Guide · City vs city
Denver vs Breckenridge: short-term rental rules.
Denver allows short-term rentals only in the host's primary residence, so a second home or investment property can't be licensed. Breckenridge allows investor-owned rentals, but caps licenses by zone, has waitlists in its Downtown Core and residential zones, and charges $756 per bedroom a year.
The short answer
Which city fits your plan
| Buying an investment property | Breckenridge is the only option of the two, and only if the property's zone has a license available. Zones 2 and 3 are already over their caps. Denver doesn't license homes that aren't the host's primary residence. |
|---|---|
| Renting out your own home | Denver's license is cheap ($150 the first year). In Breckenridge, renting your primary residence 21 days a year or less skips the per-bedroom fee. |
| Budgeting in Breckenridge | The regulatory fee alone on a 4-bedroom home is $3,024 a year, before the license and business license tax. |
Side by side
The rules compared
Each answer comes from the sourced market page; follow the links for citations and detail.
| Rule | Denver | Breckenridge |
|---|---|---|
| Investment or second home | Not allowed: the unit must be the license holder's primary residence | Allowed with an annual license, capped by zone. Zone 1 (Tourism) 1,680; Zone 2 (Downtown Core) 130, over the cap with a waitlist; Zone 3 (residential) 390, far over the cap with multi-year waitlists. |
| Primary residence | Required. An ADU can be rented only if the owner lives in the main house. | Not required. An owner renting their primary residence 21 days a year or less is exempt from the regulatory fee. |
| License cost | $50 application plus $100 a year | Annual license plus a regulatory fee of $756 per bedroom or studio and the business license tax |
| Selling the property | Tied to the owner's own residence | License is non-transferable when the property is sold |
| Guest limit | Only one rental contract at a time | 2 per bedroom plus 4 (studios: 4 total), shown in every ad |
| Insurance | $1 million liability coverage | Not set in our records |
| Listings | Platforms must block unlicensed listings | Town license number and maximum occupancy in every ad |
| Full rules and sources | Denver rules Verified September 26, 2026 | Breckenridge rules Verified September 27, 2026 |
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Compares local rules for short-term rentals in each city's jurisdiction; it isn't investment advice and doesn't weigh prices, occupancy or returns. General information only, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules and deed restrictions can be stricter. See also cities that banned or restricted Airbnb.