CO | Beginning July 1, 2024, the Periodic Report filing fee will increase to $25.
The Colorado State Legislature passed a new law requiring the Department of State to reimburse counties for 45% of the election costs in which the state certifies any of the ballot content. Secretary Griswold opposed putting the new reimbursement costs on Colorado business owners.
“The Colorado state legislature increased the county election reimbursement rate and are requiring Colorado businesses to pay for it. Due to this, the annual business filing fee will be $25 starting July 1. It will still be one of the lowest in the nation,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold.
The Department estimates new laws will increase costs by $6.5 million in the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year, and $9 million in the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year. The majority of these estimated changes result from changes to how counties are reimbursed for election costs in Senate Bill 23-276 (Modifications to Laws Regarding Elections), which goes into effect on July 1, 2024. Some additional costs stem from SB23-214, HB24-1137, HB24-1283, HB24-1326, SB24-072, and SB24-210.
Business entities are required to file Periodic Reports with the Department of State pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes 7-90-501. Periodic Reports state the entity name of the reporting entity, the jurisdiction under the law of which the reporting entity is formed, the registered agent name and address, and the principal office address of the reporting entity.
The cost of filing a Periodic Report has been $10 since the Department of State moved to online filing in 2006. Increasing this fee to $25 ensures the Department can accommodate reimbursements to counties during the next two fiscal years, which include the 2024 General Election as well as the 2025 Coordinated Election and 2026 State Primary Election. With the change, Colorado will be one of 10 states to charge $25 for annual renewal fees. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia charge higher business renewal fees than Colorado, and the national average for these fees is over $58.