Colorado makes this one easy. The Certificate of Good Standing comes from the Secretary of State's business database, it costs nothing, and you can print it in a minute if the record is clean. The catch is the word clean. The office only issues the certificate for an entity whose status is Good Standing.
If you still need to confirm how the office works, the Colorado office guide covers searching, fees and contacts. This page covers the certificate itself.
What Good Standing means in Colorado
The state defines it narrowly. Good Standing means the statutory filing requirements have been met with the office. The office does not review or verify the information inside those filings, and it does not investigate how a business operates.
So the certificate shows that the paperwork is current. It does not show that a company is reputable. The Secretary of State describes itself as a filing registry and points people with other questions to the Better Business Bureau or the Attorney General.
How to print a Colorado certificate
| What the state calls it | Certificate of Good Standing (sos.state.co.us, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee | Free online (official version)Free at the state (sos.state.co.us, checked ) |
| Where to order | sos.state.co.us/pubs/business/FAQs/certGoodStanding.html (sos.state.co.us, checked ) |
- Go to the Business Organizations page and search for the entity by name or ID number.
- Open the entity's Summary page.
- Select Get a Certificate of Good Standing.
- Save the PDF or print it, in black and white or color.
The long form certificate is no longer offered. If a lender wants more detail, the Certificate of Good Standing attached to the print friendly Certified Copies page gives the same information.
Why Colorado may refuse the certificate
If the status is anything other than Good Standing, a certificate cannot be issued. Two statuses cause most refusals. Noncompliant means the periodic report was not filed on time or the entity has no registered agent. Delinquent follows when a Noncompliant entity stays that way.
Every status word Colorado uses is explained in our Colorado office guide.
To fix a Noncompliant record, file the late periodic report. To fix a Delinquent record, file a Statement Curing Delinquency. Our guide to the Colorado periodic report walks through both.
Mailers that offer to sell you the same thing
Some companies send letters offering a Colorado good standing certificate for a fee. The office states that its own website offers the official version for free. A paid copy is not a different document.
Using and checking the certificate
A certificate reflects the record on the day it was created. If the company's status changes later, the paper stops being valid. Whoever asks for it may set a time limit, such as an issue date within 30 or 60 days, so print a fresh one close to the deadline.
The confirmation number on the page lets the receiver validate it online. That is usually enough for a bank or a state agency. Foreign countries may want an apostille on top. That is a separate step, covered in our apostille guide.
You can ask our private filing service if you prefer. The state charges nothing for the certificate, and you can print it yourself at any time.
Sources
- www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/business/FAQs/certGoodStanding.html: good standing certificate, certificate fee, certificate ordering. Checked .