Auto Repair Shop Permit Requirements in Denver, CO

1. EPA Hazardous Waste Generator Notification (EPA Identification Number)

   EPA regulates hazardous waste generators by how much hazardous waste they produce in a calendar month, not by business type or facility size. Used oil is not counted — it is regulated under the separate used oil standards — so a shop's category is driven by solvents, spent parts-washer fluid, some waste antifreeze, paint waste and contaminated absorbents. Most independent repair shops fall into the very small quantity generator tier (up to 100 kg, about 27 gallons, per month); a shop generating between 100 and 1,000 kg per month is a small quantity generator with more paperwork, including a re-notification obligation. Colorado is authorized to run the RCRA program, so you notify and get your identification number through CDPHE rather than from EPA directly.

   Official government source

   No fee to notify or to obtain an EPA identification number. Colorado charges its own annual hazardous waste generator fees, and hauling and disposal are billed by your waste vendor.·Notify before you begin generating; CDPHE assigns the identification number once the notification form is processed

   No fee to notify or to obtain an EPA identification number. Colorado charges its own annual hazardous waste generator fees, and hauling and disposal are billed by your waste vendor.

   Notify before you begin generating; CDPHE assigns the identification number once the notification form is processed

2. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Colorado Motor Vehicle Repair — No State License Required

   Colorado does not require a separate state auto repair shop license for general mechanical repair. The Colorado Motor Vehicle Repair Act sets consumer protection standards (written estimates, authorization, warranty), but there is no pre-licensing requirement. Dealers selling vehicles need a Colorado dealer license, but repair-only shops do not.

   Official government source

   No fee·N/A

   No fee

   N/A

2. Colorado Sales Tax License

   Auto repair shops need a Colorado Sales Tax License from the Department of Revenue to collect sales tax on parts sold. Labor and repair services are not subject to Colorado sales tax — services are not taxable in Colorado — so tax generally applies only to the parts and materials. Denver is a home-rule city that levies and collects its own sales tax separately from the state license.

   Official government source

   $16 for the two-year license period when applying January–June of an even year, prorated to $12, $8 or $4 later in the cycle, plus a one-time refundable $50 deposit for a new account ($66 total for a first location)·Immediate when filed online through MyBizColorado or Revenue Online

   $16 for the two-year license period when applying January–June of an even year, prorated to $12, $8 or $4 later in the cycle, plus a one-time refundable $50 deposit for a new account ($66 total for a first location)

   Immediate when filed online through MyBizColorado or Revenue Online

3. EPA Section 609 Certification (Automotive A/C)

   Technicians who service vehicle air conditioning systems must be EPA Section 609 certified. Required for individual technicians handling refrigerants.

   Official government source

   $20–$35 per technician·Exam at approved testing center; certificate immediate upon passing

   $20–$35 per technician

   Exam at approved testing center; certificate immediate upon passing

1. Denver Garage — Repair of Motor Vehicles License

   Auto repair shops in Denver need a Garage — Repair of Motor Vehicles license from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (formerly Excise and Licenses). It covers any business that paints, repairs or services motor vehicles or vehicle parts, and does not cover washing or polishing. There is no general Denver business license — this is a specific category. The applicant must be 18 or older, each separate building needs its own license, and a zoning use permit is required before the license will issue.

   Official government source

   Application fee plus license fee based on the number of repair stalls: 0–5 stalls $100 + $50; 6–25 stalls $100 + $150; 26–50 stalls $150 + $200; 51+ stalls $200 + $250·Denver aims to complete an initial review of a complete application within seven business days; incomplete applications or those requiring police review take longer

   Application fee plus license fee based on the number of repair stalls: 0–5 stalls $100 + $50; 6–25 stalls $100 + $150; 26–50 stalls $150 + $200; 51+ stalls $200 + $250

   Denver aims to complete an initial review of a complete application within seven business days; incomplete applications or those requiring police review take longer

2. Denver Building and Zoning Permit

   An auto repair shop must be on a parcel whose zone district permits vehicle repair — this varies by parcel, so confirm the zoning of the specific address on Denver's zoning map rather than assuming a fixed list of districts. A building permit from Denver Community Planning and Development is required for facility improvements, and a zoning use permit is required for the use.

   Official government source

   Building permit and plan review fees are set by project valuation in Table 1 of Denver's Building and Related Fees policy (ADMIN 125/138): $20 for work valued up to $500; $35 up to $2,000; $35 plus $8 per additional $1,000 up to $25,000; $220 plus $8 per $1,000 up to $50,000; $420 plus $7 per $1,000 up to $100,000; $770 plus $5.60 per $1,000 up to $500,000 — plus a plan review fee equal to 50% of the permit fee on work valued over $2,000. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy costs $200 and a Certificate of Compliance $25.·Permit issue time depends on plan review by the architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire and zoning disciplines; Denver publishes no fixed processing window.

   Building permit and plan review fees are set by project valuation in Table 1 of Denver's Building and Related Fees policy (ADMIN 125/138): $20 for work valued up to $500; $35 up to $2,000; $35 plus $8 per additional $1,000 up to $25,000; $220 plus $8 per $1,000 up to $50,000; $420 plus $7 per $1,000 up to $100,000; $770 plus $5.60 per $1,000 up to $500,000 — plus a plan review fee equal to 50% of the permit fee on work valued over $2,000. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy costs $200 and a Certificate of Compliance $25.

   Permit issue time depends on plan review by the architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire and zoning disciplines; Denver publishes no fixed processing window.

3. Denver Fire Department Operational Permit (repair garage / flammable liquids)

   An auto repair shop storing and handling flammable liquids needs a Denver Fire Department operational permit, applied for online through E-Permits (Accela Citizen Access). Operational permits run for 12 months and are renewed annually with fees assessed at issue and at renewal. This is a separate permit from the fire review done during the Certificate of Occupancy process — it is not bundled into the CO cost.

   Official government source

   $125 a year for the 'Repair Garages and Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities' operational permit. A separate Flammable and Combustible Liquids permit is charged from DFD's quantity table if stored volumes reach permit thresholds; spraying or dipping operations are $95 a year.·Applications are reviewed in the order received; fees are assessed after approval and the permit is emailed once paid.

   $125 a year for the 'Repair Garages and Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities' operational permit. A separate Flammable and Combustible Liquids permit is charged from DFD's quantity table if stored volumes reach permit thresholds; spraying or dipping operations are $95 a year.

   Applications are reviewed in the order received; fees are assessed after approval and the permit is emailed once paid.

4. CDPHE — Hazardous Waste Notification and Air Permitting for Auto Shops

   A Denver auto repair shop that generates solvents, spent parts-washer fluid, waste antifreeze or contaminated absorbents must notify and obtain a hazardous waste identification number. Colorado is authorized to run the federal RCRA program, so notification goes through CDPHE's Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division rather than to EPA directly. Used oil is regulated separately under the used oil standards and does not count toward your generator category. A paint spray booth is an air emission source: it needs an Air Pollutant Emission Notice (APEN) filed with CDPHE's Air Pollution Control Division, and depending on emissions it may also need a construction permit before the booth operates.

   Official government source

   Getting the hazardous waste identification number itself is free, but Colorado charges annual hazardous waste generator fees set out in CDPHE's "Generator fees and notification requirements" document, and your hauler bills disposal separately. On the air side, the APEN filing fee is $675 for APENs received on or after July 15, 2026, charged for each APEN including administrative revisions. If a construction permit is required, CDPHE bills its review at $410 per hour. Annual emission fees are $84 per ton of criteria pollutant for 2025 emissions and $164 per ton for 2026 emissions and beyond.·File the APEN before the emitting equipment operates; permit review time varies with the complexity of the application, and applications missing the filing fee are rejected and must be resubmitted in full

   Getting the hazardous waste identification number itself is free, but Colorado charges annual hazardous waste generator fees set out in CDPHE's "Generator fees and notification requirements" document, and your hauler bills disposal separately. On the air side, the APEN filing fee is $675 for APENs received on or after July 15, 2026, charged for each APEN including administrative revisions. If a construction permit is required, CDPHE bills its review at $410 per hour. Annual emission fees are $84 per ton of criteria pollutant for 2025 emissions and $164 per ton for 2026 emissions and beyond.

   File the APEN before the emitting equipment operates; permit review time varies with the complexity of the application, and applications missing the filing fee are rejected and must be resubmitted in full

Official Sources

• Denver — Business Licensing
• Colorado Motor Vehicle Repair Act — AAA Colorado
• CDPHE — Hazardous Materials and Waste

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