Boulder Short-Term Rental Regulations

New to short-term rentals? Jump to the compliance checklist →

Permit & Licensing

Short-Term Rental License (Rental Housing License - Short-Term)

The property must be your primary residence. This means investment properties are not eligible for this permit type.

Application Process

Submit the Rental License Short-Term Application online (or by mail to Planning and Development Services, c/o Rental Licensing Program, P.O. Box 791, Boulder, CO 80306). The application must include a true copy of a Colorado driver's license or Colorado ID card showing the dwelling unit as the applicant's address, a sworn statement that the unit is the applicant's principal residence, certification that the unit has operational smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and other required life-safety equipment, and the names/phone numbers of two local contacts able to respond to the property within 60 minutes. The applicant's name must be on the property deed (natural person, a trust with a natural-person beneficiary, or a qualifying 501(c) nonprofit) with at least 50% fee-simple ownership. Pay the $190 rental license fee plus a one-time $25 business license fee on the Customer Self-Service Portal once the application is processed. The license runs for 4 years; a Short-Term Rental Annual Affidavit and $20 fee must be filed each year by the license anniversary date to keep it active, or the license will be revoked.

Tax Obligations

Combined rate: 12.835% of gross rental income.

Collection: Short-term rental operators must register for and remit the City of Boulder's 7.5% accommodations tax through the Boulder Online Tax System. Because Boulder is a home-rule, self-collected municipality, city taxes are filed and remitted directly to the City of Boulder rather than through the Colorado Department of Revenue, which separately collects the state, Boulder County, and RTD tax components on rooms and accommodations.

Rental Limits

Boulder does not impose an annual cap on the number of nights you can rent. Each individual stay must be 29 consecutive days or fewer per stay.

Occupancy & Density Limits

No short-term-rental-specific numeric occupancy cap; occupancy of the dwelling unit may not exceed the limit permitted for the property under the city's Property Maintenance Code (Chapter 10-2, B.R.C. 1981).

Zoning & Restrictions

Boulder does not use a separate zoning overlay for short-term rentals; instead the license itself is restricted to the owner's principal residence, and the city manager may not issue more than one short-term rental license to any applicant. A detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) or its associated principal dwelling unit may only be rented short-term if both units were legally established by February 1, 2019 and already hold a license; no new ADU short-term rental license applications have been accepted since that date, and an ADU short-term rental is capped at 120 days per calendar year with only one of the ADU/principal unit rentable short-term at a time.

Insurance & Safety

Insurance

Boulder does not require short-term rental operators to carry specific insurance. Standard homeowner policies often exclude short-term rental activity, so many hosts obtain dedicated short-term rental or landlord liability coverage.

Safety & Operating Requirements

• Applicant must certify the dwelling unit is equipped with operational smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and other life safety equipment as may be required by the city manager (self-certified; short-term rentals are not subject to the pre-license inspection requirement that applies to standard rental licenses).
• Applicant must provide the names and telephone numbers of two local contacts (in addition to the applicant, for owner-operated rentals these may be permanent residents on the property) who are capable of responding to the property within sixty minutes.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Operating without a valid license, or otherwise violating the rental licensing chapter, is punishable by a fine of at least $500 and not more than $2,000 per violation, or up to ninety days in jail, or both. Separately, through an administrative process the city manager may impose civil penalties on an escalating schedule ($150 for a first violation of a provision, $300 for a second violation of the same provision, $1,000 for a third violation of the same provision), revoke the rental license, and/or issue compliance orders; the city manager also assesses a $250 fee per investigative inspection. After a license is revoked, the city will not accept a new application for the same dwelling unit for at least six months.

Platform Requirements

Any advertisement for a short-term rental, including listings on booking platforms, must display the maximum allowed unrelated occupancy and must include the property's valid short-term rental license number once assigned by the city manager.

Compliance Checklist

Follow these steps to legally operate a short-term rental in Boulder:

1. Confirm eligibility. The property must be your primary residence. Investment properties are not eligible.
2. Meet safety requirements. Applicant must certify the dwelling unit is equipped with operational smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and other life safety equipment as may be required by the city manager (self-certified; short-term rentals are not subject to the pre-license inspection requirement that applies to standard rental licenses). Applicant must provide the names and telephone numbers of two local contacts (in addition to the applicant, for owner-operated rentals these may be permanent residents on the property) who are capable of responding to the property within sixty minutes.
3. Apply for Short-Term Rental License (Rental Housing License - Short-Term). Submit application + $190 rental license fee + $25 one-time business license fee ($215 total for a new application) fee.
4. Register for tax accounts. Set up lodging tax accounts with City of Boulder Sales Tax & Licensing Division.
5. Display your permit number. Include your permit/license number in all listings and advertisements.
6. Collect and remit taxes. 12.835% on all bookings.
7. Renew every 4 years. $190 rental license fee (the one-time $25 business license fee is not repeated); a separate $20 fee is due annually with the Short-Term Rental Annual Affidavit renewal fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need a permit to run an Airbnb in Boulder?

Yes. Operating a short-term rental — including an Airbnb or Vrbo — in Boulder requires a short-term rental permit.

Does Boulder require a short-term rental to be your primary residence?

Yes. Every Boulder permit type requires the property to be your primary residence, so investment or non-owner-occupied rentals generally are not eligible.

How many days a year can you short-term rent in Boulder?

Boulder does not cap the total number of nights per year, but each individual stay must be 29 consecutive days or fewer.

What taxes do you pay on a short-term rental in Boulder?

Short-term rental stays in Boulder are subject to a combined 12.835% in lodging taxes. This combines 7.50% City of Boulder Accommodations Tax + 2.90% Colorado State Sales Tax + 1.335% Boulder County Sales Tax + 1.10% RTD (Regional Transportation District) Tax. The host is responsible for collecting and remitting them.