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Example plan · Aurora, CO

Starting a Business in Aurora: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist

A step-by-step plan to open a business in Aurora: what to file first, what depends on what, and which permits come before opening day. Change the business details to fit yours.

Your businessThe plan below updates as you change these.

Permits and registrations specific to Aurora, CO

Sales tax permitColorado sales tax license
City of AuroraHas its own business licenses, taxes or permits (listed below).
Douglas CountyHas its own business licenses, taxes or permits (listed below).
Local licenses and permits to obtain
  • Hold an Aurora business license · City of Aurora Tax and Licensing Division (city)
  • File Douglas County business personal property return · Douglas County Assessor (county)
Register with these Colorado agencies

Startup sequence and prerequisites in Aurora

This example plan has 31 steps. What you file first decides what you can do next: later registrations and licenses wait on the ones below.

Do these first

  1. Maintain a registered agent in Colorado
  2. File formation documents with the Colorado Secretary of State
  3. Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Then, once those are done

  • Register for unemployment insurance (Colorado) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Register for state income tax withholding (Colorado) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Colorado sales tax license (Colorado) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Register for locally administered sales tax (Colorado) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Register for and file Colorado entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Notify residents and regulators of a data breach within 30 days (Colorado) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Local sales tax licenses / business license — Aurora, Douglas County, Colorado — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Obtain food service establishment / health permit — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Ensure certified food protection manager on staff — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Aurora — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Hold an Aurora business license — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Report new hires to the Colorado new hire directory — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Carry workers' compensation insurance (Colorado) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Display required federal labor law posters — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Complete Form I-9 for each new hire — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Display required Colorado workplace notices — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Provide paid sick leave (Colorado) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Start planObligations (30)
Government fees

Known charges: $25.00 per year.

Total incomplete: some fees unknown

29 of 31 steps have no fee amount in our data. The figures above count only the 2 steps with a recorded fee. Check each agency's fee schedule. Fees that depend on your situation: File wage reports and pay unemployment insurance contributions (Colorado).

File formationOct 24, 2026in 7 days
Ready to operateDec 31, 2026in 75 days
Opening dateNot setAdd a target opening date to check the plan fits
Progress0 / 31Saved in this browser

Things the formation documents depend on: a registered agent and any professional approvals.

Suggested planning date: Oct 24, 2026
Ongoing
not individually checked

File the formation documents with the state.

Suggested planning date: Nov 7, 2026
One-time
not individually checked
After: Maintain a registered agent in Colorado

Obtain the EIN (and apply for tax-exempt status, for nonprofits). Most registrations need it.

Suggested planning date: Nov 10, 2026
One-time
not individually checked
After: File formation documents with the Colorado Secretary of State

State tax accounts, trade name, foreign qualification and publication requirements.

Suggested planning date: Nov 24, 2026
One-time
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Nov 24, 2026
One-time
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Nov 24, 2026
One-time
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Nov 24, 2026
Monthly
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Nov 24, 2026
Annual
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Nov 24, 2026
Per event
checked Oct 16, 2026
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Licenses and permits you need before you operate: state, industry, local and professional.

Suggested planning date: Dec 24, 2026
Annual
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Dec 24, 2026
Annual
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Dec 24, 2026
Ongoing
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Dec 24, 2026
One-time
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Statutory deadline: Dec 24, 2026 · in 68 days
Every 2 years
checked Oct 13, 2026
Applies because: Business is located in Aurora, CO. Schedule: Two years from issuance.After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Insurance, employment paperwork, new-hire reporting and workplace notices.

Suggested planning date: Dec 31, 2026
Per event
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Dec 31, 2026
Ongoing
checked Oct 13, 2026
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Dec 31, 2026
Ongoing
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Dec 31, 2026
Per event
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Dec 31, 2026
Ongoing
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Dec 31, 2026
Ongoing
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Recurring filings and payments, in the order they fall due.

Statutory deadline: Oct 31, 2026 · in 14 days
Quarterly
not individually checked
Applies because: Business has employees. Schedule: April 30, July 31, October 31, January 31.
Statutory deadline: Nov 1, 2026 · in 15 days
Annual
checked Oct 16, 2026
Applies because: Business operates in CO. Schedule: November 1.
Statutory deadline: Jan 31, 2027 · in 106 days
Annual
not individually checked
Applies because: Business has employees. Schedule: January 31.
Statutory deadline: Jan 31, 2027 · in 106 days
Annual
not individually checked
Applies because: Business has employees. Schedule: January 31.
Statutory deadline: Apr 15, 2027 · in 180 days
Annual
not individually checked
Applies because: Federal tax treatment is sole_prop. Schedule: April 15.
Statutory deadline: Apr 15, 2027 · in 180 days
Annual
checked Oct 13, 2026
Applies because: Business is located in Douglas County, CO. Schedule: April 15.
Monthly
not individually checked
fee $25.00
Annual
checked Oct 13, 2026
Quarterly
checked Oct 13, 2026
Quarterly
not individually checked
Monthly
not individually checked
Suggested planning dates are allowances, not agency processing times. Statutory deadlines come from the rules and are labeled as such.

Common questions about Aurora

The state licenses your industry through its own regulator, and the city and county add local permits. These are the authorities and local items on record for Aurora:

  • Real estate licensing: Colorado Division of Real Estate
  • Alcohol licensing: Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division
  • Child care licensing: Colorado Department of Early Childhood
  • Health facility licensing: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
  • Hold an Aurora business license (City of Aurora Tax and Licensing Division, city)
  • File Douglas County business personal property return (Douglas County Assessor, county)

In the example restaurant plan above, the licenses and permits are: Colorado sales tax license (Colorado); Obtain food service establishment / health permit; Ensure certified food protection manager on staff; Local sales tax licenses / business license — Aurora, Douglas County, Colorado; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Aurora; Hold an Aurora business license. Change the industry in the form to see yours.

Sources: sos.state.co.us, tax.colorado.gov, cdle.colorado.gov

In the example plan for Aurora, requirements come from four levels. Colorado sets formation, state taxes and employer rules; the city and county add local licenses and taxes.

  • Federal (8): Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN); File federal income tax return: Form 1040 with Schedule C; Deposit federal payroll taxes; File Form 941 (Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return)…
  • State (16): Maintain a registered agent in Colorado; File Periodic Report (Colorado); Register for and file Colorado entity-level taxes; Colorado sales tax license (Colorado)…
  • County (2): Obtain food service establishment / health permit; File Douglas County business personal property return
  • City (4): Register for locally administered sales tax (Colorado); Local sales tax licenses / business license — Aurora, Douglas County, Colorado; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Aurora; Hold an Aurora business license

Sources: sos.state.co.us, tax.colorado.gov

  • Register for unemployment insurance with Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
  • Workers' compensation: Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation. Required when: 1 employee
  • Colorado FAMLI premiums: applies from 1 employee.
  • Register to withhold Colorado income tax from wages.
  • The example plan adds these employer steps: Report new hires to the Colorado new hire directory; Carry workers' compensation insurance (Colorado); Display required federal labor law posters; Complete Form I-9 for each new hire; Display required Colorado workplace notices.

Sources: cdle.colorado.gov, cdle.colorado.gov, tax.colorado.gov

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