Catering Business Permit Requirements in Denver, CO

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

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

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Denver Retail Food Caterer License

   Catering in Denver requires a Retail Food Caterer license from Denver's Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (formerly Excise and Licenses). Colorado's retail food program is administered locally, so there is no separate CDPHE license inside Denver. The caterer category covers contracted, prearranged meals prepared at a licensed retail food establishment and served at another location. A zoning use permit is required before the license will issue. Outside Denver, apply through the applicable county or local public health agency.

   Official government source

   $150 application fee plus a license fee of $25 for each food-processing activity you perform (nine listed activities, e.g. cooking raw animal products, reheating, cooling, specialized processes such as sous vide)·Denver aims to complete an initial review of a complete application within seven business days; incomplete applications or those needing police review take longer

   $150 application fee plus a license fee of $25 for each food-processing activity you perform (nine listed activities, e.g. cooking raw animal products, reheating, cooling, specialized processes such as sous vide)

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

2. Colorado Sales Tax License

   Caterers selling taxable food and beverages need a Colorado sales tax license from the Department of Revenue, obtained through MyBizColorado or the Sales Tax / Wage Withholding Account Application (CR 0100). Most license types are valid for a two-year period ending at the end of each odd-numbered year. The state rate is 2.9%, plus 1.0% RTD and 0.1% special district in the Denver metro area. The state license covers only state and state-collected jurisdictions: Denver is a home-rule city that collects its own tax and issues its own separate (free) Retailer's Sales, Use, Lodger's Tax License. Denver taxes prepared food and drink at 4.00% rather than its 5.15% general rate, for a combined 8.00% on catered food and drink.

   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). The deposit is returned automatically once you have remitted $50 in state sales tax.·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). The deposit is returned automatically once you have remitted $50 in state sales tax.

   Immediate when filed online through MyBizColorado or Revenue Online

1. Denver Retail Food Caterer License

   A caterer operating in Denver needs a retail food caterer license from Denver's Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. DDPHE performs the food-safety inspection but does not issue the license. The license covers a business that prepares a contracted, prearranged number of meals at a licensed retail food establishment for service at another location, and is not available for individual purchase. Caterers must work out of an approved commissary or licensed commercial kitchen, and the license requires a zoning use permit plus Zoning, Building, Fire and health inspections before it issues.

   Official government source

   $150 application fee plus a license fee built by adding $25 for each food-processing activity the operation performs (selling prepackaged cold foods, scooping ice, heating or cold-holding commercially processed foods, cooking raw animal products, cooling cooked foods, reheating cooked foods, serving raw or undercooked animal products, specialized processes such as sous vide or curing, and infusing products with hemp). A caterer doing four of these pays $150 + $100 = $250.·DLCP aims to complete its initial review of a complete application within seven business days, after which inspections are scheduled; allow several weeks overall

   $150 application fee plus a license fee built by adding $25 for each food-processing activity the operation performs (selling prepackaged cold foods, scooping ice, heating or cold-holding commercially processed foods, cooking raw animal products, cooling cooked foods, reheating cooked foods, serving raw or undercooked animal products, specialized processes such as sous vide or curing, and infusing products with hemp). A caterer doing four of these pays $150 + $100 = $250.

   DLCP aims to complete its initial review of a complete application within seven business days, after which inspections are scheduled; allow several weeks overall

2. Denver Retail Food Caterer License

   Denver has no general business license. A catering business needs a Retail Food Caterer license from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (formerly Excise and Licenses), applied for through Denver's Online Permitting and Licensing Center. It requires a zoning use permit for the address and inspections; there is no separate generic 'business license' stacked on top of it.

   Official government source

   $150 application fee plus a license fee of $25 for each food-processing activity performed (prepackaged cold food, ice scooping, heating/cold holding, cooking raw animal products, cooling, reheating, serving raw or undercooked animal products, and similar)·Denver aims to complete an initial review of a complete application within seven business days; incomplete applications or ones needing police review take longer

   $150 application fee plus a license fee of $25 for each food-processing activity performed (prepackaged cold food, ice scooping, heating/cold holding, cooking raw animal products, cooling, reheating, serving raw or undercooked animal products, and similar)

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

Official Sources

• Denver Dept of Public Health & Environment: Food Permits
• Colorado CDPHE: Retail Food
• Denver Excise & Licenses
• Colorado Dept of Revenue: Sales Tax

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