Colorado is a dual-licensing state, meaning liquor license applications are reviewed at both the local (Town of Estes Park) and State level. Estes Park Town Clerk's Office staff acts as liaison with the State, and all applications for a new license or a transfer must be submitted to the Clerk's office for local approval prior to being forwarded to the State Liquor Enforcement Division for review. Subsequent to approval by both entities, a liquor license will be issued for a one-year period. Liquor licenses must be renewed annually.
Application Process
The liquor license application process can take anywhere from six weeks to six months to complete depending on when the application is received, the complexity of the application, the timing of the public hearing, and the workload at the State Liquor Enforcement Division. Therefore, communication,with the Clerk's office is necessary well in advance of the opening date or, if buying an existing business, well in advance of closing on the sale of the business. Failure to contact the Clerk's office prior to closing on a business may result in interruptions to service and delays in licensing.
- Fingerprinting
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Fingerprints are required for each person named in the application (officers, owners and manager). For more directions on where to get fingerprinting done please view the Fingerprinting Instructions.
- Liquor Law and Regulations
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Staff recommends becoming, familiar with the Colorado Liquor Code and Colorado Liquor Rules. These documents are available on-line at the Colorado Department of Revenue website at https://www.colorado.gov/enforcement/liquor-enforcement-laws-rules-regulations. Additionally, staff recommends reviewing the Sentencing Guidelines for Liquor Violations which were adopted by the Town Board in April 2014. These documents outline the penalties which may be imposed for failure to pass liquor compliance checks or other violations of Colorado liquor law.
Liquor License Appointments
Applying for a liquor license requires attention to detail when completing the application and supplying the required supporting documents. An appointment can be scheduled to obtain an application packet and review the application process and requirements. After a completed application is submitted to the Clerk's office and reviewed by staff, a second appointment will be scheduled to review the application, make revisions and obtain additional documentation, as needed. Call 970-577-4777 to schedule an appointment.
Special Events Permits
A Special Event Permit authorizes the sale of alcohol beverages by the drink to the public. There are two types of Special Event Permits -- one allows sale of malt, vinous, and spirituous liquor, the other allows only the sale of fermented malt beverage. Statutory reference is found in C.R.S. 12-48-101 et sec.