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How to start an LLC in Colorado

Every step to form your LLC in Colorado, with the state's fees and the official page for each. Checked against the state's own pages on September 30, 2026.

Filing fee
$50
Regular report
$25
What you file
Articles of Organization
Where
The Colorado Secretary of State

Get the free checklist It follows these steps with you, for your business, and keeps track of what's done.

What an LLC costs in Colorado

Filing Articles of Organization with the Colorado Secretary of State$50
The regular report that keeps it in good standing$25
An EIN from the IRSFree
A registered agentFree if you're your own; a service charges a yearly fee

The state's fees only. Card or handling fees, a registered agent service, local licenses and taxes come on top where they apply. Checked against official sources on September 30, 2026. It's general information, not legal or tax advice.

Step by step

In the order most owners do them. Each step says where it happens and links to the official page.

  1. With the state

    Check your name is free

    Search the Colorado Secretary of State's business records to check no business already uses your name, or one too close to it. An LLC's name must also end with "LLC" or a similar ending.

    Search business names (opens the official site)

  2. Your records

    Choose a registered agent

    Colorado's registered agent must agree to serve. It can be a person 18 or older who lives in Colorado or has a usual place of business there and holds a Colorado driver's license or ID card (or verifies Colorado residency with the Secretary of State), or a business in good standing with a usual place of business in Colorado.

  3. With the state

    File your Articles of Organization

    File them online with the Colorado Secretary of State. The state's fee is $50. Once they're filed, your business exists.

    File online (opens the official site)

  4. Your records

    Write an operating agreement

    It sets out who owns the LLC, how decisions are made and what happens if someone leaves. It isn't filed with the state: keep it with your records. A lawyer can help you write one.

  5. With the IRS

    Get an EIN from the IRS

    An Employer Identification Number is your business's tax number, for taxes, hiring and a bank account. Apply once your Articles of Organization are filed. It's free from the IRS: with a Social Security number or ITIN, you can apply on the IRS's own site and get it at once. Watch out for look-alike sites that charge for it.

    Apply for an EIN on IRS.gov (opens the official site)

  6. With the state

    Register for state taxes

    If you'll sell tangible goods, apply to the Colorado Department of Revenue for a Colorado sales tax license; services aren't subject to Colorado sales tax. A home-rule city may need its own sales tax license. Employers get a wage withholding account from the Department of Revenue and register with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment for unemployment insurance. MyBizColorado starts your registration with several state agencies at once.

    Register for state taxes (opens the official site)

  7. City or county

    Check local licenses and permits

    Once your business is filed, check state, county and city licensing: some licenses come from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), depending on your line of work, and others from your city or county. Your city or county may also need permits or zoning approval.

    Find your local requirements (opens the official site)

  8. Your records

    Open a business bank account

    Keep the business's money apart from your own: it keeps your records clear at tax time, and keeps the LLC separate from you. Banks usually ask for your filed Articles of Organization and your EIN.

  9. With the state

    Put the periodic report in your calendar

    Every Colorado LLC files a Periodic Report with the Secretary of State each year, online. Your LLC's periodic report month is shown on its record, and you can file from two months before that month until the last day of the second month after it. The fee is $25. After that, a $50 late fee applies, and an LLC that still hasn't filed 60 days later becomes delinquent.

    About annual reports (opens the official site)

Questions about an LLC in Colorado

How much does it cost to start an LLC in Colorado?

The state's fee to file Articles of Organization is $50. To stay in good standing, it also files a regular report, which costs $25. An EIN from the IRS is free.

Does Colorado require a yearly report for an LLC?

Yes. Colorado asks every LLC for a regular report to stay in good standing. It costs $25, and the step below says when it's due and where to file it.

Can I form an LLC in Colorado myself?

Yes. You file Articles of Organization with the Colorado Secretary of State and pay the state's fee, and the steps above show where. You don't need a lawyer, though one can advise on your situation. PressUp's free checklist follows these steps with you.

Is this legal or tax advice?

No. PressUp isn't a law firm or an accountant. This guide is general information from Colorado's official pages, checked on September 30, 2026. For advice about your own situation, ask a lawyer or an accountant.

Where this comes from

Colorado's official pages, read on September 30, 2026:

LLC guides for other states