Payment processing in Colorado.
VitaPay serves merchants in Colorado, as it does in every US state. Below are the Colorado rules and official offices worth knowing before you take your first card payment there: the surcharging rule, the sales-tax agency and where the business is registered.
Adding a credit card surcharge in Colorado.
Surcharges allowed with state conditionsSince SB 21-091 (applies to contracts on or after July 1, 2022) a seller may add one surcharge per transaction on credit or charge cards, not exceeding 2% of the total or the merchant discount fee actually paid to the processor. No surcharge on cash, check, debit or gift card. The merchant must post statutory notice wording on premises or online before checkout and show the surcharge as a separate receipt line; violations are enforced under the Uniform Consumer Credit Code.
Citation: C.R.S. 5-2-212
General information, not legal advice. Surcharging laws change, and card network rules apply in addition to Colorado law. Confirm the current rule with the state or your own adviser before adding a surcharge; the sources below show when this was last read.
Sales tax and registration in Colorado.
Sales tax at the point of sale
Sales tax is configured on the terminal before you go live. In Colorado, the agency to register with is:
Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation DivisionColorado also has home-rule cities that administer their own sales tax.
Registering the business
A merchant account is opened in the name of a registered business. In Colorado, business entities are registered with:
Colorado Secretary of State, Business and Licensing DivisionSources and date checked.
- Colorado General Assembly, SB21-091 Credit Transaction Charge Limitations Checked September 21, 2026
- C.R.S. 5-2-212 (public.law) Checked September 21, 2026
- Colorado General Assembly, SB26-134 Payment Card Networks' Fees (vetoed) Checked September 21, 2026
- NFIB Legal Center, Credit Card Surcharge and Cash Discount Laws Guide 2025 (July 2025) Checked September 21, 2026
- Nickel, Credit Card Surcharge Laws by State (as of July 2026) Checked September 21, 2026
- Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation Division Checked September 21, 2026
- Colorado Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division Checked September 21, 2026
Priced the same way in every state.
Interchange and card-network assessments passed through at cost, plus a stated processor margin, quoted in writing for your business. No long-term contract and no early termination penalty.
