Pest Control Permit Requirements in Denver, CO

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

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

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

2. EPA Federal Pesticide Requirements

   Federal law (FIFRA) requires all pesticide applicators to use only EPA-registered products and follow label instructions. Commercial applicators must maintain application records for at least 2 years.

   Official government source

   No federal fee·Ongoing compliance

   No federal fee

   Ongoing compliance

1. Colorado — Commercial Pesticide Applicator Licensing

   A pest control business applying pesticides for hire must hold a Commercial Applicator business license from the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Individuals must be licensed as a Qualified Supervisor (evaluates pests, recommends and applies pesticides, supervises others; on-the-job experience required) or as a Certified Operator (uses restricted-use pesticides without on-site supervision; no experience requirement), or work under the on-site supervision of a Qualified Supervisor. Both individual licenses require passing the general exam plus a category exam for each type of application performed.

   Official government source

   $350 Commercial Applicator business license; $100 Qualified Supervisor license; $100 Certified Operator license; $150 for a reciprocal Certified Operator license. Exams are administered by a private testing agency, which charges its own fee.·Exams must be passed before the individual application is submitted; CDA does not publish a standard processing time.

   $350 Commercial Applicator business license; $100 Qualified Supervisor license; $100 Certified Operator license; $150 for a reciprocal Certified Operator license. Exams are administered by a private testing agency, which charges its own fee.

   Exams must be passed before the individual application is submitted; CDA does not publish a standard processing time.

2. Colorado Sales Tax License / Denver Use Tax Account

   Colorado does not tax services, so pest control work itself is not subject to sales tax (see C.R.S. 39-26-102(15)(a)(I)). You only need a Colorado sales tax license if you also sell tangible goods, such as bait stations or traps sold separately to customers. Denver is home rule and requires any business with a physical location in the city — including service companies that collect no sales tax — to register for a consumer's use tax account and pay use tax on the chemicals, equipment and supplies it buys for its own use.

   Official government source

   Denver tax license and consumer's use tax registration: no fee. Colorado state sales tax license, only if you sell goods: $16, $12, $8 or $4 depending on where you apply in the two-year cycle, plus a one-time refundable $50 deposit for a new account.·Immediate — both Denver eBiz registration and the state MyBizColorado application issue the account on submission

   Denver tax license and consumer's use tax registration: no fee. Colorado state sales tax license, only if you sell goods: $16, $12, $8 or $4 depending on where you apply in the two-year cycle, plus a one-time refundable $50 deposit for a new account.

   Immediate — both Denver eBiz registration and the state MyBizColorado application issue the account on submission

1. Denver Business License — Not Required for Pest Control

   Denver has no general business license covering all businesses. Its Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (renamed from the Department of Excise and Licenses) issues about 68 category-specific licenses, and pest control is not one of them, so no Denver business license applies. Commercial pesticide application is regulated by the state instead: the Colorado Department of Agriculture licenses the pesticide application business and certifies the applicators. Zoning still applies to where you operate or store product.

   Official government source

   No fee — no Denver business license applies to pest control businesses. The state pesticide application business license is a separate cost.·Not applicable

   No fee — no Denver business license applies to pest control businesses. The state pesticide application business license is a separate cost.

   Not applicable

2. Colorado Department of Agriculture — Commercial Pesticide Applicator Licensing

   Any business applying pesticides for hire in Colorado must hold a commercial applicator business license from the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and must employ at least one licensed Qualified Supervisor in each category of work it performs. A Qualified Supervisor passes the general exam plus a category exam for each type of application and must meet on-the-job experience requirements set by rule; a Certified Operator passes the same exams but has no experience requirement and works applying restricted-use pesticides without on-site supervision. Technicians may apply pesticides only under a licensed applicator. Denver adds no separate pesticide license.

   Official government source

   $350 for the commercial applicator business license; $100 for each Qualified Supervisor license and $100 for each Certified Operator license; $150 for a reciprocal Certified Operator license from another state. Limited commercial and public applicator registration is $50. Exam fees are charged separately by the testing vendor.·Driven by exam scheduling — allow several weeks to sit the general and category exams before the license can be issued

   $350 for the commercial applicator business license; $100 for each Qualified Supervisor license and $100 for each Certified Operator license; $150 for a reciprocal Certified Operator license from another state. Limited commercial and public applicator registration is $50. Exam fees are charged separately by the testing vendor.

   Driven by exam scheduling — allow several weeks to sit the general and category exams before the license can be issued

Official Sources

• Colorado Department of Agriculture — Commercial Pesticide Applicator License
• Denver City Business Licensing

Related Guides