9 published records
Business licenses and permits in Aurora, Colorado
Spans Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties. Tri-County Health Department, which used to run food-service permitting for all three, dissolved December 31, 2022 — three independent county health agencies now split the work geographically. Arapahoe County Public Health's figures (covering most of the city, south of Colfax Avenue) are used here as the primary reference.
What are you opening in Aurora?
- 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 Aurora
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business/Sales/Use Tax License | City of Aurora Business Licensing | $18 application fee, plus $27 for the biennial (2-year) license. | 2 years | 2026-09-08 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | City of Aurora Development Services Department, Building Division | $850 flat; $500 is refunded if a standard Certificate of Occupancy issues before the temporary one expires | temporary, pending final approval | 2026-09-08 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Aurora Development Services Department, Building Division | Valuation-based: $38.50 flat up to $500; $38.50 + $4.95 per $100 over $500, to $2,000; $113.00 + $23.00 per $1,000 over $2,000, to $25,000; $641.00 + $16.50/$1,000 over $25,000, to $50,000; $1,055.00 + $11.25/$1,000 over $50,000, to $100,000; $1,624.00 + $9.10/$1,000 over $100,000, to $500,000; $5,297.00 + $7.75/$1,000 over $500,000, to $1,000,000; $9,184.00 + $5.10/$1,000 above $1,000,000. A Change in Occupancy Permit is $95; a Life Safety Permit is $193 (plan review $313). | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
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 Aurora?
Business/Sales/Use Tax License
Unlike Colorado Springs, Aurora requires this general license of any business conducting activity in the city. The City's Quick Reference Guide for Aurora Businesses states that any person, including a nonprofit, conducting business activities within the city must hold the license regardless of where the business is physically located; a separate license is required for each Aurora location, a post office or private mailbox may not serve as the business location, and the license is non-transferable, so a change of legal entity requires a new application. Renewal is biennial and online, and all city tax accounts tied to the license must be in good standing to renew.
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy
Aurora's 2025 Service Fees schedule carries no standalone issuance fee for a standard (non-temporary) Certificate of Occupancy — only this temporary one is separately billed. The schedule states that a fee of $850.00 is collected for issuing a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy and that $500.00 is refunded if a Certificate of Occupancy is issued before the temporary one expires; the schedule's fee review describes the TCO fee as a refundable deposit that is not subject to annual indexing.
Commercial Building Permit
A separate per-square-foot fee table also exists, but it is Aurora's own New Building Construction Fees schedule — captioned for the construction of new buildings, pricing Group B business/office space at $2.90/sq ft and Group M mercantile/retail at $2.50/sq ft as of its 2026 revision. Tenant alteration and improvement work inside an existing building is not new building construction, so it is billed instead through the valuation-based table above. Administered directly by Aurora's own Building Division, not a regional authority (unlike Colorado Springs' Pikes Peak Regional Building Department).
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Aurora — Quick Reference Guide for Aurora Businesses (2024 update)City of Aurora Business Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Aurora — 2025 Service FeesCity of Aurora · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Aurora Permit Center — New Building Construction Fees (Form A176, revised January 2026)City of Aurora Permit Center · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
Who issues business permits in Aurora?
Permitting in Aurora is split across 4 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.
Aurora issuing agencies
- City of Aurora Development Services Department, Building DivisionCertificate of Occupancy · Commercial building permits · Sign permits · Contractor licensing4 permits
- Aurora Fire Rescue, Fire InspectionsFire inspections · Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle operational permit2 permits
- City of Aurora Business LicensingBusiness/Sales/Use Tax License · Sign Contractor License2 permits
- Arapahoe County Public HealthFood establishment permits (Arapahoe portion of Aurora)1 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.