Cleaning Service 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. Colorado Sales Tax License

   Colorado does not tax services - the Department of Revenue states plainly that in Colorado services are not subject to sales tax (C.R.S. 39-26-102(15)(a)(I)), so janitorial and cleaning labor is not taxable. A sales tax license is needed only if the business also makes retail sales of tangible goods, for example selling cleaning supplies to customers. Register with the Colorado Department of Revenue 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 license covers only state and state-collected jurisdictions; Denver is a home-rule city and issues its own separate (free) sales tax license.

   Official government source

   No license is needed for cleaning services alone. If the business does make taxable retail sales: $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

   No license is needed for cleaning services alone. If the business does make taxable retail sales: $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

2. Colorado Secretary of State — LLC Registration (Articles of Organization)

   Registering a legal entity is optional for a sole-proprietor cleaning business but common for liability protection. File Articles of Organization for an LLC online with the Colorado Secretary of State; Colorado requires this document to be filed online (no paper option). Every registered entity must then file a Periodic Report each year to stay in good standing. A sole proprietor operating under a business name instead files a Statement of Trade Name.

   Official government source

   $50 to file Articles of Organization online, plus $25 for the Periodic Report due every year (a $50 late penalty applies if it is filed late). Statement of Trade Name for a sole proprietorship is $20.·Immediate — the Secretary of State files online documents in real time once payment is confirmed

   $50 to file Articles of Organization online, plus $25 for the Periodic Report due every year (a $50 late penalty applies if it is filed late). Statement of Trade Name for a sole proprietorship is $20.

   Immediate — the Secretary of State files online documents in real time once payment is confirmed

3. General Liability Insurance (recommended, not required)

   Colorado does not require cleaning businesses to carry general liability insurance, but commercial clients commonly require proof of coverage, often at $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate, before awarding a contract. Workers' compensation insurance is separately mandatory in Colorado for any business with employees. The Colorado Division of Insurance regulates carriers and can confirm an insurer is admitted in Colorado; it does not set premiums or license cleaning businesses.

   Official government source

   No government fee. Premiums are quoted by private carriers based on payroll, revenue and coverage limits; no official Colorado source publishes a premium range, so the '$500-$1,500/year' figure is an unsourced estimate.·Quotes and certificates of insurance are typically issued by a broker within a business day or two; there is no government processing step.

   No government fee. Premiums are quoted by private carriers based on payroll, revenue and coverage limits; no official Colorado source publishes a premium range, so the '$500-$1,500/year' figure is an unsourced estimate.

   Quotes and certificates of insurance are typically issued by a broker within a business day or two; there is no government processing step.

1. Denver — No General Business License Required

   Denver does not issue a general or blanket business license. Its Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (formerly the Department of Excise and Licenses) publishes a License Directory of exactly 68 category-specific licenses (body art establishment, massage business, retail food, kennel, short-term rental, alarm business and similar). Cleaning and janitorial service is not among them, so no Denver business license applies. A cleaning company that sells taxable goods must still register for Denver's Retailer's Sales, Use and Lodger's Tax License, which Denver issues at no charge.

   Official government source

   $0 — no Denver business license exists for cleaning services·Not applicable

   $0 — no Denver business license exists for cleaning services

   Not applicable

Official Sources

• Denver Excise & Licenses
• Colorado Dept of Revenue: Sales Tax
• Colorado Secretary of State: Business Registration

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