Guide · Cost to run
What it costs to run a Breckenridge short-term rental.
A license is the cheap part to understand and the hard part to get. Here are the fees, taxes and limits that decide whether a Breckenridge property pencils out, with the math.
The short answer
Four numbers to know
| Annual license cost | $856 for one bedroom, $2,418 for three A regulatory fee of up to $756 per bedroom or studio, plus a business and occupational license tax of $75 to $175 depending on size. |
|---|---|
| Lodging tax | 12.275% on stays under 30 days Five layers of tax, charged to the guest. Airbnb and Vrbo collect it under an agreement with the town. |
| Licenses | Capped by zone, with waitlists in two Zone 1 (Tourism) 1,680; Zone 2 (Downtown Core) 130; Zone 3 (residential) 390. Zones 2 and 3 are over their caps. |
| Guest limit | Two per bedroom plus four Studios are capped at four guests total. |
Fixed cost
What the license costs per year
The town publishes the full annual cost as a table: the business and occupational license tax (BOLT) plus the regulatory fee, which scales with bedrooms. The last three columns show how many booked nights it takes to cover the total at a nightly rate you earn before tax (example rates, not forecasts).
| Size | BOLT | Regulatory fee | Total per year | Max guests | Nights at $300 | Nights at $500 | Nights at $800 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $75 | $756 | $831 | 4 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| 1 bedroom | $100 | $756 | $856 | 6 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.1 |
| 2 bedrooms | $125 | $1,512 | $1,637 | 8 | 5.5 | 3.3 | 2.0 |
| 3 bedrooms | $150 | $2,268 | $2,418 | 10 | 8.1 | 4.8 | 3.0 |
| 4 bedrooms | $175 | $3,024 | $3,199 | 12 | 10.7 | 6.4 | 4.0 |
| 5 bedrooms | $175 | $3,780 | $3,955 | 14 | 13.2 | 7.9 | 4.9 |
| 6 bedrooms | $175 | $4,536 | $4,711 | 16 | 15.7 | 9.4 | 5.9 |
Source: the town's published cost table on its accommodation unit licenses page, read October 5, 2026. The regulatory fee is set each year in the town budget at no more than $756 per bedroom, so confirm the current year's amounts with the finance department. The guest limit is two per bedroom plus four (Town Code 4-6-10), and four total for a studio. The table goes up to 7 bedrooms ($175 BOLT, $5,292 fee, $5,467 total).
Guest-paid, but it shapes your price
The 12.275% lodging tax
On a $3,000 stay under 30 days, tax adds $368.25. Guests see the all-in price, so it matters when you compare against nearby listings.
| Layer | Rate | On a $3,000 stay |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado state sales tax | 2.9% | $87.00 |
| Town sales tax | 2.5% | $75.00 |
| Town public accommodation tax | 3.4% | $102.00 |
| Summit County tax | 2.75% | $82.50 |
| Special district (MHA) tax | 0.725% | $21.75 |
| Total | 12.275% | $368.25 |
Airbnb and Vrbo remit these taxes for bookings made through them, and a town license is still required. If you rent directly and take payment yourself, you must collect and file: town taxes through MuniRevs, state and special-district taxes with the Colorado Department of Revenue.
The real constraint
Getting a license is harder than paying for one
| Zone 1 (Tourism) and Resort | Licenses still available Cap of 1,680 in Zone 1; the Resort zone is limited to resort-property units that existed when the 2022 ordinance took effect, plus newly qualifying resort properties. |
|---|---|
| Zone 2 (Downtown Core) | Cap of 130, full, with a waitlist A July 2026 industry tally showed 130 active and 19 on the waitlist (secondary source). |
| Zone 3 (residential) | Cap of 390, far over it, multi-year wait The same tally showed 1,008 active licenses against the 390 cap and 225 on the waitlist, because most licenses are grandfathered. |
| Buying a property | The license does not transfer on sale It is non-transferable and non-refundable when a property is sold, so confirm your zone and license availability before you make an offer. |
Other rules that cost money
Parking, advertising and HOAs
| Advertising | License number and maximum occupancy in every ad Every listing must show "Breckenridge Business License No." and the maximum overnight occupancy. You get written notice and 15 days to correct a violation. |
|---|---|
| Parking | Reported: one space per bedroom plus one A property-management source reports a $300 fee per space you cannot provide. The town's short-term rental licensing and FAQ pages do not mention a parking requirement or fee, so we could not confirm it. Check the town code or ask the finance department. |
| HOAs | Can add their own limits A homeowners association can restrict short-term rentals beyond the town's rules. |
| Primary-residence exception | No regulatory fee if you rent 21 days a year or less It applies only when the unit is your primary residence, documented each year with two of: driver license, voter registration, vehicle registration. The license and business license tax still apply. |
Legal status
The fee survived a court challenge
In March 2026 the Colorado Court of Appeals (Dorotik v. Breckenridge, 2026COA20) held that the short-term rental charge is a regulatory fee, not a tax needing voter approval. Further appeals or a change to the amount would change this math, so we keep watching it.
Full sourced rules, with evidence for each line, are on the Breckenridge market page. For how it compares with a big-city market, see Denver vs Breckenridge.
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