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State of Colorado Government
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
This table describes business registration
requirements only. If you make a make product, sell something, or
have employees, refer to this information:
Colorado Employer Responsibilities
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 Colorado Secretary of State
are:
- Filing of Company Documents (e.g. Articles of Incorporation,
Articles of Association, Articles of Organization), Contact
Colorado Secretary of State for forms.
- Registration/Reservation of a Trade/Business Name, Form
DR0592
Secretary of State - General Information
(303) 894-2200
http://www.sos.state.co.us/
Secretary of State – Name Search
http://www.sos.state.co.us/biz/BusinessEntityCriteriaExt.do
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 Colorado 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.
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
http://www.uspto.gov/
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).
http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm
Trade Name & Trade Mark Information (Colorado Business
Resource Guide)
http://www.state.co.us/oed/guide/pdf/Guide15_TrademkPatents.pdf
Trade Name & Trade Mark Information (entrepreneur.com)
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,278267,00.html
Colorado Department of Revenue
If you make a make product, sell something, or have employees
you need to contact the Colorado Department of Revenue to register
your business. This number issued is the basis for all deposits
and report filings.
You may use Form CR100 to do the following:
- Register a Trade/Business Name
- Open a state Sales/Use Tax account
- Establish a state payroll withholding account and
- Establish a state unemployment insurance tax account (SUTA)
Colorado Department of Revenue – General
Information
(303) 238-3278
http://www.revenue.state.co.us/main/home.asp
State of Colorado – General Business Startup Information
http://www.colorado.gov/colorado-doing-business/
State of Colorado – Business Licensing
If you are doing business in the State of Colorado you may be
required to comply with specific licensing requirements. To get
specific information go to:
(303) 894-7855
http://www.dora.state.co.us/dora_pages/professional.htm
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