11 permits · verified 2026-09-08
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Denver?
In short
A salon or barber in Denver, CO has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 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. 3 of the 11 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 salon or barber in Denver
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permit | City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development | $25 for a standard sign permit; $500 for a comprehensive sign plan at a large facility (no fee for a supplemental/vital-signs comprehensive plan); outdoor advertising (billboards) is $225 for the initial review and $225 for the annual renewal. | one-time, per sign permit; outdoor advertising renews annually | 2026-09-08 |
| Shop and Salon Registration | Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure, Division of Professions and Occupations | $35 new registration; renewal is $26 | biennial — every registration expires on 30 November of odd-numbered years | 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 Denver
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit | City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development | Varies — formula on the Denver page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
| Occupational Privilege Tax | City 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 employer | monthly | 2026-09-08 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development | $200 flat | temporary, pending final approval | 2026-09-08 |
| Sales/Use/Lodger's Tax License | City and County of Denver, Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection | $50 per location, every 2 years; a Special Event Retail Sales License is $5/event | 2 years | 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 |
| 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 salon or barber in Denver?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a salon or barber in Denver, CO, 6 apply to every business of this type and 5 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 6 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $94.75. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 11 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:
Sign Permit: $25 for a standard sign permit; $500 for a comprehensive sign plan at a large facility (no fee for a supplemental/vital-signs comprehensive plan); outdoor advertising (billboards) is $225 for the initial review and $225 for the annual renewal.
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Denver permits page and the CO state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Denver?
Permits for a salon or barber in Denver, CO come from 5 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 Department of Revenue, Taxation Division, Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure, 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 and County of Denver, Community Planning and DevelopmentIssues 3 permits on this page: Commercial Building Permit, Sign Permit, Temporary Certificate of Occupancywww.denvergov.org/DSfees
- City and County of Denver, Department of Licensing and Consumer ProtectionIssues 2 permits on this page: Occupational Privilege Tax, Sales/Use/Lodger's Tax Licensedenvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Business-Licensing
- 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
- Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure, Division of Professions and OccupationsIssues 1 permit on this page: Shop and Salon Registration1560 Broadway, Suite 1350, Denver, CO 80202 · (303) 894-7800dpo.colorado.gov/BarberCosmetology
What does a salon or barber need in Denver that other businesses do not?
1 of the 2 permits particular to a salon or barber here applies to no other business type we cover in Denver: Shop and Salon Registration.
Sign Permit
A zoning permit from Community Planning and Development, required for most signs on private property, including a sign on private property that projects over the public sidewalk. The application's sign schedule covers new sign area, sign area to be removed and existing sign area that remains or is replaced (its own worked example is a face change on an existing pole sign), recording each sign's type, area, faces, illumination and height alongside the zone lot and tenant frontage; its staff section totals the signs and sign area allowed, removed, proposed and approved, and staff issue the zoning permit once the plans meet the zoning code and the fee is paid. The development fee schedule lists the sign permit at a flat $25. Most signs also need a building permit unless the Denver Building and Fire Code exempts them, and it must be obtained within 180 days of the zoning permit or the zoning permit lapses; an electrical permit is needed if the sign has electrical components or connections. A sign at a local landmark or in a historic district also goes to Landmark Preservation for a Certificate of Appropriateness, a sign crossing into the public right-of-way needs a separate Department of Transportation and Infrastructure permit, and a new business that changes the use of its space needs a zoning use permit alongside the sign permit. Some temporary signs, such as an unlit window sign or a banner promoting a sale for up to 45 days, need no permit under Denver Zoning Code section 10.10.3, while billboards need a zoning permit that is renewed annually.
Shop and Salon Registration
Thirty-five dollars covers a fixed establishment, a temporary one, a mobile unit or a school, and one registration covers whichever services are ticked — barbering, cosmetology, esthetics or manicuring — with no separate booth registration. The registration attaches to the physical location, so there is no reciprocity from another state and a change of ownership needs a fresh application at the full fee. The owner need not hold a practitioner license. Colorado merged its barber and cosmetology regulation into a single office under a director rather than a board. One caveat on the renewal figure: the regulatory agencies department publishes no current fee schedule at all — the $26 is the last officially published amount, from the state's own 2025 sunset review, and predates the November 2025 renewal cycle.
The other 4 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 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across CO and are covered on the CO state page.
How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Denver?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Shop and Salon Registration. A fitness studio needs nothing here that a salon or barber does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a salon or barber | Only a salon or barber needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 2 | 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 Denver permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- City and County of Denver — Development Services Fee ScheduleDenver Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- Signs — which signs need a zoning permit, right-of-way and electrical permits, temporary-sign exemptions and annual billboard permitsDenver Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Apply for a Sign Permit — related reviews and permits, site plan and elevation requirements, building permit requirement and the 180-day ruleDenver Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- SIGNS - Zoning Permit Application & Approval (last updated May 11, 2020) — sign schedule of new, removed and retained sign area, with staff totals of signs and area allowedDenver Community Planning and Development, Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure — applications and forms, with the registration expiry dateColorado Division of Professions and Occupations · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Colorado Office of Policy, Research and Regulatory Reform — 2025 sunset review of the Barber and Cosmetologist Act, with the business registration fee tableColorado Department of Regulatory Agencies · 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.