Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Rules in Boulder, CO (2026)

Boulder, CO allows short-term rentals — commonly listed on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO — subject to local regulations that have evolved significantly since 2015. Hosts must register with the city (Short-Term Rental License) before listing their property. Boulder regulates STRs to balance tourism revenue with neighborhood quality of life. Key rules cover primary residence requirements, nightly limits, occupancy caps, and tax collection obligations. Hosts who operate without required registration or in violation of city rules face substantial fines. Below are the current registration requirements, rules, platform-specific notes, and penalties for Boulder.

Registration Requirements

Registration Required: Short-Term Rental License. Registration fee: $150. Annual renewal: $150 annually. Register through the Boulder Planning and Development Services — Building Safety Division or Boulder Planning and Development Services — Planning Division. Your registration number must be displayed on all platform listings. Failure to register before hosting is a violation subject to fines.

Operational Rules

Short-Term Rental Rules in Boulder: 1. Boulder STR license required for all rentals of 30 days or fewer 2. Primary residence requirement — host must use as principal residence 3. Whole-home STR limited to 120 nights per year when host not present 4. Hosted STRs (host present) have no night cap 5. STR license must be posted in unit and on all platform listings 6. Boulder Accommodations Tax (7.9%) collected by platforms plus state/county taxes 7. Maximum occupancy: 2 guests per bedroom 8. Local contact person required for out-of-town owners

• •Boulder STR license required for all rentals of 30 days or fewer
• •Primary residence requirement — host must use as principal residence
• •Whole-home STR limited to 120 nights per year when host not present
• •Hosted STRs (host present) have no night cap
• •STR license must be posted in unit and on all platform listings
• •Boulder Accommodations Tax (7.9%) collected by platforms plus state/county taxes
• •Maximum occupancy: 2 guests per bedroom
• •Local contact person required for out-of-town owners

Platform-Specific Rules

Platform-Specific Rules in Boulder: Airbnb: Airbnb collects Boulder Accommodations Tax and applicable state/county taxes VRBO: VRBO collects applicable Boulder and Colorado taxes Always verify current platform tax collection and remittance policies directly with your platform — these can change without advance notice to hosts.

Penalties for Violations

Penalties for STR Violations in Boulder: $250 per day for STR without valid license; $500 per violation for noise or occupancy violations; License revocation for repeat violations. Boulder has enforcement mechanisms to identify unlicensed short-term rental listings on platforms. Hosts should ensure all registrations are current and listings display valid registration numbers.

• ⚠$250 per day for STR without valid license
• ⚠$500 per violation for noise or occupancy violations
• ⚠License revocation for repeat violations

Frequently Asked Questions