---
name: colorado-sales-tax
description: "Use this skill whenever asked about Colorado sales and use tax, home-rule cities, CDOR filings. Trigger on phrases like \"Colorado sales tax\", \"CO sales tax\", \"CDOR\", \"home-rule city Colorado\", \"retail delivery fee\". ALWAYS load us-sales-tax first."
license: "AGPL-3.0-or-later (code) / OpenAccountants Guide License v1.0 (content)"
metadata:
  source: openaccountants
  openaccountants_url: "https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/colorado-sales-tax"
  jurisdiction: "US-CO"
  tax_year: "2025"
  last_updated: "2026-07-13"
  review_status: "pending_review"
---

# Colorado Sales Tax

## Section 1 -- Quick reference

**Quick reference**

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Jurisdiction | Colorado |
| State rate | 2.90% (lowest in the US) |
| Maximum combined rate | ~11.2% (with home-rule city taxes) |
| Sourcing | Destination-based (state); home-rule cities may differ |
| Economic nexus | $100,000 in retail sales |
| Tax authority | Colorado Department of Revenue (CDOR) |
| Portal | https://www.colorado.gov/revenueonline |
| SST member | Yes (associate) |
| Home-rule cities | ~70+ self-administer their own sales tax |
| Skill version | 2.0 |

**CRITICAL: ~70+ home-rule cities self-administer with different rates, rules, and exemptions. Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs, Boulder are all home-rule.**

## Section 3 -- Transaction pattern library

**Transaction pattern library**

| Pattern | Taxable? | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| General TPP | TAXABLE 2.9% + local |  |
| Clothing | TAXABLE | No exemption |
| Grocery food (unprepared) | EXEMPT from state | Local may still tax food |
| Prepared food | TAXABLE |  |
| SaaS | NOT TAXABLE |  |
| Canned software (download) | TAXABLE |  |
| Professional services | NOT TAXABLE |  |
| Manufacturing equipment | EXEMPT |  |
| Prescription drugs | EXEMPT |  |
| OTC drugs | EXEMPT |  |
| Resale | EXEMPT |  |

## Section 10 -- Prohibitions

- **Home-rule cities** — NEVER ignore home-rule cities -- ~70+ cities self-administer with different rules.
- **SaaS taxability** — NEVER treat SaaS as taxable in Colorado.
- **Grocery food exemption scope** — NEVER forget grocery food is exempt from STATE tax but local may still apply.
- **No computation** — NEVER compute any number.

## Disclaimer

Informational only. Review by qualified professional required before filing.

## Disclaimer

This skill and its outputs are provided for informational and computational purposes only and do not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Open Accountants and its contributors accept no liability for any errors, omissions, or outcomes arising from the use of this skill. All outputs must be reviewed and signed off by a qualified professional (such as a CPA, EA, tax attorney, or equivalent licensed practitioner in your jurisdiction) before filing or acting upon.

The most up-to-date, verified version of this skill is maintained at [openaccountants.com](https://openaccountants.com). Log in to access the latest version, request a professional review from a licensed accountant, and track updates as tax law changes.

<!-- openaccountants-cta-block -->

---

## Talk to a verified accountant

This guide is maintained by the OpenAccountants network — accountants who put
their name behind the tax answers AI gives people. The live, always-current
version (and the professional behind it) is at
[openaccountants.com](https://www.openaccountants.com).

- Use it in your AI: https://www.openaccountants.com/connect
- Meet the accountants: https://www.openaccountants.com/network

> **General reference only.** This document does not constitute tax, legal, or
> financial advice. Verify figures against the cited primary sources or with a
> licensed professional before relying on them.

## Today's figures and who stands behind this skill

This file is an AI skill (tax rules your AI follows) from OpenAccountants, copied on 2026-07-13. Rates, thresholds and deadlines change. For the current version of this skill, its official sources and the named accountant (if any) who stands behind it, call `get_skill` with slug `colorado-sales-tax` on the OpenAccountants connector (https://www.openaccountants.com/connect), or read https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/colorado-sales-tax. If neither is available, confirm every figure against the official source pages cited above before relying on it.