STR rules · verified 1mo ago
Short-term rental rules in Boulder, CO
The City of Boulder (home of CU Boulder) operates one of the strictest short-term rental ordinances in any major college town: STRs are PERMITTED ONLY IN THE OWNER'S PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE, defined as the dwelling unit where the operator resides for more than one-half of the year. Pure investor / non-owner-occupied STRs are effectively prohibited citywide. Licensing requires a $190 STR license fee + $25 business license + $20 annual affidavit fee; failure to file the annual affidavit certifying principal residency triggers automatic revocation. ADU short-term rental is barred UNLESS both the ADU and license were legally established before January 3, 2019 — and even pre-2019 ADUs are capped at 120 rental nights/year. The owner-occupancy rule was temporarily relaxed only for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival window (per Sept 2025 special-festival license amendment). Boulder is codified at Municipal Code Title 10 Chapter 3 (Rental Licenses).
What's behind the sign-in
- Registration fees — initial + annual renewal cost, per permit type
- Permit caps + waitlists — exact cap values, current waitlist counts
- Owner-occupancy rules — days/year requirement, permit-class splits
- Zoning carve-outs — which districts allow / disallow STR
- Tax stack — TOT, hotel, county + state layers
- Stay limits — min/max nightly, max nights/year
- Operational requirements — parking, insurance, fire inspection, neighbor notice
- Penalties — per-night fines, revocation thresholds
- City-specific gotchas — HOA carve-outs, pending legislation, recent court rulings
- Refresh on demand — re-run the agentic pipeline against the city's current ordinance
Frequently asked
Are short-term rentals legal in Boulder, CO?
Boulder is currently restricted for short-term rentals. Permitted but with material constraints — caps, owner-occupancy rules, zoning carve-outs, or active ordinance review. For the actual fees, caps, owner-occupancy rules, and city-specific gotchas, sign in.
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in Boulder?
Almost certainly yes — almost every U.S. city now requires a short-term rental permit, vacation rental permit, or transient lodging permit before you can legally list. The specifics for Boulder (cost, renewal cycle, required documents) are behind sign-in. You can also read the source ordinance directly: https://bouldercolorado.gov/services/rental-housing-licensing-short-term.
What happens if I rent without a permit in Boulder?
Most cities charge per-night fines (a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per violation), escalating to cease-and-desist letters and platform delisting on repeat. Airbnb and Vrbo now share permit-validation feeds with most major cities, so unpermitted listings get blocked at the platform level. Sign in to see the specific penalty schedule for Boulder.
How current is this data for Boulder?
This record was verified 1mo ago against the city's published ordinance (.gov or the city's official municipal-code publisher). Cached cities re-verify on a cadence — daily for cities under active legislation, weekly otherwise. Signed-in users can hit Refresh on any city to force a fresh pull. If you're underwriting a deal, always confirm against the city's code-enforcement office before closing.
Can my HOA or condo association ban STRs even if Boulder allows them?
Yes. City permits authorize you under municipal law, but your HOA, condo association, or co-op board sets contractual rules that override the city for your unit. Many HOAs adopted blanket STR bans between 2018 and 2024 in response to neighbor complaints. Read the CC&Rs, bylaws, and rental addendums before you buy with an STR plan — the city saying yes does not mean your building says yes.