Short-Term Rental Regulations · Breckenridge / Summit County, CO
Is Breckenridge short-term-rental friendly?
Both Breckenridge and unincorporated Summit County require a license before any rental under 30 days, and both cap new licenses: the Town caps licenses by mapped zone, with the downtown and residential zones full and waitlisted as of July 2026, while the County caps Type II licenses by basin and is not accepting new Type II applications. Cost and tax burdens differ: Breckenridge charges an annual regulatory fee of $756 per bedroom on top of license fees and taxes lodging stays at a combined 12.275 percent, while county license fees run $240 to $360 per year with a combined 8.375 percent tax. Buyers targeting resort-zoned or Zone 1 properties still find open availability in both jurisdictions.
Last updated: . Every fact links to its official source.
Town-by-town rules
| Town | Permit required? | Annual cost | Primary-residence / night-cap limits | Lodging tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breckenridge | A valid short-term rental (accommodation unit) license is required for each property rented for less than 30 consecutive days, regardless of how few days per year it is rented or how it is marketed. The license must be obtained before advertising, the license number must be displayed in all advertising, and licenses are non-transferable and non-refundable when the property sells. Owners must also obtain a Town business and occupational license (BOLT) and designate a responsible agent who is available 24/7 and responds to complaints within 60 minutes. Rules come from Town Code Title 4, Chapter 6 and Ordinances 29 (2021) and 28 (2022). (Town of Breckenridge, Accommodation Unit (Short Term Rentals) Licenses (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge, Apply for a license or join a waitlist (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge Ordinance No. 28, Series 2022 (Accommodation Unit Regulations) (opens in a new tab)) | Annual accommodation unit license fee: $75 for a studio, $100 for one bedroom, $125 for two bedrooms, $150 for three bedrooms, and $175 for four or more bedrooms. On top of that, an annual accommodation unit regulatory fee of $756 per studio or bedroom applies with no cap on bedrooms charged, so the Town's own example puts a four bedroom at $3,199 per year including the $175 license fee. A separate annual Town business and occupational license (BOLT) must also be paid before the accommodation unit license is issued. The regulatory fee is waived if the unit is the license holder's primary residence and is rented 21 days or less per year. (Town of Breckenridge, Accommodation Unit Licenses FAQ (fee schedule) (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge, Accommodation Unit (Short Term Rentals) Licenses (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge Ordinance No. 28, Series 2022 (regulatory fee, Section 4-6-3) (opens in a new tab)) | No owner residency requirement and no annual night cap was found in the cited official materials. The Town limits licenses instead: a townwide cap of 2,200 non-exempt licenses adopted in September 2021 is reached through attrition when properties sell, and Ordinance 28 (2022) added four mapped zones with separate caps. As of July 2026: Zone 1 (Tourism) allows 1,680 licenses with 1,221 current, 467 available and no waitlist; Zone 2 (downtown core) allows 130 licenses, is full and waitlisted; Zone 3 (residential areas) allows 390 licenses with 1,002 grandfathered current licenses and is full and waitlisted; the Resort Properties Zone (1,711 current licenses) has no waitlist. Existing licenses were grandfathered above the Zone 2 and Zone 3 caps and retire only through property sales or non-renewal. (Town of Breckenridge, License Availability, Current Licenses and Waitlists (July 2026) (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge, Historical Development of License Caps and Regulations (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge Ordinance No. 28, Series 2022 (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge, Accommodation Unit Licenses FAQ (21-day primary residence exemption) (opens in a new tab)) | The Town's official tax rate page shows a combined 12.275 percent tax on condo and lodging rentals under 30 days: 8.875 percent combined sales tax (2.5 percent Town, 2.9 percent Colorado state, 2.0 percent Summit County, 0.75 percent Mass Transportation System, 0.725 percent Multi-Jurisdictional Housing Authority) plus the 3.4 percent Town Public Accommodation Tax. Town taxes are remitted directly to the Town (home rule) and the remainder to the Colorado Department of Revenue. Airbnb collects and remits Town short-term rental taxes on bookings made on or after October 1, 2019, and Vrbo on bookings made on or after January 1, 2020; self-managed or other-platform bookings require the owner to file and remit. (Town of Breckenridge, Tax Rates and Revenue Distributions (accommodations tax example) (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge, General Tax Information Guide (PDF) (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge, Accommodation Unit Licenses FAQ (platform collection) (opens in a new tab)) |
| Summit County (unincorporated) | A short-term vacation rental (STR) license is required for any property in unincorporated Summit County rented for periods of less than 30 consecutive days. Applications go through the county's Host Compliance portal with a Colorado sales tax license number (or platform license numbers), a signed acknowledgment form, an OWTS septic pumper report from the last 3 years if on septic, a well permit and augmentation proof if on well water with a hot tub, and entity documentation for LLC or trust ownership. Licenses run October 1 to September 30 and must be renewed by September 30 each year. Ordinance 22 (2024) requires platforms to display a valid STR license number on all listings and to remove non-compliant listings, and a Responsible Agent must be available 24/7 and respond to issues within 60 minutes. (Summit County, Short-Term Rental License Application (opens in a new tab), Summit County, STR Regulations (opens in a new tab), Summit County, Short-Term Rentals (opens in a new tab)) | Annual license fees from the county's published fee schedule: Resort Overlay Zone resort license $295 per year, Neighborhood Overlay Zone Type I $240 per year, and Neighborhood Overlay Zone Type II $360 per year. Renewals each September are charged at the full license price, fees are not prorated and are non-refundable, and the fee schedule is reviewed each March. Joining a Type II basin waitlist requires a $75 non-refundable application fee. (Summit County, Short-Term Rental License Application (License Fees) (opens in a new tab), Summit County, STR Waitlist ($75 fee) (opens in a new tab)) | No blanket owner residency requirement, but limits differ by zone. In the Neighborhood Overlay Zone, new Type II applications are not being accepted and Type II licenses are capped by basin: Lower Blue cap 550 (508 as of January 2026), Upper Blue cap 590 (563), Snake River cap 130 (137), and Ten Mile cap 20 (24), with waitlists for Lower Blue, Upper Blue and Snake River. Type I and Type II licenses are limited to 35 booking parties per license year, counted October 1 to September 30 by booking start date, with rental records submitted at renewal. Type I exception licenses are uncapped and issued continuously but require a Qualified Occupant (owner or long-term renter) who lives on the property at least 9 months per year and works at least 30 hours per week in Summit County. The Resort Overlay Zone (Copper Mountain, Tiger Run Resort, portions of Keystone, and unincorporated areas at the base of Peaks 7 and 8) has no cap on licenses and no restriction on the number of nights rented. (Summit County, STR Regulations (basin caps) (opens in a new tab), Summit County, Short-Term Rental FAQ's (35 bookings, Type I and Type II) (opens in a new tab), Summit County STR Acknowledgements and Affidavit (Ordinance 20-C form, 35 bookings attestation) (opens in a new tab), Summit County, Short-Term Rental License Application (Resort Overlay Zone) (opens in a new tab)) | Sales tax for short-term rentals in unincorporated Summit County is paid to the Colorado Department of Revenue at 6.375 percent, of which the state forwards 2 percent to the county, plus a voter-approved Short-Term Rental Lodging Tax of 2 percent on all lodging stays under 30 days effective January 1, 2023, also collected by the state, for a combined 8.375 percent. Airbnb, Vrbo and HomeAway collect and remit sales and lodging taxes on their bookings, and owners using them exclusively do not need their own sales tax license. Owners self-managing on other platforms or through direct bookings need their own Colorado sales tax license with jurisdiction code Unincorporated Summit County (61-0206, 61-0023 or 61-0024). (Summit County, Short-Term Rental Tax Information (opens in a new tab)) |
"Not found" means the restriction was not located in the linked official materials reviewed as of the update date. It does not prove that no later, uncodified, parcel-specific, or special-district rule applies.
Good to know
- Breckenridge: Breckenridge caps licenses by mapped zone rather than by nights, so the first question is the property's zone on the Town's GIS map: Zone 1 tourism properties can be licensed today, downtown Zone 2 and residential Zone 3 require the waitlist, and licenses die on sale because they are non-transferable. The $756 per bedroom regulatory fee compounds on large homes, and a 24/7 responsible agent must respond to complaints within 60 minutes. Homeowner association covenants can be stricter than Town rules, and operating without a license or before approval exposes owners to Town enforcement and fines under Ordinance 28. (Town of Breckenridge, Accommodation Unit (Short Term Rentals) Licenses (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge, License Availability, Current Licenses and Waitlists (July 2026) (opens in a new tab), Town of Breckenridge, Accommodation Unit Licenses FAQ (opens in a new tab))
- Summit County (unincorporated): Unincorporated Summit County is effectively closed to new Type II STR licenses in its Neighborhood Overlay Zone (neighborhoods including Wildernest, Summit Cove, Dillon Valley, Mesa Cortina, Buffalo Mountain and Peak 7), so buyers there need a basin waitlist spot, a Type I workforce license with a Qualified Occupant in residence, or a license preserved through one of the limited ownership transfers in Ordinance 20-C Section 2.8. Resort-zoned properties remain open with no license cap and no night limit. Properties inside town limits such as Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco or Silverthorne follow that town's rules instead, so verify jurisdiction with the county GIS Parcel Query Tool before applying. (Summit County, STR Regulations (basin caps and transfers) (opens in a new tab), Summit County, Short-Term Rental License Application (jurisdiction check) (opens in a new tab), Summit County, Short-Term Rental FAQ's (opens in a new tab))
FAQ
Do I need a license before I advertise my Breckenridge home for short-term rental?
Yes. The Town requires an accommodation unit license before advertising or operating, the license number must appear in all advertising including online listings, and the license is non-transferable when the property sells, which means a sale ends the license rather than passing it to the buyer.
How much does a Breckenridge short-term rental license cost each year?
The annual accommodation unit license fee is $75 for a studio up to $175 for four or more bedrooms, plus the annual regulatory fee of $756 per studio or bedroom with no bedroom cap, which the Town's example puts at $3,199 per year for a four bedroom including the $175 license fee. A separate annual Town business and occupational license (BOLT) is also required. Owners whose primary residence is rented 21 days or less per year can apply to be exempt from the regulatory fee.
Can I still get a new short-term rental license in unincorporated Summit County?
Only in some cases. New Type II licenses in the Neighborhood Overlay Zone are capped by basin and applications are not being accepted, with $75 waitlist applications for the Lower Blue, Upper Blue and Snake River basins. Type I exception licenses are issued continuously if you have a Qualified Occupant who lives on the property at least 9 months a year and works at least 30 hours a week in Summit County, and the Resort Overlay Zone such as Copper Mountain, Tiger Run and parts of Peaks 7 and 8 remains open with no cap.
Is there a night limit on short-term rentals in Breckenridge or Summit County?
The Town of Breckenridge has no annual night cap; it limits the number of licenses by zone instead. In unincorporated Summit County, Type I and Type II licenses are limited to 35 booking parties per license year counted October 1 to September 30 by booking start date, with rental records submitted at renewal, while Resort Overlay Zone licenses have no limit on the number of nights rented.
General information, not legal advice. Short-term rental rules change, so verify current requirements with the jurisdiction before listing.