Decloak is an AI-powered web security intelligence platform that scans a site's HTTP/TLS posture, JavaScript, and third-party scripts to produce a report anyone can read. This guide is part of Decloak's library of practical, source-backed security guidance.
In this guide
- Key takeaways
- What is the DORA license lookup tool?
- Which professions can I check?
- How do I perform a manual lookup?
- What details does the result show?
- How can developers access the data programmatically?
- Example: Pulling the dataset via the CIM API
- Rate limits and usage policy
- Data freshness
- When to use the portal vs. CIM
- Contact and support
- Bottom line
Key takeaways
- The official DORA portal (https://apps2.colorado.gov/dora/licensing/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx) lets anyone verify any Colorado professional or business license for free.
- You can search by license number, name, business name, or license prefix; results show type, issue/expiration dates, and status (Active, Inactive, Lapsed, Suspended, Revoked).
- For programmatic or bulk access, use the Colorado Information Marketplace (CIM) instead of the interactive portal, which disallows automated crawling.
- Always respect the usage restrictions: the portal is for individual lookups; large - scale extraction requires the CIM API.
What is the DORA license lookup tool?
The DORA license lookup is Colorado's official web page for verifying any state - regulated professional or business license. It aggregates more than 80 000 individual licensees across over 80 license types into a single searchable interface.
Which professions can I check?
You can look up accountants, architects, engineers, electricians, plumbers, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, veterinarians, social workers, and many other regulated occupations. Each profession has a short prefix (e.g., CPA, RN, PL) that appears in the dropdown list on the form.
How do I perform a manual lookup?
- Open the portal at https://apps2.colorado.gov/dora/licensing/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx.
- Select the profession from the dropdown or type its prefix.
- Enter either a numeric license number, a first and last name, a business name, or a prefix - plus - number combination (e.g., CPA - 12345).
- Click Search. The page returns any matching records.
- Review the License status field - only Active indicates the holder is currently authorized to work.
What details does the result show?
Each matching record lists:
- License type (e.g., Master Electrician, Journeyman Plumber)
- License number
- Issue date
- Expiration date
- Current status (Active, Inactive, Lapsed, Suspended, Revoked) If a public disciplinary action exists, a link to the discipline roster provides case number, description, and effective dates.
How can developers access the data programmatically?
The interactive portal is rate - limited and explicitly states it is not for web - crawling. For bulk or automated queries, use the Colorado Information Marketplace (CIM) at data.colorado.gov. CIM offers the full "Licensee/Discipline" dataset in CSV or JSON and provides an API endpoint with pagination and filtering.
Example: Pulling the dataset via the CIM API
curl "https://data.colorado.gov/resource/7g8b-5xk8.json?$limit=5000" > licenses.json
Replace $limit with the desired number of rows (the API supports up to 1000 per request; use pagination for larger extracts). The JSON objects contain the same fields shown in the manual lookup, plus additional internal identifiers.
Rate limits and usage policy
- The manual portal allows only a few queries per minute per IP address.
- CIM enforces a standard API rate limit of 1,000 requests per hour per API key. Contact DORA if you need higher throughput.
- Respect the "not designed for web - crawling" notice on the portal; violating it can result in IP blocking.
Data freshness
Both the portal and CIM refresh the license data nightly. The portal reflects the same snapshot as the CIM download, ensuring consistency between manual and programmatic checks.
When to use the portal vs. CIM
| Use case | Recommended method |
|---|---|
| Verify a single license for a customer or employee | Manual portal lookup |
| Build a compliance dashboard that checks many licenses daily | CIM API with scheduled jobs |
| Research disciplinary trends across all professions | Download the full CSV from CIM |
Contact and support
If you encounter issues, call 303 - 894 - 7855 (or toll - free 1 - 800 - 886 - 7675) or email DORA_Customercare@state.co.us.
Bottom line
Colorado's DORA license lookup provides a free, authoritative way to confirm the status of any regulated professional or business license. Use the web form for occasional checks and the Colorado Information Marketplace for bulk or automated access, always adhering to the stated usage restrictions.
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