Colorado Short-Term Rental Laws by City (2026)
Short-term rental rules in Colorado are set city by city — a property that is legal to rent nightly in one town can be prohibited a few miles away. The table below covers 5 Colorado cities (5 human-verified against official sources), with each city's legal status, permit cost, and last-verified date.
Statewide short-term rental rules in Colorado
Colorado has no statewide short-term rental license and does not preempt local regulation — it is a local-control state where cities and counties set their own STR rules, and HB20-1093 (2020) and HB23-1287 (2023) expressly authorize counties to license STRs and to make platforms delist properties with suspended or revoked local licenses. At the state level, stays under 30 days are subject to Colorado's 2.9% state sales tax (plus any state-administered county lodging and local marketing district taxes), and hosts need a Colorado sales tax license unless they rent exclusively through marketplace facilitators like Airbnb and Vrbo, which must collect these taxes. Bills to reclassify heavily rented STRs as commercial lodging property for property tax (SB24-033, HB24-1299) both died in 2024, while HB25-1247 (signed May 2025) lets county voters raise county lodging taxes from 2% up to 6%. City and county rules apply on top of state law — check your local market's page.
Full statewide rules: permits, taxes & enforcement
Colorado has no statewide short-term rental license and does not preempt local regulation — it is a local-control state where cities and counties set their own STR rules, and HB20-1093 (2020) and HB23-1287 (2023) expressly authorize counties to license STRs and to make platforms delist properties with suspended or revoked local licenses. At the state level, stays under 30 days are subject to Colorado's 2.9% state sales tax (plus any state-administered county lodging and local marketing district taxes), and hosts need a Colorado sales tax license unless they rent exclusively through marketplace facilitators like Airbnb and Vrbo, which must collect these taxes. Bills to reclassify heavily rented STRs as commercial lodging property for property tax (SB24-033, HB24-1299) both died in 2024, while HB25-1247 (signed May 2025) lets county voters raise county lodging taxes from 2% up to 6%. City and county rules apply on top of state law — check your local market's page.
Reviewed by the STR Rule Watch research team against 8 official sources. How we verify data
Colorado statewide STR rules at a glance
| Legal status | Allowed, no permit required |
|---|---|
| Permit required | No |
| Total occupancy taxes | ~2.9% of gross revenue |
| Insurance | No statewide insurance mandate for short-term rentals (some local ordinances impose their own liability insurance requirements). |
| Enforcement | There is no state STR enforcement agency; operational enforcement (permits, caps, zoning) is entirely local. |
| Current rules effective | 2023-08-07 |
State law & local authority
No preemption — Colorado is a local-control state with no Arizona- or Florida-style statute limiting city/county STR regulation. State law affirmatively enables local regulation: HB20-1093 (2020, codified at C.R.S. 30-15-401(1)(s)) grants boards of county commissioners authority to 'license and regulate an owner or owner's agent who rents or advertises the owner's lodging unit for a short-term stay' and to fix fees and revocation terms; municipalities already had this power under home-rule and general police powers. HB23-1287 (effective Aug. 7, 2023) clarified county authority over lodging units rented for under 30 days, excluded hotel units from county STR ordinances, and let counties require local license/permit numbers in online listings and direct 'vacation rental services' (platforms) to remove listings for properties with suspended or revoked licenses. The result is a patchwork: local governments may ban, cap, or freely allow STRs.
State-level taxes
| Tax | Rate | Who collects |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado state sales tax (rooms & accommodations)Applies to rentals of rooms/accommodations; rentals to a permanent resident for at least 30 consecutive days are exempt. Marketplace facilitators (Airbnb, Vrbo) are required to collect and remit the state sales tax, state-administered local sales taxes, county lodging taxes (up to 6% with voter approval under HB25-1247), and local marketing district taxes for bookings on their platforms; hosts who take direct bookings must collect and remit themselves. Home-rule city sales/lodging taxes are administered locally, not by the state DOR. | 2.9% | varies |
Enforcement & penalties
There is no state STR enforcement agency; operational enforcement (permits, caps, zoning) is entirely local. The Colorado Department of Revenue enforces sales tax licensing, collection, and remittance for accommodations, including marketplace facilitator obligations under HB19-1240 (in effect since Oct. 1, 2019). Statewide, carbon monoxide alarms are required in rental dwellings with fuel-fired appliances or attached garages upon any change in tenant occupancy (C.R.S. 38-45-101 et seq.).
State-level penalties are tax-related: standard Colorado sales tax penalties and interest for failure to license, collect, or remit, plus a penalty of $50 or 5% of tax due (whichever is greater) for failing to file/pay county lodging or local marketing district tax returns electronically when required (phasing in 2026-2028). STR operating fines are set and levied locally.
Statewide sources
- Colorado Department of Revenue — Sales & Use Tax Topics: Rooms & Accommodationsretrieved July 10, 2026
- Colorado Department of Revenue — Colorado Sales Tax Guideretrieved July 10, 2026
- Colorado General Assembly — HB20-1093 County Authority License & Regulate Businessretrieved July 10, 2026
- Colorado General Assembly — HB23-1287 County Regulation Related to Short-term Rentalsretrieved July 10, 2026
- Colorado General Assembly — HB25-1247 County Lodging Tax Expansionretrieved July 10, 2026
- Colorado General Assembly — SB24-033 Lodging Property Tax Treatment (postponed indefinitely)retrieved July 10, 2026
- Colorado General Assembly — HB24-1299 Short-Term Rental Unit Property Tax Classification (postponed indefinitely)retrieved July 10, 2026
- C.R.S. § 38-45-104 — Carbon monoxide alarms in rental properties (Justia)retrieved July 10, 2026
| City | Status | Permit fee | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breckenridge | Restricted | $756 | July 10, 2026 |
| Colorado Springs | Restricted | $124.95 | July 21, 2026 |
| Denver | Primary residence only | $150 | July 10, 2026 |
| Steamboat Springs | Restricted | $350 | July 12, 2026 |
| Summit County | Restricted | $360 | July 12, 2026 |
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This page is informational only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Regulations change frequently — verify current requirements with each jurisdiction before operating. HOA and condo rules may prohibit short-term rentals regardless of city law.