14 published records
Business licenses and permits in El Paso County, Colorado
El Paso County, Colorado, seat Colorado Springs; population 752,772 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The county's Sales Tax Information page states that 'El Paso County does not require a separate Business or Sales Tax License' and requires a Colorado State Sales Tax License instead; the Colorado Department of Revenue collects the county's 1.23% sales tax. El Paso County Public Health licenses retail food establishments (at the amounts set by C.R.S. 25-4-1607), special-event food vendors and body art establishments, inspects child care facilities and commercial pools, and issues septic and construction activity permits under the Board of Health's 2024 Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2024). The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, created in 1966 by the county and Colorado Springs, issues building permits, certificates of occupancy, floodplain permits and contractor licenses for unincorporated El Paso County and, per its About page, for Colorado Springs, Fountain, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls, Monument, Palmer Lake and Calhan. Planning and Community Development handles zoning in unincorporated areas, and the Board of County Commissioners, through the Clerk to the Board, is the local liquor licensing authority for the unincorporated county under Resolution 23-73. EPCPH's retail food page lists the communities it serves as Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Calhan, Green Mountain Falls, Monument, Palmer Lake, Ramah and Fountain. The county's liquor application page tells applicants: 'If the establishment is within any city or town in El Paso County, please contact that entity for their liquor license process.' Requirements a city or town sets for its own area stack on the county records here and appear on that municipality's own page where one exists, such as Colorado Springs.
What are you opening in El Paso County?
- 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 El Paso County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State Sales Tax License (county sales tax statement) | Colorado Department of Revenue (sales tax) | Per the county's Sales Tax Information page, El Paso County requires no separate county license; the Colorado State Sales Tax License fee is set by the Colorado Department of Revenue and is not published on that page. | as set by the Colorado Department of Revenue for the state license | 2026-10-10 |
| Building Permit and Certificate of Occupancy (PPRBD)only if it applies to you | Pikes Peak Regional Building Department | Table A by valuation: $1-$500 $50; $501-$2,000 $50 plus $2 per additional $100; $2,001-$25,000 $80 plus $8 per additional $1,000; $25,001-$50,000 $264 plus $8 per $1,000; $50,001-$100,000 $464 plus $5 per $1,000; $100,001-$500,000 $714 plus $4 per $1,000; $500,001-$1,000,000 $2,314 plus $3.50 per $1,000; over $1,000,000 $4,064 plus $3 per $1,000. Commercial plumbing, electrical, gas and heating attachments $100 per trade; plan examination fee 28% of the building permit fee; temporary certificate of occupancy $50. | per permit | 2026-10-10 |
| Floodplain Development Permit (PPRBD)only if it applies to you | Pikes Peak Regional Building Department | $50–$500 per permit by disturbed area: up to 1,500 sq ft $50; 1,500-5,000 sq ft $150; 5,000-15,000 sq ft $300; over 15,000 sq ft $500; review and inspection $50 an hour | per permit | 2026-10-10 |
| Zoning and Land-Use Approvals (unincorporated areas)only if it applies to you | El Paso County Planning and Community Development | Home Occupation Permit $196; Commercial Over the Counter Site Development Plan Review $450; Commercial Site Development Plan Minor $1,723 / Major $4,045; Sign Permit $359; Temporary Use $185; Special Use Minor $1,908 / Major $6,547; Variance of Use Minor $1,821 / Major $5,677; Board of Adjustment $1,649; Early Assistance Meeting $581 (2026 Fee Schedule, effective May 1, 2026; each includes the $37 technology fee). | per application | 2026-10-10 |
| Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (Septic) Permitonly if it applies to you | El Paso County Public Health, Environmental Health Division | $961 per new OWTS permit, including one reinspection; modification or major repair permit $891; minor repair permit $554 (Board of Health 2024 Fee Schedule) | 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.
What do these permits involve in El Paso County?
Colorado State Sales Tax License (county sales tax statement)
El Paso County Financial Services' Sales Tax Information page states: "El Paso County does not require a separate Business or Sales Tax License. However, any business or individual engaged in retail sales of tangible personal property or providing certain taxable services must obtain and maintain a valid Colorado State Sales Tax License to legally operate within El Paso County." The same page sets the county sales and use tax rate at 1.23%, cites Colorado Revised Statutes 29-2-105, and states that the county's sales tax filing and collection is performed by the Colorado Department of Revenue in the same manner as the Colorado state sales tax. The state license and its fee are administered by the Colorado Department of Revenue; the state fee amount is not published on the county page.
Building Permit and Certificate of Occupancy (PPRBD)
The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department was created by a 1966 intergovernmental agreement between the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners and Colorado Springs City Council; its About page states that it 'services unincorporated El Paso County; the cities of Colorado Springs, Fountain and Manitou Springs; the towns of Green Mountain Falls, Monument, Palmer Lake, and Calhan; and in Teller County, the City of Woodland Park.' As published on PPRBD's current Building Permit Fee Schedule page (2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code Appendix B, using 2025 ICC valuation data effective June 30, 2025, with a commercial regional modifier of .97), Table A sets the fee by valuation, from $50 for work valued at $1-$500 up to $4,064 plus $3 per $1,000 over $1,000,000; for commercial work Table A covers building inspection only. Table B adds $100 per trade for commercial plumbing, electrical, gas and heating, and the plan examination fee is 28% of the building permit fee. A temporary certificate of occupancy is $50, a phased TCO $150 plus $100 for each additional, and work begun without a permit carries an investigation fee of twice the permit fee.
Floodplain Development Permit (PPRBD)
Pikes Peak Regional Building Department provides floodplain management for unincorporated El Paso County and its participating municipalities, and development in a mapped floodplain needs a Floodplain Development Permit; a site outside the floodplain has no floodplain permit. As published in Table D of PPRBD's current Building Permit Fee Schedule page, the fee depends on the disturbed area: $50 up to 1,500 square feet, $150 for 1,500-5,000, $300 for 5,000-15,000 and $500 over 15,000, with review and inspection at $50 an hour and a floodplain determination at $30.
Zoning and Land-Use Approvals (unincorporated areas)
Planning and Community Development administers the El Paso County Land Development Code in unincorporated El Paso County, and the county's liquor policy assigns it the zoning compliance check for liquor applicants. Its 2026 Fee Schedule lists a Home Occupation Permit at $196.00, a Commercial Over the Counter Site Development Plan Review at $450.00, a Commercial Site Development Plan at $1,723.00 (minor) or $4,045.00 (major), a Sign Permit at $359.00, a Temporary Use at $185.00, a Special Use at $1,908.00 (minor) or $6,547.00 (major), a Variance of Use at $1,821.00 (minor) or $5,677.00 (major), a Board of Adjustment application at $1,649.00 and an Early Assistance Meeting at $581.00. Which approval a business needs depends on its zoning district and use. The figure is from the El Paso County Planning and Community Development 2026 Fee Schedule (effective May 1, 2026), linked from the department's home page as its '2026 Fee Schedule'; per its footnote 1, application fees include a $37.00 technology fee.
Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (Septic) Permit
El Paso County Public Health issues permits for onsite wastewater treatment systems (septic systems). A business premises served by a septic system needs an OWTS permit to install, modify or repair it. The new OWTS permit is $961.00 and includes one reinspection; a modification or major repair permit is $891.00 and a minor repair permit is $554.00. The figure is from the El Paso County Board of Health 2024 Fee Schedule (Regulations Chapter 3, approved October 25, 2023, effective January 1, 2024), which is the schedule currently posted on the EPCPH Regulations page; no successor schedule is posted.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Sales Tax InformationEl Paso County Financial Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- RBD Current Building Permit Fee SchedulePikes Peak Regional Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- About PPRBDPikes Peak Regional Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code (1st printing, June 30, 2023)Pikes Peak Regional Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- 2026 Fee Schedule (effective May 1, 2026)El Paso County Planning and Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Planning and Community DevelopmentEl Paso County Planning and Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- El Paso County Board of Health, Chapter 3 — Fee Schedule and Civil Penalties (approved October 25, 2023, effective January 1, 2024)El Paso County Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- OWTS PermitsEl Paso County Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
Who issues business permits in El Paso County?
Permitting in El Paso County is split across 5 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.
El Paso County issuing agencies
- El Paso County Public Health, Environmental Health DivisionRetail food establishment licenses (fixed and mobile) and retail food plan review · Special event retail food permits · Child care facility health and sanitation inspections · Commercial pool and spa plan review and inspection · Body art establishment licenses under the Board of Health Chapter 6 Body Art Regulations · Onsite wastewater treatment system (septic) permits · Construction activity (fugitive dust) permits under Board of Health Regulations section 5.67 permits
- Pikes Peak Regional Building DepartmentBuilding permits and certificates of occupancy under the 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code for unincorporated El Paso County and participating municipalities · Floodplain development permits · Contractor licensing and registration under the 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code3 permits
- El Paso County Planning and Community DevelopmentZoning and Land Development Code administration in unincorporated El Paso County: site development plans, home occupation and daycare permits, sign permits, temporary and special uses, variances2 permits
- Colorado Department of Revenue (sales tax)Colorado State Sales Tax License; collection and administration of the El Paso County 1.23% sales tax1 permit
- El Paso County Board of County Commissioners as Local Licensing Authority (Clerk to the Board)Liquor and fermented malt beverage licensing, renewals and special events permits for unincorporated El Paso County, with the Board of County Commissioners acting as Local Licensing Authority under Resolution 23-731 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.