Obtaining A City of Aspen Business License

City of Aspen Business Licensing Requirements

Pursuant to its municipal code, Section 23.32.020, the City of Aspen requires that any entity doing business within the City limits, either directly or indirectly, obtain a combined Sales Tax and Business License. This includes businesses making retail sales but also includes all businesses that provide only services or deliveries within City limits.  As noted below, business licenses are issued to the specific owner and location of the business.  As such, each location (if there are multiple within Aspen city limits) must be licensed individually.  Additionally, if the ownership of a specific business changes, a new business license must be sought.

Sec. 23.32.020. - Sales tax licenses; application and content.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of selling at retail within the City without having first obtained a City sales tax license.  

(b) Persons for whom a license is required shall first submit to the Finance Director an application stating the name and address of the person requesting such license; the name of the business being licensed and the character thereof; the location, including the street number of such business; and such other information as may be required by the Finance Director. 

(c) Licenses which are granted shall be issued without fee by the Finance Director.

(d) Licenses shall be in effect through the end of the calendar year for which they were issued; they shall be conditionally renewed upon renewal of the City business license and the attendant payment of any and all appropriate City business occupation taxes and City sales taxes.

 (e) Each sales tax license shall be numbered and shall show the name, location, mailing address and character of business of the licensee and shall be posted in a conspicuous place at the business location for which it is issued.       

 (f) No sales tax license shall be transferable. After any sale of a business, the new owner shall apply for a new license. 

Fee Associated with Business Licenses

The City of Aspen issues annual business licenses that are good for the calendar year in which they are issued.  Fees for the license are not prorated, regardless of when the license is issued or the business has been started.  The cost of the license is determined based on the number of full-time equivalent employees under your business, as denoted in the chart below:

Exceptions to the City's Business Licensing Requirements

Pursuant to section 23.44.020 of the City's Municipal Code, there are a limited number of exemptions for requiring a business license.  Those exemptions include: 

• Any business exempted by federal or state law;
• Any business subject to the liquor occupation tax assessed under Title 5 of the Municipal Code; 
• Where the vendor is a charitable non-profit, municipal or public purpose organization as outlined under Title 14.05.050 of the Municipal Code.

Obtaining a Business License

The City of Aspen migrated to an online application and tax remittance process in late 2020.  The benefits of this online program include: a) paperless licensing application process and elimination of tax booklets consistent with Aspen's environmental stewardship efforts; b) eliminating issues and costs associated with physical mailing of documents that could be lost or result in timeliness issues; c) allowing for expanded payment options; and d) to provide automated noticing for when filings are due and/or when to renew your annual business license, thereby aiding filers in these routine processes.

Aspen's online software program is called MuniRevs and can be found at https://aspen.munirevs.com/. Any vendor with a physical presence and/or which provides services or ships goods into the City of Aspen should utilize this portal to obtain a business license and to report periodic tax filings.   If at any time, you need assistance with the initial business license application process and/or tax filing and remittance, both MuniRevs and the City of Aspen Finance Department are here to assist you. 

NOTE: When contacting MuniRevs directly for support, please be sure to have / disclose your account number and indicate you are inquiring about the "City of Aspen" as the jurisdiction.

Registration

Following a successful navigation to https://aspen.munirevs.com the user will be met a screen with two choices, either to register as a first time user or log in as an existing user...

To register for the first time, users click on "Go" in the New Users box. This will open a new window and will walk the user through the application process.  The first step required is to provide a valid email address to link with the account and to receive step-by-step instructions to complete your registration.