What is a short-term rental? In Summit County, Colorado, a short-term rental is considered any rental that is for 30 days or less.
When we discuss short-term rentals (STR) in Summit County, Colorado, it is also important that you understand that “one-size” does not fit all throughout the County. Each entity has its own set of guidelines that must be followed – so it is in your best interest to work with a real estate agent who has a good understanding of IF you are able to rent the home you are considering purchasing and WHAT guidelines you must follow.
Let’s begin with Unincorporated Summit County
Any property within the Summit County borders but NOT within town limits, is considered “Unincorporated Summit County”. This includes the resorts of Keystone & Copper Mountain as well as popular areas like Wildernest, Summit Cove, Boreas Pass areas, areas south of Breckenridge (but not in the Blue River town limits), and Dillon Valley.
On Tuesday, May 24th, the County Commissioners once again put a moratorium on the issuance of new STR licenses in their Neighborhood Overlay Zone in unincorporated Summit County. This means that this moratorium DOES NOT affect properties in Keystone or Copper Mountain resorts. This moratorium only applies to new licenses in the Neighborhood Overlay Zone and does NOT affect existing licenses, pending applications, or renewals. There are 2 scenarios under which individuals/entities may request a Special Exception to the moratorium:
1. The purchaser needs to have been under contract on a property prior to May 25, 2022.
2. If the property is under construction, the foundation wall inspection needs to have been passed by Jun 23, 2022.
The purpose of the moratorium is to allow staff time to propose new regulations to address the increase in STRs in the Neighborhood Overlay Zone and their impact on local workforce housing.
We will update you as soon as new regulations are put into place.
For more information about STRs in Unincorporated areas of Summit County, please click here: https://www.summitcountyco.gov/1221/Short-Term-Rentals
Town of Breckenridge:
On September 28, 2021, the Breckenridge Town Council placed a cap on the number of licenses allowed for non-exempt STR properties at 2,200. When this was put in place, there were over 3,200 STR licenses in Breckenridge. The number of licenses do need to drop below 2,200 before they will issue new licenses.
There are some properties that are exempt from this cap and they include properties in developments that have the following: a) a 24 hour front desk b) a 24 hour telephone system and c) a 24 hour on-site private security. Specific complexes that are currently identified as exempt include: Beaver Run, Bluesky, Crystal Peak, Grand Colorado, Grand Lodge on Peak 7, Grand Timber Lodge, Main Street Station, Marriott Vacations, Mountain Thunder Lodge, One Ski Hill Place, River Mountain Lodge, Valdoro, and Water House.
The Town Council is considering adjusting properties that are eligible for STR licenses by creating overlays for 1) tourism (those exempted properties above) 2) a downtown area, and 3) a single-family home regulation. This is still in the discussion stage and as soon as we know more, we will share it with you.
For more information on Breckenridge Short-term rentals, please click here: https://www.townofbreckenridge.com/your-government/finance/short-term-rentals
Town of Frisco:
The Town of Frisco has not passed any regulations limiting STRs except that people within the Town limits can only short-term rent to 2 individuals per bedroom plus 4 additional occupants. For example, if you have a 2 bedroom unit, the maximum occupancy is 8.
You must obtain a STR license from the town and that fee is $250 per year.
For more information on Frisco short-term rentals, please click here: https://www.friscogov.com/departments/finance/sales-and-lodging-tax/short-term-rental-license-application-process/short-term-rental-regulations/
Town of Silverthorne:
Like Frisco, the Town of Silverthorne has not passed any regulations at this time limiting STRs. Their guidelines allow for up to 2 people per bedroom plus 2 additional occupants. For example, if you have a 2-bedroom unit, the maximum occupancy is 6.
They did recently approve a ballot issue increase the lodging tax from 2% to 6% which goes into effect on July 1st.
For more information about STRs in Silverthorne, please click here: https://www.silverthorne.org/town-government/finance-administrative-services/short-term-rental-licenses
Town of Dillon:
The Town of Dillon requires both a business license and a short-term rental license in order to rent your property for 30 days or less. At this point in time, they have not imposed any caps or moratoriums on STR’s.
For more information about Dillon STRs, please click here: https://www.dillonco.gov/business/short-term-rental-str-faq-s
Town of Blue River:
The Town of Blue River has not implanted a “cap” or limit on the number of short-term rentals in the Town of Blue River. This is currently being evaluated by the Board of Trustees to determine the best balance for the community.
As with the other towns, you will need a license from the Town of Blue River in order to rent your property for 30 days or less. They allow 2 people per bedroom plus 2.
For more information about the Town of Blue River STRs, please click here:
https://townofblueriver.colorado.gov/short-term-rentals/know-the-rules
As you can tell by unincorporated Summit County and the Town of Breckenridge, these regulations are a constant topic and county and town meetings. We will continue to provide you with updates as more changes are made.