Starting a business in Loveland, Colorado: a practical checklist

Updated

Requirements, fees and rules change, so treat this as a checklist of where to look and confirm each item with the linked office before you act. Loveland has one thing many Front Range cities share and one thing that surprises people, so those come first.

Loveland has no general business license, but it does have a sales tax license

The City's economic development site says plainly that Loveland, like other Front Range cities, does not require a general business license. That does not mean you can skip the city entirely. The same FAQ says a sales tax license is required for anyone selling tangible personal property or taxable services in the city, with a $20 non-refundable application fee, a $20 annual renewal, and up to 25 business days to process. It also says service-only businesses are not required to have one. The City handles applications through its sales tax licensing page, so apply early if you plan to open on a fixed date.

Not sure whether your work counts as taxable? Ask the City's sales tax office instead of guessing; the Loveland Business Development Center listed below can point you to the right person.

Step 1: Register your business with the state

If you are forming an LLC, you file Articles of Organization with the Colorado Secretary of State. The fee schedule (revised July 1, 2024) lists $50 for the online filing, and $25 for the LLC Periodic Report that is due each year. Both are online-only at those prices. Sole proprietors can operate without forming an entity, but the Loveland FAQ lists registering your name and getting an EIN among the starting steps.

Some trades also need a state license. The Loveland FAQ points you to the Department of Regulatory Agencies to check whether your business needs one, so check your own trade.

Step 2: Taxes, state and city

  • State: sales and other state taxes are handled by the Colorado Department of Revenue, which explains how to apply for a state sales tax license. Its home-rule city list includes Loveland, among the cities for which the State does not collect local sales tax.
  • City: Loveland runs its own sales tax license, described above, which is separate from the state registration. Plan on dealing with both.
  • Rates: the combined rate depends on where you sell, so look it up on the City's FAQ or ask the sales tax office instead of relying on a number from a blog.

Step 3: Working from home

Many new businesses start at a kitchen table. The City's FAQ says that if the business is in the home, a Home Based License may be required, and gives 970-962-2523 for details. Loveland's zoning rules live in its Title 18 Unified Development Code. Ask the City what applies at your address before you put up a sign, take clients at the house or hire anyone to work there.

Step 4: Free local help

This is where Loveland is stronger than the size of the city suggests.

  • Loveland Business Development Center (LBDC): the City's business development center says it connects you with small business specialists, data and resources for free. Its listed contact is [email protected] or 970-962-2626, at 500 E. 3rd St.
  • Chamber side of the LBDC: the Loveland Chamber of Commerce's LBDC page says it offers free one-on-one consulting, low-cost workshops and free networking events, with SBDC-certified consultants, at 5400 Stone Creek Circle, Suite 200. It also says the LBDC is aligned with the Larimer SBDC, so clients can reach consultants and workshops at the Fort Collins office. The two pages list different addresses, so confirm where your appointment is.
  • Larimer County: the county's economic development partners page describes the Larimer Small Business Development Center as one of 15 centers across Colorado.
  • Chamber membership: optional. The Loveland Chamber of Commerce lists membership and a member directory on its site; ask what each level includes before you join.

Questions to take to the City

A few items depend on your exact business and address, so ask the City directly rather than relying on a general guide: any state license fee for your trade, the limits on a home occupation, short-term rental rules, and current tax rates. The Loveland Business Development Center is a good first call.

Setting up a business email address

You have two reasonable routes. One is your own domain with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, which you own and which scales to staff. The other is a short local address like [email protected] from us. A personal name is $19 a month, trade names such as plumber@ cost more, there is no domain or DNS to set up, and it takes about five minutes. The tradeoff is that you rent the address and do not own the domain, so a brand with staff is better served by its own domain. See the real cost of a business email, or check a name on the home page.

Check a name or try the email address ideas tool.