Aurora Cleaning Business License Requirements
Launching a cleaning business in Aurora, Colorado requires coordinating registrations across state and local agencies. There is no specialized "janitorial contractor license" in Colorado — cleaning companies operate under general business licensing.
| Requirement | Agency | Fee | Resource |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado entity registration (LLC or Corp) | CO SOS | $50 (LLC) / $50 (Corp); Periodic Report: $10 | www.sos.state.co.us |
| Annual state fee / franchise tax | State revenue or SOS | CO Periodic Report: $10; Aurora business license: $25 initial | State filing portal |
| Local business license / registration | City of Aurora | $25 initial registration; Aurora sales tax license required for supply sales | www.auroragov.org |
| State sales/excise tax permit | State DOR | Free | State tax portal |
| EIN (Federal) | IRS | Free | irs.gov |
Registration Steps
Step 1 — Form your entity at CO SOS (https://www.sos.state.co.us/biz/). Fee: $50 (LLC) / $50 (Corp); Periodic Report: $10.
Step 2 — Obtain EIN at irs.gov (free).
Step 3 — Local license: City of Aurora Sales Tax and Business License (Finance Department). Fee: $25 initial registration; Aurora sales tax license required for supply sales. URL: https://www.auroragov.org/business/licensing_and_permits.
Step 4 — Sales tax: Cleaning services are EXEMPT in Colorado. Colorado does NOT tax cleaning/janitorial services. CO DOR has ruled cleaning services nontaxable. Aurora's combined rate of 8.5% applies only to tangible cleaning supplies sold to clients.
Step 5 — Workers' comp: Required for 1+ employee (CO DOLI, coworkforce.com). CO minimum wage $14.42/hr (2024); Aurora follows state rate..
Special Permits
CO AQCC compliance for VOC products; CDPHE permit for regulated waste.
Insurance Minimums
| Coverage | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GL per occurrence | $1,000,000 | Most property managers require $2M |
| GL aggregate | $2,000,000 | Healthcare/gov may require $5M umbrella |
| Workers' Comp | Required for 1+ employee (CO DOLI, coworkforce.com | State-specific threshold |
| Commercial Auto | $100K/$300K min | If employees drive to sites |
Sales Tax: Aurora (8.5% (2.9% state + 5.6% Aurora/Arapahoe County combined))
Colorado does NOT tax cleaning/janitorial services. CO DOR has ruled cleaning services nontaxable. Aurora's combined rate of 8.5% applies only to tangible cleaning supplies sold to clients.
Union Considerations
Colorado is NOT right-to-work. Low BSC union density in Aurora. Buckley Space Force Base and Aurora VA Medical Center generate federal cleaning contracts.
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Aurora Local Market Context
Aurora is the third-largest city in Colorado and shares the Denver metro. Its cleaning market includes Buckley Space Force Base, the Aurora VA Medical Center (one of the largest VA facilities in the Mountain West), Children's Hospital Colorado (the Anschutz Medical Campus is partly in Aurora), and a large commercial corridor along Havana Street. Aurora's lower rents vs. Denver attract more small businesses, generating growing cleaning demand. BLS 2024 median janitorial wage: $17.20/hr (Denver metro).
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I actually need on file before my first Aurora cleaning job?
Two items cover most startups. Aurora requires a basic $25 business registration, and you'll also need a sales tax license if you plan to sell cleaning supplies to clients rather than billing labor only. Service-only accounts still need the registration. Get both squared away before your first commercial walkthrough, because a property manager who asks for documentation deserves an answer the same day, not next week.
Is it cheaper to base my cleaning company in Aurora than in Denver?
Yes, and the gap is more about paperwork than price. Aurora asks for a $25 registration plus a sales tax license for supply sales. Denver stacks a more complex Business License on top of a Denver Sales Tax License and adds Denver Business Tax on the back end. If you're picking a home-base city on the east side of the metro, Aurora is the administratively simpler choice.
Can a small janitorial company win work at Buckley Space Force Base?
Buckley SFB does issue cleaning contracts under NAICS 561720, posted on SAM.gov like any other federal solicitation. Space Force Civil Engineering manages base services, so that's the office your scope of work has to satisfy. Budget for background checks and security clearances on every worker you put on base, and price labor at the SCA prevailing wage for Arapahoe County instead of your usual commercial rate.
Does Aurora set its own minimum wage for cleaners?
No. Aurora follows Colorado's statewide minimum wage, which was $14.42 an hour in 2024, and has no separate city floor. Within Colorado, only Denver and a handful of mountain resort towns adopted local minimums above the state rate. That means your Aurora wage math stays simple, but crews you send into Denver accounts are a different calculation.
How we built this guide
Opora editorial sources from BLS OEWS wage tables, ISSA-447 production rates, NCCI workers' compensation classifications, EPA List N, OSHA 29 CFR standards, and primary state regulatory filings. We don't recycle blog posts — we audit primary documents.
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