shinnslist · guides · Short-term rental rules in the City of Boulder, Colorado
Short-term rental rules in the City of Boulder, Colorado
Bottom line: In the City of Boulder, a short-term rental must be the owner's principal residence and needs a city rental license. The owner must be a person, trust or nonprofit, and the license name must match the deed. Most homes with an ADU are not eligible. Licenses last four years with an annual affidavit.
Free beta checked October 18, 2026 · next check by January 18, 2027 · not legal advice
Guide
Do these rules apply to you?
Not legal advice. Rules change; check the official source. Read on 2026-10-18.
These rules are for property inside City of Boulder limits. Unincorporated Boulder County and other towns have their own rules. Source: the city's Rental Licensing: Short-Term page.
Guide
Who can get a short-term rental license?
- The home must be the owner's principal residence, as defined in Boulder Revised Code 10-1-1(a). The owner certifies this.
- The owner must be a natural person, a trust, or a nonprofit. The license name must match the deed.
- Renters cannot sublet a home for short-term use. The city calls that an illegal use of the property.
Guide
What about accessory dwelling units?
The city says short-term rental is no longer an approved use for a property with an ADU, under 10-3-19(o). The exception is where both the ADU and the short-term rental license were legally set up before Jan. 3, 2019. In that case the ADU may be rented up to 120 days a year, with each stay 29 days or fewer.
Guide
How long does a license last, and what does it cost?
- Licenses are issued for four years.
- Each year, by the anniversary date, the owner files an annual affidavit confirming principal residence. Missing it means the license is revoked.
- A license becomes invalid if the property is sold.
- Fees listed on the city page on 2026-10-18: rental license $190, one-time business license $25, annual affidavit $20.
Guide
What else does the city require?
- No inspection is required. The owner self-certifies smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and other safety items.
- Ads must show the maximum allowed occupancy and the rental housing license number.
- Owners file accommodations tax quarterly and sales and use tax yearly through the city's online tax system.
- Only one license type, short-term or long-term, may be active for a property at a time.
Guide
What does this mean when you look at a property?
A Boulder home owned by an LLC or bought as an investment cannot get a regular short-term rental license. Plan around long-term rental or owner use. Check the property on Boulder County on shinnslist.
By the numbers
Boulder County in the records
| Parcels in the hunt | 109,281 parcels the county files as homes or residential land in Boulder County. |
|---|---|
| Tax bill mailed elsewhere | 28,149 of the 66,392 with a mailing address on file (42%) send the tax bill to an address other than the property. |
| Mailed out of state | 3,787 (6%) send it outside Colorado. |
| Years since the last sale | Median 12.3 years, from 105,859 parcels with a recorded sale: under 5 years 21,824, 5 to 9 22,575, 10 to 19 25,512, 20 or more 35,948. |
Source: shinnslist (county records), read October 16, 2026. How the counts are made and graded: How we grade. Nothing here predicts that an owner will sell. These are counts of public county records.
Questions
Questions people ask
Can an LLC get a Boulder short-term rental license?
No. The city page says the owner must be a natural person, a trust, or a nonprofit, and the license name must match the deed.
Can I rent my whole home short term in Boulder?
Yes, if it is your principal residence and licensed. The city page says there is no limit on rental days per year for the whole home.
Do Boulder short-term rentals need an inspection?
The city page says no inspection is required. The owner self-certifies safety equipment.
Sources
Where each fact comes from
- City of Boulder: Rental Licensing: Short-Term, read October 18, 2026