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10 permits · verified 2026-09-08

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Denver?

In short

A contractor or trade in Denver, 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 and County of Denver, Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection charges $9.75 per employee, per month worked in Denver — $5.75 withheld from the employee, $4.00 paid by the employer for the occupational privilege tax. 2 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 Denver

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Contractor License (Class A/B/C/D)City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development$250 every 3 years (a plumbing license renews every 2 years)3 years2026-09-08
General Contractor License — Colorado position (licensed locally)only if it applies to youColorado State Electrical Board, Division of Professions and OccupationsNo feeset by the city or county2026-09-03
Electrical Contractor Registrationonly if it applies to youColorado State Electrical Board, Division of Professions and OccupationsFee not published — Colorado's licensing division publishes no fee schedule and quotes amounts only inside its authenticated application checkout3 years — all licenses and registrations expire on 30 September2026-09-03

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 Denver

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building PermitCity and County of Denver, Community Planning and DevelopmentVaries — formula on the Denver pageone-time, per project2026-09-08
Occupational Privilege TaxCity and County of Denver, Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection$9.75 per employee, per month worked in Denver — $5.75 withheld from the employee, $4.00 paid by the employermonthly2026-09-08
Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to youCity and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development$200 flattemporary, pending final approval2026-09-08

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$50 one-time filing, online onlyperpetual, but a periodic report is due every year2026-09-03
General Business License — Colorado position (issued locally)only if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business DivisionNo feeset by the city or county2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$50 one-time filing, online onlyperpetual, but a periodic report is due every year2026-09-03
Periodic Reportonly if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$25 a year; $50 more if filed lateannual — due in the entity's own periodic report month2026-09-03

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 Denver?

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 Denver, 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.

Of the 3 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $259.75. That is a floor, not a total. 2 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:

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 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Denver permits page and the CO state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Denver?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Denver, CO come from 4 separate offices: City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development, City and County of Denver, Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, 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.

What does a contractor or trade need in Denver 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 Denver: Contractor License (Class A/B/C/D), General Contractor License — Colorado position (licensed locally) and Electrical Contractor Registration.

Contractor License (Class A/B/C/D)

Colorado has no state general contractor license — this is a genuinely city-specific requirement. Related credentials: Supervisor Certificate $60/3yr, Journeyman $40/3yr, Engineer $40/3yr, Operator $40/3yr. The license carries no bond: the contractor-licensing sections of the 2025 Denver Building Code (Sections 120 through 127) impose none, and instead Section 126.1 requires every licensed contractor to carry insurance commensurate with the type of project and scope of work as the building official defines in policy. That policy, 25-DCBC 120A, sets the minimum for all scopes of work and license types at $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate general liability, plus workers' compensation of $100,000 per occurrence and $250,000 aggregate, or a rejection of coverage for a contractor with no employees. The city's own application steps and form ask for the license fee, a supervisor statement of responsibility, Secretary of State documents and, for electrical, plumbing and fire-protection work, the matching Colorado credential — not a bond. Bonds apply instead to Denver's separate right-of-way licenses for sidewalk, sewer, excavation and similar work in the public right-of-way, each of which lists a bond form and insurance requirements among its required documents.

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 Denver, CO; what each one involves is set out on the Denver 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 Denver?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Contractor License (Class A/B/C/D), General Contractor License — Colorado position (licensed locally) and Electrical Contractor Registration. A auto repair shop needs Sign Permit, Fire Permit — Repair Garages and Motor Fuel Dispensing and Automotive Repair — Colorado Motor Vehicle Repair Act (conduct rules), which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Denver, CO, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops3033
Childcare centres2032
Coffee shops4034
Fitness studios1031
Food trucks3033
Restaurants4034
Retail stores1031
Salons and barbers2032
Veterinary clinics3033

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 Denver permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City and County of Denver, ADMIN 125 and 138 — Building and Related Fees (revision date May 21, 2024)Denver Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
  2. Contractor Licensing Fees — $250 every 3 years for General Contractor Class A, Building Contractor Class B, Residential Contractor Class C and Specialty Class D licensesDenver Community Planning and Development, Contractor Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  3. 2025 Denver Building Code (adopted June 13, 2025; 2nd printing November 2025) — Commercial Building Code chapter 1, Sections 120-127, contractor licensing, renewal, fees and licensed-contractor responsibilitiesCity and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  4. Building Permit Policy 25-DCBC 120A — Classification of Licenses, Registrations and Certificates, including the Insurance Coverage Requirements set under DCBC Section 126.1City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  5. Apply for a Contractor's License — the required documents (supervisor statement of responsibility, Secretary of State documents, state electrical/plumbing/fire-suppression credentials) and fee paymentDenver Community Planning and Development, Contractor Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  6. Contractor License Application (revised July 24, 2023) — "This application must be accompanied by the license fee and supporting documents"Denver Community Planning and Development, Contractor Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  7. Right-of-Way Licenses — sidewalk, sewer, excavation and other public right-of-way licenses, each listing a Bond Form and Insurance Requirements among its required documentsDenver Community Planning and Development, Contractor Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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.