026-10-10 |
| Building Permit (unincorporated Arapahoe County)only if it applies to you | Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, Building Division | Building permit fees are not stated in Resolution No. 23-155; contact the Arapahoe County Building Division (Public Works and Development) for the current fee for the project. | per permit | 2026-10-10 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Arapahoe County?
Zoning Permits and Letters: sign, fence, temporary use, zoning verification (Arapahoe County Zoning Fee Schedule)
Arapahoe County Public Works and Development (6924 S. Lima St., Centennial; Zoning 720-874-6711) charges the fees in the county's Zoning Fee Schedule. The current schedule is the attachment to Board of County Commissioners matter 26-378, "Amendment of the Zoning Fee Schedule to include Short-Term Rental Licensing Fees," passed July 28, 2026; its header reads "EFFECTIVE DATE-JANUARY 1, 2013" with the date 04/03/2026, and it restates the earlier fees while adding short-term rental fees. For a storefront business the schedule lists: sign permit $23 base plus $1.15 per square foot, plus a $100 electrical fee for an electrically lit sign; fence permit $240 commercial ($48 residential, $1,000 perimeter); temporary use permit $500, or $100 for a feather sign or banner; and $100 for a zoning verification letter. Board of Adjustment applications are $450 for a regular meeting and $900 for a special meeting. A business inside one of the county's 13 cities and towns applies to that municipality for its own sign, fence and zoning approvals.
Building Permit (unincorporated Arapahoe County)
Building, construction or remodelling work in unincorporated Arapahoe County, including a tenant finish for a shop, restaurant, studio or office, needs a building permit under the Arapahoe County Building Code. Resolution No. 23-155 describes that code as the International Building Code and the International Residential Code with the current approved county amendments, in force in the unincorporated territory of the county, and its section 24 states that, unless a person is exempt, building permits for work within unincorporated Arapahoe County will only be issued to building contractors licensed under the resolution or their authorised representatives. Under section 12, an individual doing repair or maintenance work on his or her own property is exempt from contractor licensing. The resolution does not state permit fees; contact the Building Division of Public Works and Development for the current fee. A business inside one of the county's 13 cities and towns obtains building permits from that municipality.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Zoning Fee Schedule, as amended (attachment to Board matter 26-378, passed July 28, 2026)Arapahoe County Public Works and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Resolution No. 23-155: Building Contractor Licensing Program for Unincorporated Arapahoe CountyArapahoe County Board of County Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
Who issues business permits in Arapahoe County?
Permitting in Arapahoe County is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Arapahoe County issuing agencies
- Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental HealthRetail food establishment licenses (restaurants, limited food service, grocery stores) and mobile food unit licenses at the state-set fees of C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1) · Special event (temporary) retail food licenses, with fees set by the county public health agency under C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1)(b)(II) · Body art establishment licenses under the ACPH Body Art Establishment Regulations (effective January 1, 2023) · Child care facility plan review and approval before state licensing5 permits
- Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, Building DivisionBuilding Contractor Licensing Program for unincorporated Arapahoe County (Resolution No. 23-155, under C.R.S. 30-11-125) · Building permits under the Arapahoe County Building Code in unincorporated Arapahoe County, issued to licensed contractors2 permits
- Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, ZoningSign, fence and temporary use permits, Board of Adjustment applications and zoning verification letters, at the fees in the county's Zoning Fee Schedule1 permit
Other Colorado jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.