8 permits · verified 2026-10-10
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Arapahoe County?
In short
A retail store in Arapahoe County, CO has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division charges $50 one-time filing, online only for the articles of incorporation. 4 of the 8 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Arapahoe County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Food Establishment License (annual; restaurants, limited food service, grocery) | Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental Health | Per ACPH's Retail Establishment License Fee Schedule, effective 9/1/2025: restaurant 0-100 seats $481, 101-200 seats $538, over 200 seats $581; limited retail food service $338; grocery store without deli up to 15,000 sq. ft. $244, over 15,000 sq. ft. $441; grocery store with deli up to 15,000 sq. ft. $469, over 15,000 sq. ft. $894. Effective 1/1/2027: $567, $634, $687; $394; $282, $519; $552, $1,062. Effective 1/1/2028: $682, $763, $826; $475; $340, $624; $664, $1,276. Amounts match C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1)(a) as enacted by SB25-285. | annual; the statute sets the fee for each calendar year | 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.
Local 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 | Varies — formula on the Arapahoe County page | 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 | Varies — formula on the Arapahoe County page | 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.
CO registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | $50 one-time filing, online only | perpetual, but a periodic report is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Colorado position (issued locally)only if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | No fee | set by the city or county | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales Tax License | Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation Division | Varies — formula on the CO page | 2 years — every license expires on 31 December of an odd-numbered year | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | $50 one-time filing, online only | perpetual, but a periodic report is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Periodic Reportonly if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | $25 a year; $50 more if filed late | annual — due in the entity's own periodic report month | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a retail store in Arapahoe County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 8 records listed for a retail store in Arapahoe County, CO, 2 apply to every business of this type and 6 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
4 of the 8 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Retail Food Establishment License (annual; restaurants, limited food service, grocery): Per ACPH's Retail Establishment License Fee Schedule, effective 9/1/2025: restaurant 0-100 seats $481, 101-200 seats $538, over 200 seats $581; limited retail food service $338; grocery store without deli up to 15,000 sq. ft. $244, over 15,000 sq. ft. $441; grocery store with deli up to 15,000 sq. ft. $469, over 15,000 sq. ft. $894. Effective 1/1/2027: $567, $634, $687; $394; $282, $519; $552, $1,062. Effective 1/1/2028: $682, $763, $826; $475; $340, $624; $664, $1,276. Amounts match C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1)(a) as enacted by SB25-285.
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Arapahoe County permits page and the CO state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Arapahoe County?
Permits for a retail store in Arapahoe County, CO come from 5 separate offices: Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, Zoning, Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, Building Division, Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental Health, Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division, Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, ZoningIssues 1 permit on this page: Zoning Permits and Letters: sign, fence, temporary use, zoning verification (Arapahoe County Zoning Fee Schedule)6924 S. Lima St., Centennial, CO 80112 · 720-874-6711arapahoe.legistar1.com/arapahoe/attachments/b700c271-3e1a-4f36-a639-85632bae068f.pdf
- Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, Building DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Building Permit (unincorporated Arapahoe County)files.arapahoeco.gov/Public%20Works_Development/Building/Contractor%20Licensing/ResoNo.23-155.ContractorLicensingadopted%20...%2043f9.pdf
- Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental HealthIssues 1 permit on this page: Retail Food Establishment License (annual; restaurants, limited food service, grocery)files.arapahoeco.gov/Public%20Health/Health%20Protection_Response/Environmental%20Health/RFE%20Fee%20Change%20Schedule_With%20Effective%20Dates_FNL_ENG%2020250828_v2.pdf
- Colorado Secretary of State, Business DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, General Business License — Colorado position (issued locally), Articles of Organization (LLC), Periodic Report1700 Broadway, Suite 550, Denver, CO 80290 · (303) 894-2200www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/business/businessHome.html
- Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax License1375 Sherman Street, Denver, CO 80261 · (303) 238-7378tax.colorado.gov/sales-tax-account-license
What does a retail store need in Arapahoe County that other businesses do not?
Retail Food Establishment License (annual; restaurants, limited food service, grocery)
A restaurant, coffee shop, grocery or other retail food establishment in Arapahoe County needs an annual retail food establishment license from Arapahoe County Public Health (ACPH). ACPH's June 17, 2026 Retail Food Inspection and Enforcement Overview to the Board of Health counts about 2,300 retail food establishments in the county. ACPH's fee schedule lists, effective 9/1/2025, $481 for a restaurant with 0-100 seats, $538 for 101-200 seats and $581 for over 200; $338 for limited retail food service; $244 or $441 for a grocery store without a deli (up to or over 15,000 sq. ft.); and $469 or $894 for a grocery store with a deli. The same schedule lists the next steps: effective 1/1/2027 $567, $634, $687, $394, $282, $519, $552 and $1,062, and effective 1/1/2028 $682, $763, $826, $475, $340, $624, $664 and $1,276, in the same order. The figures are from Arapahoe County Public Health's "Retail Establishment License Fee Schedule" (PDF on the county's file host, files.arapahoeco.gov, file dated 2025-08-28), which states that Senate Bill 25-285 "included graduated increases in retail food establishment license fees over the next three years" and lists revised fees effective 9/1/2025, 1/1/2027 and 1/1/2028. The same amounts are set by C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1)(a) as enacted by SB25-285. Under 25-4-1607(1.1)(b)(I) an establishment is subject to only one of the listed fees, and under (1.1)(d)(II) these fees are the only annual license fees a state, county, district, local or regional inspection authority may charge and cover all inspections required during the annual license period; a county board of health may set lower fees under (1.1)(d)(I)(B). SB25-285 also amended C.R.S. 25-4-1608(2) so that $55 of each fee goes to the state food protection cash fund.
The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Arapahoe County, CO; what each one involves is set out on the Arapahoe County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across CO and are covered on the CO state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Arapahoe County?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 1 of these permits. A coffee shop needs Special Event (Temporary) Retail Food License, Retail Food Establishment License and Certified Food Protection Manager, which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Fitness studios | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Arapahoe County permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Retail Establishment License Fee Schedule (revised fees effective 9/1/2025, 1/1/2027 and 1/1/2028)Arapahoe County Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Senate Bill 25-285, signed act (amending C.R.S. 25-4-1607 and 25-4-1608: retail food establishment fees)Colorado General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- ACPH Retail Food Inspection and Enforcement Overview, Board of Health meeting, June 17, 2026Arapahoe County Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.