Start and Plan Your Business

This may include:

• An executive summary that describes your business product or service
• Marketing strategy: Who is your ideal customer?  Who is your competition?
• Financial strategy: Estimate startup expenses and future projections
• Site selection
• Employee structure
• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats (SWOT) analysis
• Identify strategic advisors who may play a role in the success of your business. These may include a consultant, lawyer, CPA, banker, insurance agent, marketing specialist, etc. 

Helpful resources:

Search for business name availability and register your business name and structure.

Helpful Resources:

Working with a licensed real estate professional empowers you to secure the ideal space for your business. They can guide you in finding the right property and negotiating favorable lease terms, ensuring a smooth and confident path to a successful business location.

• If you are looking to open a restaurant, find out from the owner if there is an existing grease trap/interceptor, when it was installed, condition, have it inspected. Reach out to Denver's Sewer Use and Drainage Permitting Team to discuss condition, size and other requirements. 

• Also use the Denver Permitting Office's StartSmart: Restaurant tool which will ask you a series of questions and based on your proposed project scope, help you understand the likely reviews, permits and licenses that may be required.

Other helpful information on the permitting and licensing process is available on the Denver Permitting Office's Small Business webpage.

Helpful Resources:

Once you find a space and determine what, if any improvements you may need to make to the space, you will also need to find out what the space was used/permitted for previously.

You can request building and zoning permit records by filling out this online form.

Schedule an appointment with Denver’s Community Planning and Development teams to discuss the space and whether a change in use and/or occupancy for either building and/or zoning will be required.

To schedule appointments, select CPD – Permit Counter, in person or virtual, and then schedule two appointments, with both Commercial Zoning Questions (zoning) and Commercial & Multi-family Arch, Struc/Access Control & Townhouse Questions.

If you plan or are required to do any construction in the space that requires permits, commercial projects must be designed by a registered design professional, and any work defined as the practice of engineering by the State of Colorado must be signed by a licensed design professional working within their area of expertise (such as structural, civil, mechanical, etc.)

Once you determine the type of work you’ll need/want to do in your space, you can follow the recommendations for how to find a design professional who can assist you with your project.

Opening a business in Denver is a team effort! Multiple city agencies contribute to ensuring that your space is safe and up to code for you, your staff and your patrons, and that your business is ready to open.

Helpful tips:

Submit one Building Permit (Building Log) application in E‑Permits:

Welcome to E-permits - City and County of Denver

Go to Development Services ➡️ Apply for a Permit ➡️ Building Log.

What happens when you submit: Your application is automatically routed to the right city reviewers. Please do not apply separately for each discipline. Zoning review will be conducted simultaneously with all other applicable review processes to streamline evaluation and reduce total processing time.

Once every review group has approved your Building Log application, the application will be approved. After you pay the permit fees, the permits will be issued to the licensed contractor and construction can begin.

Additional requirements may apply depending on your project details upon submittal. Most customers should plan for 1–2 months of professional design and engineering before applying, plus time for permit review (use this link to estimate likely plan review time frames based on your project scope).

Who to Contact

For more information on permitting, please visit our Denver Permitting Office Small Business webpage or contact the business advancement team at businessadvancement@denvergov.org.

Helpful tips:

• We recommend keeping approved printed plans on site.
• All work (including deferred submittals and any modified drawing permits) must be complete, with all inspections approved.
• Collect required letters from third‑party engineers/special inspectors.
• Schedule the final building inspection once trade finals pass.
• Provide required postings (e.g., occupant load sign for rooms/spaces with 40+ occupants).
• After final approvals, schedule your final CO sign-offs.
• Small remodels may receive “approval of work” or no new CO if one already exists.
• Major work or occupancy change generates a new/updated CO.
• Schedule inspections here Building Inspections page.
• If a business, food, liquor or other license is required, each license will also have required inspections that must be scheduled by the customer and passed in order for the license to be issued.
  
  TIP: Tell your inspector about any licenses you need inspections for when they are on site conducting any final construction inspections. Usually, the inspector will be able to sign off on both the construction and license inspections at the same time.

Taxes that businesses may pay include income tax, employment tax, sales tax, and city business taxes.

Register with the Denver’s Treasury Division, Colorado Department of Revenue, and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to ensure you have the necessary tax requirements for your business.

Who to Contact:

City and County of Denver

To register for city taxes, file returns and manage tax accounts
Denver Treasury Division: Business Taxes
Denver eBiz Tax Center

State of Colorado:

For state taxes and a Sales Tax ID number, visit the Colorado Department of Revenue: Business Taxes

Federal Government:

All forms of structure, except sole proprietors with no employees, must obtain a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), which is also your federal tax ID number. For more federal tax information contact: Internal Revenue Service, 800.829.1040, or irs.gov

A business with employees must register as an employer, pay additional taxes, withhold, match, and submit employee withholdings, obtain workers’ compensation insurance, and follow other employee eligibility regulations.

Helpful tips:

Unemployment Insurance Requirement:
Visit the Colorado Business Navigator website to register your business with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment in order to establish an unemployment insurance account.

Businesses and Employers | Department of Labor & Employment

Colorado Directory of New Hires:
Employers are required to report newly hired employees to the Colorado State Directory of New Hires

Colorado State Directory of New Hires

Helpful Resources:

• Denver Workforce Development: Once you are ready to begin hiring staff for your business, the Denver Workforce Development team can help you find and prescreen qualified applicants at no cost.
• CDLE New Employer Checklist