12 permits · verified 2026-09-14
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Cheyenne?
In short
A retail store in Cheyenne, WY has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division charges $100 one-time filing for the articles of organization (llc). 5 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-14 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Cheyenne
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permit (building permit plus review fee)only if it applies to you | City of Cheyenne, Planning and Development Department | There is no standalone flat sign fee. The Unified Development Code requires a building permit for every sign, so the cost is the §15.08.030 valuation-based building permit fee computed on the sign's value, plus a $50.00 Sign Permit Review Fee on the planning schedule. A sign permit variance is $1,370.00 is not charged here; a zoning variance, where one is needed, is $675.00. | not stated in the published schedule | 2026-09-14 |
| Retail Store — City Licensing Position (nicotine and secondhand goods are licensed) (Cheyenne)only if it applies to you | City of Cheyenne, City Clerk's Office | No fee | not applicable to general retail; product-specific licenses run one year from issuance | 2026-09-14 |
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 Cheyenne
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditional Use Permit / Zoning Variance / Site Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | City of Cheyenne, Planning and Development Department | Varies — formula on the Cheyenne page | one-time per application | 2026-09-14 |
| Building Permit | City of Cheyenne, Compliance Department — Building Safety | Varies — formula on the Cheyenne page | not stated in the published schedule; renewal of an expired permit costs fifteen percent of the original permit valuation | 2026-09-14 |
| General Business License — City of Cheyenne position (twenty-eight enumerated categories)only if it applies to you | City of Cheyenne, City Clerk's Office | No fee | not applicable to a general license; enumerated licenses expire annually, one year from the date of issuance, with a thirty-day grace period and a $25.00 late renewal fee | 2026-09-14 |
| Fire Inspection and Operational Permit (fee not published) | Cheyenne Fire Rescue | No fee | not stated in any published source | 2026-09-14 |
| Certificate of Occupancy (final certificate free; temporary and change of use charged) | City of Cheyenne, Compliance Department — Building Safety | Varies — formula on the Cheyenne page | a temporary certificate is converted within thirty, sixty or ninety days on the refund scale | 2026-09-14 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
WY registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Wyoming Positiononly if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report license tax is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report license tax is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Report License Taxonly if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | Varies — formula on the WY page | annual — due in the entity's own anniversary month of formation; may be filed up to 120 days early | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Vendor License | Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division | $60 one-time — reinstating a forfeited license also costs $60 | no expiration — valid without further payment until the department revokes it | 2026-09-04 |
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 retail store in Cheyenne?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a retail store in Cheyenne, WY, 4 apply to every business of this type and 8 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 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $60.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Sign Permit (building permit plus review fee): There is no standalone flat sign fee. The Unified Development Code requires a building permit for every sign, so the cost is the §15.08.030 valuation-based building permit fee computed on the sign's value, plus a $50.00 Sign Permit Review Fee on the planning schedule. A sign permit variance is $1,370.00 is not charged here; a zoning variance, where one is needed, is $675.00.
The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Cheyenne permits page and the WY state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Cheyenne?
Permits for a retail store in Cheyenne, WY come from 6 separate offices: City of Cheyenne, Planning and Development Department, City of Cheyenne, Compliance Department — Building Safety, City of Cheyenne, City Clerk's Office, Cheyenne Fire Rescue, Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division, Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Cheyenne, Planning and Development DepartmentIssues 2 permits on this page: Conditional Use Permit / Zoning Variance / Site Plan Review, Sign Permit (building permit plus review fee)2101 O'Neil Avenue, Room 202, Cheyenne, WY 82001 · (307) 637-6282www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/Planning-and-Development-Department
- City of Cheyenne, Compliance Department — Building SafetyIssues 2 permits on this page: Building Permit, Certificate of Occupancy (final certificate free; temporary and change of use charged)2101 O'Neil Avenue, Room 202, Cheyenne, WY 82001 · (307) 637-6265www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/Compliance-Department/Building-Permitting-Licensing
- City of Cheyenne, City Clerk's OfficeIssues 2 permits on this page: General Business License — City of Cheyenne position (twenty-eight enumerated categories), Retail Store — City Licensing Position (nicotine and secondhand goods are licensed) (Cheyenne)Municipal Building, 2101 O'Neil Avenue, Room 101, Cheyenne, WY 82001 · (307) 637-6329www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/City-Clerk/Licenses-and-Permits
- Cheyenne Fire RescueIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Inspection and Operational Permit (fee not published)415 W. 18th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82001 · (307) 637-6311www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/Cheyenne-Fire-Rescue
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Business DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: General Business License — Wyoming Position, Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report License TaxHerschler Building East, Suite 101, 122 W 25th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002 · (307) 777-7311sos.wyo.gov/Business/default.aspx
- Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax Vendor License122 West 25th Street, Suite E301, Cheyenne, WY 82002excise-tax-div.wyo.gov
What does a retail store need in Cheyenne that other businesses do not?
1 of the 2 permits particular to a retail store here applies to no other business type we cover in Cheyenne: Retail Store — City Licensing Position (nicotine and secondhand goods are licensed) (Cheyenne).
Retail Store — City Licensing Position (nicotine and secondhand goods are licensed) (Cheyenne)
The Clerk's live fee table licenses retail by product line rather than by shopkeeping, so this record carries no fee for general retail. A retailer selling nicotine needs a license at $65.00 annually per location under §5.08.240, a secondhand dealer pays $80.00 and a pawnbroker $155.00 with a $1,000 surety bond. A firearms dealer is $90.00 and vending machines are $35.00 with a $5.00 per machine minimum. A retailer selling food falls under the food service establishment license instead. Every retailer needs the Wyoming sales and use tax license, which is a one-time $60.00 charge rather than an annual one — W.S. 39-15-106 provides that licenses 'are valid without further payment of fees until revoked by the department,' with a $60.00 reinstatement fee for a forfeited license and a separate license required for each place of business.
Shared with other businesses in Cheyenne
- Sign Permit (building permit plus review fee) — City of Cheyenne, Planning and Development Department, There is no standalone flat sign fee. The Unified Development Code requires a building permit for every sign, so the cost is the §15.08.030 valuation-based building permit fee computed on the sign's value, plus a $50.00 Sign Permit Review Fee on the planning schedule. A sign permit variance is $1,370.00 is not charged here; a zoning variance, where one is needed, is $675.00., not stated in the published schedule. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, fitness studios, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Cheyenne, WY; what each one involves is set out on the Cheyenne permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WY and are covered on the WY state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Cheyenne?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A retail store also needs Retail Store — City Licensing Position (nicotine and secondhand goods are licensed) (Cheyenne). A fitness studio needs Fitness Studio — City Licensing Position (Cheyenne), which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Salons and barbers | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 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 shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the coffee shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Cheyenne permits page and the WY state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Business Licensing Applications — the City Clerk's own live 'Current Fee' table listing every business and activity the Clerk licenses and its fee, including the $115.00 restaurant license, the $65.00 garage and auto dealer license and the $65.00 barber and beauty shop licenseCity of Cheyenne, City Clerk's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- Cheyenne Municipal Code, Supplement 73, codified through Ordinance 4662 (3-23-2026) — §5.04.030 (the twenty-eight enumerated license categories), §5.04.090 (annual expiry and the $25.00 late renewal fee), §5.08.030 (barber and beauty shop), §5.08.240 (nicotine retail), §5.20.030 (garage and car lot), §5.44.020 (contractor licensing requirement), §5.52.040 (massage establishment), §5.76.030 (transient merchant), §8.12.020 (2024 International Fire Code adoption), §8.40.040 (county health application precondition), §8.40.060 (food service establishment fee) and §8.40.070 (mobile food vendor fees), and §15.08.030 (building permit fees)City of Cheyenne · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.