Federal Government

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Federal, State, County and City Government Regulation Requirements

Click the below links to go directly to the appropriate section for your needs.

Federal and State Jefferson County City

Federal Government & State of Colorado

Use the chart below to determine which state and federal agencies require registration of your business:

Business Registration

Internal Revenue Service & State of Colorado

Source: The Colorado Business Resource Guide

Business Structure	IRS Form SS-4	Secretary of State Form DR0592	Colorado Department of Revenue Form CR100
Sole Proprietorship with no Employees Legal Structure & Registration	•		•
Sole Proprietorship with Employees Legal Structure & Registration	•		•
General Partnership Legal Structure & Registration	•		•
Limited Partnership Legal Structure & Registration	•	•
Corporation Legal Structure & Registration	•	•
Limited Liability Company (LLC) Legal Structure & Registration	•	•
Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) Legal Structure & Registration	•	•
Limited Partnership Association (LPA) Legal Structure & Registration	•	•
Non-Profit Organization Legal Structure & Registration	•	•

This table describes business registration requirements only. If you make a make product, sell something, or have employees, refer to this information:

For more detailed information on starting a business in Colorado including Legal Structure and Employer Responsibilities go to: Colorado Business Resource Guide

Business Comparison Chart

	C Corporation	Subchapter S Corporation	Limited Liability Company	General Partnership	Sole Proprietor
Owners have limited liability for business debts and obligations	X	X	X
Created by a state-level registration that usually protects the company name	X	X	X
Business duration can be perpetual	X	X	X
May have an unlimited number of owners	X		X	X
Owners need not be U.S. citizens or residents	X		X	X	X
May be owned by another business, rather than individuals	X		X
May issue shares of stock to attract investors	X	X
Owners can report business profit and loss on their personal tax returns		X	X	X	X
Owners can split profit and loss with the business for a lower overall tax rate	X
Permitted to distribute special allocations, under certain guidelines			X	X
Not required to hold annual meetings or record meeting minutes			X	X	X

Federal Government – Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Every business including Sole Proprietors must now be identified by a federal tax identification number, also known as a FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) or EIN (Employer Identification Number). Complete Form SS-4. Your FEIN number is the basis for all deposits and report filings.

In the past, Sole Proprietors with no employees were allowed to use a Social Security number for filing. Now, if you operate a Sole Proprietorship (with or without employees) you need to apply for a FEIN. Those forming businesses under all other structures such as General Partnerships, Limited Partnerships, Corporations, Limited Liability Company (LLC), Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP), Limited Partnership Associations (LPA), and Non-Profit Organizations will also need to use an FEIN.

IRS - General Information

1 (800) 829-1040

IRS General Information

IRS - Online Employer ID Number (EIN)

Online Filing for Federal Tax ID

NOTE: Before making any final decisions on a trade name or trade mark it is advisable to read the following:

Trade Marks, Copyrights & Patent - Colorado Business Resource Guide

Trade Name & Trade Mark Information (entrepreneur.com)

How to Name Your Business - Entrepreneur

Any entity that has registered the same or similar trade/business name higher than the state may have a claim that supersedes your own. To gather additional information at the federal level go to:

Federal Government – General Information/Trade Names & Trade Marks

US Patent & Trade Mark Office - General

Federal Government – Trade Names & Trade Marks Search

Go to “Where do I start?” Under “Searching Trade Marks”, click on TESS.

Select “New User Form Search (Basic).

US Patent & Trade Mark Office - Trade Name Search

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State of Colorado – Secretary of State

It is advisable to do a trade name availability search before you draft your business documents. By doing so, you can determine if you have the right to use the name in question prior to spending money and time to formally structure your business.

Two of the most common interactions with the Secretary of State are:

Filing of Company Documents (e.g. Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Association, Articles of Organization), Contact Secretary of State for forms.
Registration/Reservation of a Trade/Business Name, Form DR0592

Secretary State - General Information

(303) 894-2200

Secretary of State – Name Search

Business Name Search

To register/reserve a trade or business name and file the related documents, you must go to the “Business Center” and do the following:

Select the box next to “Name Availability” and enter the name you will be using.
If the name entered is available to use, you will then be able to register/reserve your trade or business name and file the required documents.

Note: Trade names are not distinguishable from any other trade names or any other names on file in the records of the Secretary of State. Any trade name may be registered, even if it is similar to or exactly the same as another name that is in the records.

The Secretary of State’s filing system is sometimes perceived to provide business name protection. However, filing with the Secretary of State does not provide name protection. Name protection exists under common law and with federal and state trademark laws.

The purpose of filing a trade name is to provide the public with a means of determining with whom they are doing business. If there is more than one record with the same trade name, the information in the Statement of Trade Name should provide adequate information to distinguish between the businesses.

Jefferson County Government

If you are doing business within Jefferson County, you need contact the county regarding the following:

The issuance of a liquor license
Plan review, issuance of licenses, and the inspection of businesses engaged in activity that affects the health and environment of the citizens of the county (e.g. daycare, restaurants, mobile food service)
The valuation and collection of Commercial Property Taxes
The valuation and collection of Business Personal Property Taxes
Workforce/Labor Issues

Jefferson County
100 Jefferson County Parkway
Golden, CO 80419

Business Information – Jefferson County

Business Information - General

(303) 279-6511

Assessor’s Office – Jefferson County

Business Personal Property Tax Information

(303) 271-8600

Planning and Zoning – Jefferson County

General Information

(303) 271-8514

Health Department – Jefferson County

General Information

(303) 232-6301

Health Department – Jefferson County

Forms

(303) 232-6301

Liquor Licensing – Jefferson County

General Information & Applications

(303) 271-8167

Building and Signage – Jefferson County

General Information

(303) 271-8260

Jefferson County Workforce Center

Jefferson County Workforce Center
The Laramie Building
2500 Illinois Street
Golden, CO 80401

Business Services – Jefferson County Workforce Center

Training Incentives & Tax Credits

Online Business Resources

(303) 271-4700

Cities of Jefferson County

NOTE: Contact Jefferson County for regulations and compliance information for

Bo Mar, Conifer, Evergreen, Kittredge, Lakeside, Littleton (Unincorporated Jefferson County), Morrison, Mountain View and Superior.

City of Arvada
8101 Ralston Road
P.O. Box 8101
Arvada, CO 80001-8101

Arvada Economic Development Association

General Information for Businesses
(720) 898-7010

City of Arvada

General Information - Doing Business in Arvada

(720) 898-7000

Sales/Use Tax

(720) 898-7100

Planning & Zoning

(720) 898-7435

Code Enforcement

(720) 898-7465

City of Edge Water

City of Edgewater
2401 Sheridan Blvd.
Edgewater, CO 80214

City of Edgewater – General Contact

cityclerk@edgewaterco.com

303-238-7803 ext. 11

A Business License is required to operate a business in the City of Edgewater. Other important considerations are proper zoning, legal signage, and a certificate of occupancy from the building department.

http://www.edgewaterco.com/

City of Golden
1445 10th Street
Golden, CO 80401

City of Golden
Business & Economic Development
(303) 384-8151