5 Star Certification in El Paso County, CO

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) approved El Paso County’s 5 Star Certification Program on Feb. 1, 2021.
CDPHE criteria for a county to apply includes a two-week sustained decline in incidence, a positivity rate under 10 percent to demonstrate improvement over the past two weeks, and under 90 percent of ICU beds in use. Find the most current data on El Paso County Public Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard.

​What is the 5 Star Certification Program?
Colorado’s 5 Star Certification Program encourages businesses to implement safety measures beyond what is already required by public health orders and guidelines. It allows participants to operate at the next-lower level of restrictions on Colorado’s COVID-19 dial. The program is completely voluntary and optional. 
CDPHE developed the framework for the 5 Star Certification Program. El Paso County, City of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, Town of Calhan, City of Fountain, Town of Green Mountain Falls, City of Manitou Springs, Town of Monument, Town of Palmer Lake, and Town of Ramah are providing tools and resources to launch the state’s program and ensure businesses have the option to become certified. We have built a strong support system and are ready to guide your business through the state-regulated certification process if you choose to do so.

Apply for Certification

Businesses will be able to submit their application on Feb. 3, 2021. Before you apply:

1. Review CDPHE’s certification framework to determine if the program is a good fit for your business. Pursuing certification is voluntary and optional.
   • Restaurants: see an at-a-glance graph of your industry-specific requirements from the state here.
2. Review our industry-specific sample mitigation plans and applications to understand what information will be needed for approval.
   • SAMPLE General Business
   • SAMPLE Restaurants, Breweries, and Bars
   • SAMPLE Gyms & Fitness
   • SAMPLE Personal Services
   • SAMPLE Indoor Events
3. Complete your mitigation plan and application based on your industry sector:
   • General Business
   • Restaurants, Breweries, and Bars
   • Gyms & Fitness
   • Personal Services
   • Indoor Events
4. Save your completed mitigation plan and application to your device.
5. Create an account and submit your mitigation plan and application based on the municipality that your business is located in:
   • Calhan
   • Colorado Springs
   • Fountain
   • Green Mountain Falls
   • Manitou Springs
   • Monument
   • Palmer Lake
   • Ramah
   • Unincorporated El Paso County ​

Find step-by-step instructions for submitting your mitigation plan and application here.
Pronto proporcionaremos versiones en inglés y español de todos los documentos. Mientras tanto, para obtener orientación en español, comuníquese con Pikes Peak SBDC al 719-667-3803.
Next Steps

• Once your application has been reviewed and approved, you will be contacted about scheduling an inspection.
  • The inspection and certification process will be implemented by the county’s third-party vendor, SAFEbuilt, with oversight from the 5 Star Certification Program Administrative Committee.
  • SAFEbuilt will also be responsible for reinspection and enforcement of the program requirements.

Resources, Complaints, and Contact Info

• Find a comprehensive list of local and state 5 Star Certification and small business resources here.
• Businesses: If you have submitted your application and are not satisfied with your certification experience, file a complaint here.
• Customers: If you experience a 5 Star Certified business not following the guidelines, you may file a complaint here or by emailing 5StarComplaints@elpasoco.com. This is for filing a complaint against a 5 Star Certified business only.
  • Customers may also file a complaint with the State of Colorado here.
• Have a question? Email elpaso5star@safebuilt.com.

Sales Tax Rebate Program
In addition to Colorado’s 5 Star program, the City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County recently established a sales tax rebate program.

• Qualifying restaurants in El Paso County can get back $700/month of the 1% general sales tax from July 2020 to Feb. 2021.
• Qualifying restaurants in Colorado Springs can get back up to $2,100 a month: $700/month from El Paso County, as well as $1,400/month from the City of Colorado Springs.

Restaurants need to have had a 5% or greater decrease in revenue from Q3 2019 compared to Q3 2020. Your business must be in compliance and current with sales tax filings. If you aren’t current, you can bring your restaurant current and still apply.
Apply today.