1. The department has prepared a system which outlines the requirements for the approximately 90 licenses issued by the department. When an applicant comes to the department, a staff person will discuss with the person the type of business involved and determine what license, if any, is needed. The staff person will make sure that he or she has complete information. The staff person will determine if the applicant is an individual, corporation, LLC, partnership, or some other type of entity.
2. The staff person will refer to the book to determine all of the requirements for the particular license and will explain to the customer what he or she must do to comply with the requirements. Fees for licenses are found in Chapter 32 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code. The applicant will be referred to the cashier for payment of fees.
3. Generally the applicant will fill out either a general questionnaire or one that is unique to the license being sought. Some of the licenses require that the applicant be fingerprinted. In those cases the customer will be directed to the fingerprint room and the fingerprint card will be referred to the Denver Police Dept. Identification Bureau. Whenever fingerprints are taken, an Individual History Form must be completed.
4. Many of the licenses issued by Excise and Licenses require that other city agencies approve the proposed location for the type of license requested. Before an application for a premises license will be considered, the applicant will be sent to the Zoning Administration for a zoning use permit. After the application documents and any required hearings are completed, the applicant will be given an inspection card which specifies the other departments that must sign off on the application. The applicant is responsible for obtaining approval from the necessary agencies. The applicant must return the signed inspection card to the department prior to issuance of a license.
5. Criminal and motor vehicle histories are required for certain types of license applications. When an applicant's criminal records and/or records of moving violations for taxi drivers are received, staff members review them to determine if they require review by the Denver Police Department detective assigned to Excise and Licenses. Criminal histories which reflect arrests and convictions and multiple traffic violations are referred to the detective. He or she may deny an application based on the criminal background of the applicant or officers, directors, shareholders, or members of the applicant depending on the type of license involved. He or she may deny a herdic taxi cab license application based on the motor vehicle or criminal record of an applicant. If the application is denied based on this review, the applicant may request an appeal hearing. These requests are routinely granted.
6. Generally, the hearings on denials of licenses to guards, peddlers, and taxi cab drivers are conducted by a hearing officer or the director. The applicant is given the opportunity to introduce evidence and make any statement he or she wishes. The applicant can be represented by an attorney but does not need to be. A written decision is issued following the hearing. If a hearing officer conducted the hearing, he or she will issue a written recommended decision to the director. The director will provide the applicant with ten days to file an objection to the decision if the recommendation is to deny the license. The director will then issue a final decision. If the director conducts the hearing, the final decision will be issued by the director.
7. A few general business license applications require a public hearing. When that is the case, the hearing will be conducted in accordance with any requirements specified in the ordinance or in a similar fashion to the liquor license hearings.
8. When the department receives an application to transfer a license to a new applicant, the existing file will be inactivated and a new file opened with a new file number for the transferee. A member of the staff will place an "I" in the computer to denote the inactive status of the file, but will also reference the new file number for the license in the computer.