Obtaining a liquor license in the state of Colorado is a privilege, not a right. Liquor licensed locations are governed by city of Aurora code, Colorado state statutes and other rules and regulations.
In order to sell, serve or distribute liquor or fermented malt beverage, at a given location, that location must be licensed by both the city of Aurora and the state of Colorado. A "person" (person defined as a sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, or corporation) desiring to sell alcoholic beverages must first file an application and obtain approval from the Local Licensing Authority. The Local Licensing Authority will conduct a public hearing at which time the applicant, his or her representative, and any witnesses and protestants may appear. At this hearing, the applicant must present sufficient evidence to establish that 1) there is a need in the neighborhood for the type of license being applied for, and 2) the adult inhabitants of the neighborhood desire that the license be granted.
All liquor and fermented malt beverage licenses are issued to: 1) a "person", and 2) a "premise" (premise is defined as a specific location and/or address). Once approved by the Local Licensing Authority, the application is forwarded to the state licensing authority for review. If approved by the state authority, the Local Licensing Authority will issue both state and local licenses.