Nail Salon 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.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

2. OSHA Hazard Communication Standard Compliance

   Nail salons handle hazardous chemicals. OSHA requires Safety Data Sheets, employee training, and adequate ventilation (29 CFR 1910.1200).

   Official government source

   Free (compliance requirement)·Implement before opening

   Free (compliance requirement)

   Implement before opening

1. Colorado Place of Business Registration for a Nail Salon

   Colorado does not issue a 'cosmetology salon licence'. Under C.R.S. 12-105-112, each owner of a place of business must register with the director of the Division of Professions and Occupations (Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure), and it is unlawful for a place of business to offer barbering, cosmetology, hairstyling, esthetician or nail technician services unless it is registered. The registration must be displayed conspicuously in the salon. A 'place of business' includes fixed establishments, temporary locations and mobile units. There is no pre-registration inspection requirement: under C.R.S. 12-105-120 the director inspects barbershops, beauty salons, places of business and rented booths upon written complaint. Each individual nail technician must also be licensed. Governing law is the Barber and Cosmetologist Act, C.R.S. Title 12, Article 105.

   Official government source

   The director is authorised by C.R.S. 12-105-112(1) to set and collect a registration fee based on the director's actual cost of maintaining the registry, and fees are non-refundable (C.R.S. 12-105-114). The Division does not publish the amount on its website; it is shown in Colorado Online Licensing at the time you register.·The Division does not publish a processing-time standard. The registration is issued once the fee is paid and the requirements of Article 105 are met, and must be displayed in the salon before services are offered.

   The director is authorised by C.R.S. 12-105-112(1) to set and collect a registration fee based on the director's actual cost of maintaining the registry, and fees are non-refundable (C.R.S. 12-105-114). The Division does not publish the amount on its website; it is shown in Colorado Online Licensing at the time you register.

   The Division does not publish a processing-time standard. The registration is issued once the fee is paid and the requirements of Article 105 are met, and must be displayed in the salon before services are offered.

2. Colorado Nail Technician License (per technician)

   Every nail technician working in the salon must hold a Colorado nail technician licence from the Division of Professions and Occupations (Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure) under the Barber and Cosmetologist Act, C.R.S. Title 12, Article 105. C.R.S. 12-105-117 makes it unlawful to provide nail technician services in Colorado without one. Under C.R.S. 12-105-111(3)(d) the Division may not require proof of more than 600 contact hours of nail technology training - the claim of a 250-hour programme is not the statutory figure - and applicants must pass an examination. Foreign work experience may be substituted at three months per 100 contact hours, except for the hours required for disinfection, cleaning and safe work practices and for laws and rules. The salon itself must separately be registered as a place of business (C.R.S. 12-105-112).

   Official government source

   Examination and licence fees are set administratively by the Division under C.R.S. 12-20-105 and C.R.S. 12-105-114, and are non-refundable. The Division does not publish the amounts on its website; the current fee is shown in Colorado Online Licensing when you apply.·The Division does not publish a processing-time standard for barber and cosmetology licences. Complete the required training, then apply and schedule the examination through the Division's online licensing system.

   Examination and licence fees are set administratively by the Division under C.R.S. 12-20-105 and C.R.S. 12-105-114, and are non-refundable. The Division does not publish the amounts on its website; the current fee is shown in Colorado Online Licensing when you apply.

   The Division does not publish a processing-time standard for barber and cosmetology licences. Complete the required training, then apply and schedule the examination through the Division's online licensing system.

3. Colorado Sales Tax License (Colorado Department of Revenue)

   A nail salon that sells retail products (polish, files, lotions) needs a Colorado sales tax license. Nail services themselves are not taxable — Colorado taxes tangible personal property, not services. Apply through MyBizColorado or form CR 0100. The license runs for a two-year cycle ending at the end of each odd-numbered year. Denver is a home-rule city that collects its own sales tax and issues its own separate Denver tax license, which carries no license fee.

   Official government source

   State license fee is prorated by when you apply within the two-year cycle: $16 January–June of an even year, $12 July–December of an even year, $8 January–June of an odd year, $4 July–December of an odd year. New accounts also pay a one-time $50 deposit, refunded automatically once the business has remitted $50 in state sales tax. Denver's own tax license has no fee.·Immediate when filed through MyBizColorado or Revenue Online

   State license fee is prorated by when you apply within the two-year cycle: $16 January–June of an even year, $12 July–December of an even year, $8 January–June of an odd year, $4 July–December of an odd year. New accounts also pay a one-time $50 deposit, refunded automatically once the business has remitted $50 in state sales tax. Denver's own tax license has no fee.

   Immediate when filed through MyBizColorado or Revenue Online

1. Denver Retailer's Sales, Use, Lodger's Tax License (nail salons)

   Denver does not issue a general business license, and its 68-entry License Directory has no 'personal services' or nail salon category. A nail salon registers instead for Denver's Retailer's Sales, Use, Lodger's Tax License with the Treasury Division of the Department of Finance (Denver is home rule and self-collects its 5.15% sales tax). Individual nail technicians must hold a Colorado DORA nail technician licence, and the salon itself must file a Shop Registration with DORA's Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure.

   Official government source

   $0 — Denver no longer charges a license fee for the biennial Retailer's Sales, Use, Lodger's Tax License·Registration is completed online through Denver's eBiz Tax Center; licenses are mailed each December 1

   $0 — Denver no longer charges a license fee for the biennial Retailer's Sales, Use, Lodger's Tax License

   Registration is completed online through Denver's eBiz Tax Center; licenses are mailed each December 1

2. City and County of Denver — Certificate of Occupancy

   A Certificate of Occupancy from Denver Community Planning and Development is required before a nail salon opens. It confirms the space meets zoning, building and fire code requirements for the intended use. CPD's general phone line is 720-865-2700.

   Official government source

   Denver charges no fee for the Certificate of Occupancy itself. The cost is the building permit and plan review fees, 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.·The Certificate of Occupancy issues after the permitted work passes final inspection by all reviewing disciplines; Denver publishes no fixed processing window.

   Denver charges no fee for the Certificate of Occupancy itself. The cost is the building permit and plan review fees, 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.

   The Certificate of Occupancy issues after the permitted work passes final inspection by all reviewing disciplines; Denver publishes no fixed processing window.

Official Sources

• Colorado DORA — Office of Barbering and Cosmetology
• City and County of Denver — Business Licensing
• City and County of Denver — Community Planning and Development
• Colorado Department of Revenue — Sales Tax

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