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Colorado · License fees and time frames · CDPHE fee schedule 2026/27
CDPHE charges $2,720.30 for a first Class B home care agency license and $1,638.36 a year to renew, before branch, workstation and volume fees, and the statute raises those fees 6% a year to 2028-29. CDPHE says typical applications, of all license types, take 3 to 12 months. Here are CDPHE’s fees, the other costs with official prices, each step from the letter of intent to the license, renewal, and what the 2028 sunset means.
Quick answer
Cost: the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) charges $2,720.30 for a first Class B license and a base renewal fee of $1,638.36 a year, on its schedule for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 (CDPHE fee schedule). These are CDPHE’s fees, not CareRulebook prices, and they are non-refundable (Ch. 2, 2.12.1(B)). The statute raises them 6% in each of fiscal years 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29 (C.R.S. 25-27.5-104(1)(g)(II)).
Time: you apply at least 90 days before you plan to start (Ch. 2, 2.3.2). CDPHE says "Typical initial license applications may take anywhere from 3-12 months to complete all steps of the process, from application submission to the license being issued.", and that home care applications are currently taking extra time (CDPHE guidance). CDPHE gives that range for initial applications of all license types, not home care alone.
Other costs with an official price: CBI’s $39.50 fingerprint check for each owner of 50% or more and the manager, plus the fingerprinting vendor’s fee; CDHS’s $9.00 CAPS check for each caregiver, plus processing. Liability insurance or a surety bond of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 in total is required, but we found no official price for it.
Every amount below is a state fee from CDPHE’s home care fee schedule for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. None of them is a CareRulebook price.
| What for | CDPHE fee | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial license, Class B | $2,720.30 | Paid with the application; CDPHE does not review an application until the fee arrives. Class A (skilled care) is $3,709.49. | CDPHE fee schedule |
| Renewal, Class B base fee | $1,638.36 | Every year, at least 60 days before the license expires, plus $247.30 for each branch and $61.83 for each workstation. | CDPHE fee schedule |
| Volume fee at renewal | $123.65 or $247.30 | Added for 50 to 99, or 100 or more, admissions in the previous year. | CDPHE fee schedule |
| Renewal discounts | $100 or 10% off the base fee | $100 off if certified for Medicaid or Medicare; 10% off if accredited by an organization with deeming status. Neither applies to volume, branch or workstation fees. | CDPHE fee schedule |
| Late renewal | 10%, 50% or 75% | Of the total renewal fee, at 6 to 29, 30 to 59 or 60 to 89 days after expiry. At day 90 the agency stops operating and applies as new. | CDPHE fee schedule |
| Change of ownership, Class B | $2,720.30 | Filed by the buyer with the application at least 60 days before the change; a new license is issued. | CDPHE fee schedule |
| Change of name or address | $92.74 each | Requested in COHFI at least 30 days before the change. | CDPHE fee schedule |
| Adding a branch or workstation | $247.30 or $61.83 | Each branch and workstation also adds a fee at every renewal. | CDPHE fee schedule |
| Provisional license | 15% of the initial fee | About $408 for Class B by our arithmetic, for each 90-day provisional term, if CDPHE grants one. | CDPHE fee schedule |
| Revisit | 100% of the initial or renewal fee | For the second and each later on-site visit about the same deficiency, where a deficiency that caused or could cause harm was not shown corrected at the first revisit. | CDPHE fee schedule |
| Conditional license | $1,938.29 | When CDPHE puts conditions on a license, an enforcement action. | CDPHE fee schedule |
Set by statute
Colorado’s home care fees are set by statute, not by Board of Health rule: "The fees are not subject to rule-making by the state board." (C.R.S. 25-27.5-104(1)(g)(II)). The statute set the rises:
CDPHE publishes each schedule by March 1, and the new fees apply from July 1 (Ch. 2, 2.12.1(A)). CDPHE’s guidance says the old schedule stays in use for initial applications submitted on or before June 30 (CDPHE guidance), and between March 1 and June 30 both schedules are in effect (CDPHE, Facility Fees). The $2,720.30 on this page is the 2026-27 figure. These quotes come from the 2024 printed statute, the latest edition posted; we have not checked whether a 2025 or 2026 bill changed them.
Simple arithmetic, not a CDPHE figure
Your first two license years. The initial fee and one renewal, with no branches or workstations and under 50 admissions: $2,720.30 + $1,638.36 = $4,358.66 at 2026/27 rates. If the renewal falls in 2027-28 and the 6% rise applies to it, about $4,457 (CDPHE fee schedule).
Our arithmetic from the statute
The next two schedules. Applying the statute’s 6% to the 2026/27 figures gives a Class B initial fee of about $2,884 in 2027-28 and $3,057 in 2028-29, and a base renewal fee of about $1,841 in 2028-29. CDPHE’s rounding may differ; use its published schedule (C.R.S. 25-27.5-104(1)(g)(II)(B)).
Simple arithmetic, not a CDPHE figure
A branch office. $247.30 to add it, then $247.30 on top of the base fee at each renewal. A workstation is $61.83 each time. For Medicaid waiver services, CDPHE says each physical site needs its own license rather than a branch (CDPHE checklist).
Each card says where the duty comes from. We give a price only where an official source sets one; none of the sources we checked publishes prices for insurance, the manager course or an office.
Each owner of 50% or more and each manager or administrator submits fingerprints to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for a state and national check, with the application or within 10 days of a change. CBI lists $39.50 for its Home Care Agency entry, and says the fingerprinting vendor charges its own service fee on top. CDPHE asks you not to be fingerprinted until it sends instructions, or you may have to repeat it.
Before hiring anyone for direct care to an at-risk adult, the agency requests a check of the adult protective services database. The agency registers with CDHS’s CAPS Check Unit first. CDHS charges $9.00 plus an online processing fee, may change the fee on 30 days’ notice, and may not go above $16.50 without its board’s approval.
C.R.S. 26-3.1-111CDHS CAPS FAQCAPS Check UnitHow the checks work →
Every job applicant has a criminal history check, at least a Colorado search, no more than 90 days before employment, paid by the agency or the applicant. CBI lists its Internet Criminal History Check, an instant Colorado name search, at $6.00 per search result, and a staff-processed Colorado records request at $13.00. Whether the $6.00 search alone meets the rule is a question we have put to CDPHE.
At least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate for a Class B agency, kept for the whole license period, with CDPHE-HFEMSD as certificate holder. CDPHE says proof is not needed before the fitness review, and the certificate may carry a future start date, but it must be current before the license is issued. We do not quote premiums.
An approved 8-hour agency manager course, or documented equivalent experience or education, then 12 hours of related training in the first year and every year after. CDPHE publishes a List of Approved Trainings; we found no prices on it, so ask each provider.
A fixed office in Colorado, CDPHE’s zoning form signed by your city or county zoning department, and a lease in effect before the survey if the agency does not own the space. Any local zoning or business license charges are set by your city or county; we have not checked them.
CDPHE’s guidance says all required policies and procedures must be ready for review at the initial survey. You can write them yourself or start from a manual; either way the governing body or designee adopts them.
If you want Medicaid certification, CDPHE’s checklist says to apply with your initial license application to combine the surveys; applying later means a second initial survey. CDPHE’s survey does not approve billing: enrollment with HCPF is a separate application. Certified agencies take $100 off the base renewal fee.
Fees are set by CDPHE, CBI and CDHS, not by CareRulebook.
CareRulebook
Answer a few questions and CareRulebook writes your Colorado Class B policies and forms, with your agency’s details and the rule quoted under each policy, ready to adopt before the initial survey. Read every policy before you adopt it.
$199CareRulebook founding price for the first 50 Colorado agencies, then $249. Not a CDPHE fee; CDPHE’s $2,720.30 initial license fee is separate.
The order follows CDPHE’s seven steps; only the steps with a fixed time show one. Tick steps off as you go; progress is saved in this browser only.
Secretary of State registration with the exact name you will apply under, an HCA manager who meets Chapter 26, a fixed office in Colorado with the zoning form signed by your city or county, and liability insurance or a surety bond. The full start-up steps.
On CDPHE’s form. CDPHE replies with instructions for COHFI, its online licensing system. CDPHE publishes no time for its reply.
At least 90 calendar days before you plan to start. CDPHE says that is a submission deadline, not a processing time. Pay online: CDPHE says mailed checks may take weeks to reach it, and nothing is processed until the fee arrives.
Applications are reviewed in the order received, and sit as "Technician Pending" until a technician is assigned. Review starts only then.
CDPHE returns sections that need correcting through COHFI. The 14 calendar days is a deadline on you. An application left incomplete for 12 months with no response may be closed.
CDPHE may look at your finances, compliance history and policies and procedures. Proof of insurance is not needed before the fitness review, but a change to the application after it triggers a new fitness review.
CDPHE requests the survey once the application is complete and the fitness review approved. There is usually a queue; a surveyor calls to schedule it, usually on site at your office. Your lease must be in effect by then. What CDPHE checks.
The license is a PDF in COHFI, valid for one year, displayed where clients who come to your office can see it. Insurance must be current before it is issued.
Send the renewal application and fee (from $1,638.36 on the 2026/27 schedule) at least 60 days before the license expires, reporting last year’s admissions. Each year, also report your staff influenza vaccination rate to CDPHE by May 15.
CDPHE gives a range, not a processing time:
Our planning arithmetic, not a CDPHE estimate: if CDPHE’s range holds for your application, an application submitted on December 1, 2026 would lead to a license somewhere between March 1, 2027 and December 1, 2027. The 90 days in the rule is the minimum gap between applying and your planned start; CDPHE says it "in no way reflects the amount of time it will take for CDPHE staff to process your application" (CDPHE guidance).
What you control: a complete application, quick answers to each defect notice (14 calendar days at most), no changes after the fitness review, and policies, personnel files and the quality management plan ready before the surveyor calls. CDPHE says applications that take longer than 12 months are not closed as long as you stay in touch (CDPHE guidance). Our suggestion: do not sign client contracts or set a start date until the license is issued, since operating without one is a misdemeanor and can bring a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation (C.R.S. 25-27.5-103(1)).
Statute · repeal date September 1, 2028
The statute that creates the license says "This article 27.5 is repealed, effective September 1, 2028." (C.R.S. 25-27.5-110(1)), and that before repeal the Department of Regulatory Agencies reviews home care agency licensing (C.R.S. 25-27.5-110(2)). That is the 2024 printed statute, the latest edition posted; we have not checked whether a 2025 or 2026 bill moved the date.
What it means for costs, by our reading. The fee rises in the same article run through fiscal year 2028-29 (which starts on July 1, 2028), and the inflation rule starts in 2029-30, after the printed repeal date. So fees from September 2028 on depend on whether, and how, the legislature continues the law. A sunset does not change what you pay CDPHE today, and we will update this page when DORA’s review or a bill is published.
CDPHE asks owners and the administrator not to be fingerprinted before Form 1 is submitted or before its instructions arrive, or the process may have to be repeated.
CDPHE checklistCDPHE says mailed checks may take weeks to reach it, and no application is processed until the fee arrives.
CDPHE guidanceAn application not completed within 12 months, where the applicant stops responding, may be closed; a new application needs a new initial fee.
Ch. 2, 2.3.2CDPHE says it triggers a new fitness review, full or limited in scope.
CDPHE guidance, step 4The surveys can be combined only if the certification application goes in with the initial license application; later means a second initial survey.
CDPHE checklistLate fees of 10%, 50% or 75% of the total renewal fee, and at day 90 the license is invalid and you apply as new.
CDPHE fee scheduleIf a deficiency that caused or could cause harm is not shown corrected at the first revisit, CDPHE charges a revisit fee of 100% of the initial or renewal fee for the second and each later on-site visit about the same deficiency.
Ch. 26, 4.5(E)A misdemeanor with a fine of $50 to $500, and CDPHE may add a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation.
C.R.S. 25-27.5-103(1)Fees, fines and penalties are set by the state, not by CareRulebook.
No. Chapter 2 says you submit the application at least 90 calendar days before you plan to start. CDPHE says that is a submission deadline that in no way reflects how long processing takes, and that typical initial applications, for any license type, take 3 to 12 months from submission to license.
"This is a submission timeline requirement and in no way reflects the amount of time it will take for CDPHE staff to process your application."
No. Not on the statute’s wording. CDPHE publishes each year’s fee schedule by March 1 for a July 1 start, and C.R.S. 25-27.5-104 raises home care license fees 6% in each of fiscal years 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29, then by Denver-area inflation. The current Class B initial fee is the 2026-27 figure. CDPHE’s licensing guidance adds that initial applications submitted on or before June 30 use the schedule that is ending.
"For each of state fiscal years 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29, six percent; and"
No. A provisional license is not an application route you choose. Chapter 2 lets CDPHE, where an applicant does not fully conform but is making a substantial good faith attempt to comply, refuse the initial license and grant a 90-day provisional license instead, renewable once and never past 180 days in all. CDPHE’s licensing guidance describes the license being issued after an initial survey with zero deficiencies, and does not say when it uses provisional licenses for new agencies.
"the Department may refuse to issue an initial license and instead grant the applicant a provisional license upon payment of the non-refundable provisional license fee."
No. Chapter 2 says every license expires one year from the date it is issued. You send the renewal application and fee at least 60 calendar days before it expires, with last year’s admissions for the volume fee. CDPHE’s fee schedule adds late fees from 6 days after expiry, and a renewal not received by day 90 means you stop operating and apply as new.
"All licenses shall expire one year from the date of issuance"
CDPHE’s initial fee for a Class B (non-medical) home care agency is $2,720.30 on its 2026/27 schedule (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), and the base renewal fee is $1,638.36 a year, plus fees for branches, workstations and admission volume. These are CDPHE’s fees, not CareRulebook prices, and they are non-refundable. On top come CBI’s fingerprint fee for owners of 50% or more and the manager ($39.50 each, plus the fingerprinting vendor’s fee), a CAPS check for each caregiver ($9.00 plus an online processing fee, a CDHS fee), a criminal history check for each hire, and liability insurance or a surety bond. We do not give a total, because insurance and staffing costs vary.
CDPHE says typical initial applications, for all license types, may take anywhere from 3 to 12 months from submission to license, shorter for complete applications and responsive applicants, and that home care agency applications are currently taking extra time because of the number coming in. You apply at least 90 days before you plan to start, but CDPHE says that is a submission deadline, not a processing time. In February 2025 HCPF estimated about 8 months for licensing plus Medicaid enrollment.
Yes, on the statute’s wording. C.R.S. 25-27.5-104 raises home care license fees 6% in each of fiscal years 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29, and by the Denver-area consumer price index from 2029-30. CDPHE publishes each schedule by March 1 for a July 1 start, and applications submitted by June 30 use the schedule that is ending. By our arithmetic the Class B initial fee would be about $2,884 in 2027-28 and about $3,057 in 2028-29; CDPHE’s published schedule is the figure to use.
CDPHE license fees are non-refundable. CDPHE’s guidance says an applicant who feels a refund is warranted may ask through the State Regulation Waiver Application process, with no guarantee it is granted, and that if you paid more than you owed the difference is refunded by check.
For each owner of 50% or more and the manager or administrator, CBI lists $39.50 for its Home Care Agency fingerprint check (Colorado and nationwide), plus the fingerprinting vendor’s own fee, which CBI does not publish. For each caregiver, a CAPS check costs $9.00 plus an online processing fee (a CDHS fee), and the criminal history check (at least a Colorado search) is paid by the agency or the applicant. CBI lists its Internet Criminal History Check, a Colorado name search, at $6.00 per result; whether that alone meets the rule is a question we have put to CDPHE.
No. Running a home care agency that provides in-home personal care without a license is a misdemeanor, with a fine of $50 to $500, and CDPHE can add a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation. CDPHE’s guidance describes the license being issued after an initial survey with zero deficiencies.
The 2024 printed statute says Article 27.5, which creates the license, is repealed on September 1, 2028, and that the Department of Regulatory Agencies reviews home care agency licensing before then. By our reading, the law continues only if the legislature passes a bill. We have not checked 2025 or 2026 bills, and we will update this page when DORA’s review or a bill is published.
CDPHE publishes new home care fees by March 1 each year, has proposed changes to Chapter 2 (comments due November 12, 2026), and the home care law is due for review before September 1, 2028. Leave your email and we will tell you when a Colorado rule or fee change affects your agency.
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