10 permits · verified 2026-09-08
What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Aurora?
In short
A contractor or trade in Aurora, CO has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Aurora Development Services Department, Building Division charges $850 flat; $500 is refunded if a standard Certificate of Occupancy issues before the temporary one expires for the temporary certificate of occupancy. 4 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Aurora
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Contractor License | City of Aurora Development Services Department, Building Division | $131 supplemental fee plus a $392 license fee. Requires ICC General Building Contractor 'A' or 'B' certification, registration, and 3 job references. | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-08 |
| General Contractor License — Colorado position (licensed locally)only if it applies to you | Colorado State Electrical Board, Division of Professions and Occupations | No fee | set by the city or county | 2026-09-03 |
| Electrical Contractor Registrationonly if it applies to you | Colorado State Electrical Board, Division of Professions and Occupations | Fee not published — Colorado's licensing division publishes no fee schedule and quotes amounts only inside its authenticated application checkout | 3 years — all licenses and registrations expire on 30 September | 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.
Local 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 | Varies — formula on the Aurora page | 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 | Varies — formula on the Aurora page | 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.
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 |
| 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 contractor or trade in Aurora?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a contractor or trade in Aurora, CO, 3 apply to every business of this type and 7 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 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Commercial Building Contractor License: $131 supplemental fee plus a $392 license fee. Requires ICC General Building Contractor 'A' or 'B' certification, registration, and 3 job references.
Electrical Contractor Registration: Fee not published — Colorado's licensing division publishes no fee schedule and quotes amounts only inside its authenticated application checkout
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Aurora permits page and the CO state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Aurora?
Permits for a contractor or trade in Aurora, CO come from 4 separate offices: City of Aurora Development Services Department, Building Division, City of Aurora Business Licensing, Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division, Colorado State Electrical Board, Division of Professions and Occupations. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Aurora Development Services Department, Building DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Commercial Building Contractor License, Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Building Permit15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 2400, Aurora, CO 80012 · (303) 739-7420www.auroragov.org
- City of Aurora Business LicensingIssues 1 permit on this page: Business/Sales/Use Tax License(303) 739-7057www.auroragov.org
- 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 State Electrical Board, Division of Professions and OccupationsIssues 2 permits on this page: General Contractor License — Colorado position (licensed locally), Electrical Contractor Registration1560 Broadway, Suite 1350, Denver, CO 80202 · (303) 894-7800dpo.colorado.gov/Electrical
What does a contractor or trade need in Aurora that other businesses do not?
3 of the 3 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Aurora: Commercial Building Contractor License, General Contractor License — Colorado position (licensed locally) and Electrical Contractor Registration.
Commercial Building Contractor License
No bond is required for this general Commercial or Residential Building Contractor license. A bond is required only for the separate Right of Way Contractor license: $1,000,000 general liability plus $1,000,000 property damage insurance, plus a $20,000 Irrevocable License and Permit Bond (minimum 2-year term). The Building Division's Form A105 states that electricians and plumbers need a state master's and contractor's license issued by the State of Colorado, and that the City of Aurora does not issue a separate contractor's license for them.
General Contractor License — Colorado position (licensed locally)
The regulatory agencies department's licensing and permitting page lists the credentials it issues alphabetically, with electricians and plumbers (each including contractors) among them, and its list contains no general contractor entry. Municipal and county building departments license contractors instead, and Denver shows how sharply: its contractor licensing page states that Denver does not accept or reciprocate contractor licenses or certificates from other counties or states, that licenses and certificates renew every one to three years depending on type, and that a Colorado electrical or plumbing license substitutes for Denver's own supervisor certificate. A contractor working across the Front Range needs a separate license in each jurisdiction.
Electrical Contractor Registration
Electrical is one of only two construction trades Colorado licenses, and to perform electrical contracting you must be registered as an electrical contractor as well as employing licensed electricians. No fee is recorded because none is published anywhere: the licensing division's standing instruction is that fees are on the respective applications and forms, the posted forms carry no fee table, and the rules refer only to the current fee. The amount appears solely inside the authenticated checkout. What is published is the permit side, on a schedule effective December 2024 — new residential wiring runs $146 up to a thousand square feet, $218 to fifteen hundred and $292 to two thousand, and the inspection fee doubles if the permit is filed after work starts. The state only inspects where the local jurisdiction runs no electrical inspection programme of its own. Plumbing works the same way, on a two-year cycle expiring the last day of February in odd years.
The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Aurora, CO; what each one involves is set out on the Aurora permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across CO and are covered on the CO state page.
How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Aurora?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Commercial Building Contractor License, General Contractor License — Colorado position (licensed locally) and Electrical Contractor Registration. A auto repair shop needs Commercial Sign Permit, Fire Inspection and Automotive Repair — Colorado Motor Vehicle Repair Act (conduct rules), which a contractor or trade does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a contractor or trade | Only a contractor or trade needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Food trucks | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
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 Aurora permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- City of Aurora — Contractor License Fees & Requirements (Form A105, revised February 2026)City of Aurora Building Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies — the complete list of licenses and permits it issues, which contains no general contractorColorado Department of Regulatory Agencies · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- City and County of Denver — contractor licensing, which does not reciprocate with other Colorado jurisdictionsCity and County of Denver · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Colorado State Electrical Board — applications and the three-year license cycle expiring 30 SeptemberColorado Division of Professions and Occupations · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.