Tattoo Parlor 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. Body Art Establishment License (issued locally, not by DORA)

   DORA does not regulate body art. Under C.R.S. 25-4-2101 the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment promulgates rules on the safe and sanitary practice of body art, the premises where it is performed and the equipment used, and expressly permits cities, counties and district boards of health to adopt and enforce standards at least as stringent. Licensing of establishments is done at that local level. In Denver, anyone operating or managing a permanent building or premises where body art procedures are performed must hold a body art establishment license from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, issued under the Board of Health regulations for body art establishments; Denver also licenses body art mobile vehicles and temporary special-event facilities (temporary applications are due no fewer than 30 days before the event and are capped at 14 days). CDPHE or a local board of health may fine a body art facility up to $250 per day for each rule violation (C.R.S. 25-4-2102).

   Official government source

   Fees are set locally. Denver collects them through its Online Permitting and Licensing Center and does not publish a body art establishment fee schedule on the license pages; confirm the current amount with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.·Denver processes complete license applications in about seven days and asks renewal applicants to file 30 days before expiry; a temporary body art establishment permit must be applied for no fewer than 30 days before the event.

   Fees are set locally. Denver collects them through its Online Permitting and Licensing Center and does not publish a body art establishment fee schedule on the license pages; confirm the current amount with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.

   Denver processes complete license applications in about seven days and asks renewal applicants to file 30 days before expiry; a temporary body art establishment permit must be applied for no fewer than 30 days before the event.

2. Body Artist License (local, not a state DORA registration)

   Colorado has no statewide tattoo artist license or DORA registration. Under C.R.S. 25-4-2101 the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment only promulgates rules on the safe and sanitary practice of body art, the premises and the equipment; cities, counties and district boards of health may adopt and enforce standards at least as stringent, and that is where licensing actually happens. In Denver the body artist license is issued by the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection under the Denver Board of Health regulations. An applicant must be at least 18, work at a licensed body art establishment or licensed mobile body art vehicle, and supply the establishment's business file number, government ID, a badging-criteria headshot and an OSHA-compliant bloodborne pathogen training certificate taken within the past 12 months. The license is renewed annually. A cosmetologist authorized by the state to do microblading does not need a Denver body artist license.

   Official government source

   Fees are set by each local jurisdiction. Denver takes payment in its Online Permitting and Licensing Center and does not publish a body artist fee schedule on the license pages; confirm the current amount with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.·In Denver, complete applications are typically processed within seven days, and artists are told to apply 30 days before an existing license expires. A temporary body artist permit for a one-time event must be applied for no fewer than 30 days before the event.

   Fees are set by each local jurisdiction. Denver takes payment in its Online Permitting and Licensing Center and does not publish a body artist fee schedule on the license pages; confirm the current amount with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.

   In Denver, complete applications are typically processed within seven days, and artists are told to apply 30 days before an existing license expires. A temporary body artist permit for a one-time event must be applied for no fewer than 30 days before the event.

3. Colorado Sales Tax License

   Required for selling taxable merchandise such as aftercare products or retail goods. Tattooing itself is a service and Colorado does not tax services. Issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue; Denver is home rule and issues its own separate (free) tax 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); the deposit is refunded once $50 in state sales tax has been remitted·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 refunded once $50 in state sales tax has been remitted

   Immediate when filed online through MyBizColorado or Revenue Online

1. Denver Body Art Establishment License

   Tattoo and other body art establishments in Denver need a Body Art Establishment license (permanent or temporary) from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection — Denver's licensing agency, not DDPHE or CDPHE. It is a specific category in Denver's 68-entry License Directory, not a general business license. The application requires a zoning use permit for the address, and the establishment must comply with Denver Board of Health body art regulations. Individual artists need a separate Body Artist license.

   Official government source

   $200 application fee plus $200 license fee ($400 total) for a permanent body art establishment·Denver aims to complete an initial review of a complete application within seven business days; inspections follow before the license is issued

   $200 application fee plus $200 license fee ($400 total) for a permanent body art establishment

   Denver aims to complete an initial review of a complete application within seven business days; inspections follow before the license is issued

2. Denver Body Art Establishment License

   Every tattoo, piercing and body art shop in Denver needs a body art establishment license, issued by Denver's Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), not by the health department. The license requires a zoning use permit and passing inspections by Zoning, Building, Fire and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, which checks sterilization (autoclave), sharps disposal, ventilation and handwashing. Every artist working in the shop must separately hold a Denver body artist license, and the establishment must be licensed before any artist can be.

   Official government source

   $200 application fee plus $200 license fee for a new establishment ($400 total); $200 to renew each year. Each individual body artist license is $25 application plus $25 license for a new applicant, and $25 to renew.·DLCP aims to complete its initial review of a complete application within seven business days, after which inspections are scheduled; allow several weeks overall

   $200 application fee plus $200 license fee for a new establishment ($400 total); $200 to renew each year. Each individual body artist license is $25 application plus $25 license for a new applicant, and $25 to renew.

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

3. Denver Certificate of Occupancy

   A Certificate of Occupancy is required before opening a tattoo studio in a commercial space in Denver. Community Planning and Development issues it after zoning, building and fire inspections confirm the space meets code. Note that the Denver body art establishment license is separate and is issued by the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, not by CPD.

   Official government source

   Denver charges no separate Certificate of Occupancy fee - the cost is the building permit and plan review for the work, set by valuation: $20 up to $500, $35 for $501-$2,000, then $35 for the first $2,000 plus $8 per additional $1,000 to $25,000, with plan review adding 50% of the permit fee above $2,000. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy is $200 and a duplicate CO is $10. Zoning permits are separate ($20 to establish a use or change of use).·Denver does not publish a processing-time standard. The certificate is issued only after the zoning, building and fire inspections for the permitted work pass, so timing follows your permit and inspection schedule; non-customary or after-hours inspections are billed at $100 per hour.

   Denver charges no separate Certificate of Occupancy fee - the cost is the building permit and plan review for the work, set by valuation: $20 up to $500, $35 for $501-$2,000, then $35 for the first $2,000 plus $8 per additional $1,000 to $25,000, with plan review adding 50% of the permit fee above $2,000. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy is $200 and a duplicate CO is $10. Zoning permits are separate ($20 to establish a use or change of use).

   Denver does not publish a processing-time standard. The certificate is issued only after the zoning, building and fire inspections for the permitted work pass, so timing follows your permit and inspection schedule; non-customary or after-hours inspections are billed at $100 per hour.

4. Denver Fire Inspection (part of the Certificate of Occupancy process)

   Fire review for a body art establishment happens during the Certificate of Occupancy process — Denver Fire inspects suppression systems, extinguisher placement and emergency exits as part of occupancy inspection, and fire construction permits are submitted through Development Services. This is not an annual recurring inspection. Denver Fire separately issues annual Operational Permits, which do carry fees, but only for the hazardous processes and materials listed in its fee schedule; a tattoo studio normally triggers none of them.

   Official government source

   No separate Denver Fire fee for the occupancy inspection — it is covered by the building permit and plan review fees. If a listed hazardous process applies, DFD operational permits run $65–$720 a year under the July 23, 2026 fee schedule and are renewed annually.·Scheduled as part of the Certificate of Occupancy inspection sequence, not as a separate annual application.

   No separate Denver Fire fee for the occupancy inspection — it is covered by the building permit and plan review fees. If a listed hazardous process applies, DFD operational permits run $65–$720 a year under the July 23, 2026 fee schedule and are renewed annually.

   Scheduled as part of the Certificate of Occupancy inspection sequence, not as a separate annual application.

Official Sources

• Denver Dept of Public Health & Environment: Health Permits
• Denver Excise & Licenses

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