Short-term rental rules · Aspen, Colorado
Short-term rentals in Aspen, explained properly.
Aspen requires a short-term rental permit under one of three tiers — Lodging Exempt, Owner-Occupied (capped at 120 nights/year), or Classic (unlimited nights, but capped and waitlisted by zoning district). A separate business license is required for every operator, and STR-specific excise taxes stack on top of standard sales and lodging taxes, with a much higher rate for non-owner-occupied 'Classic' rentals.
Draft. These rules were compiled from the official sources listed below but have not yet been checked line by line. Confirm with the city before making decisions.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Three STR permit tiers | Lodging Exempt (STR-LE) for lodge/condo-hotel managers with no annual night limit; Owner-Occupied (STR-OO) for a primary residence, capped at 120 rental nights/year; Classic (STR-C) for any property, no night limit but subject to zone caps and waitlists[1] |
| Separate city business license required | Every STR operator, and any qualified owner's representative, must hold a current city business license ($150/year) from the Finance Department, in addition to the STR permit itself[1] |
| Annual permit fees | Lodging Exempt: $148 per unit annually; Owner-Occupied and Classic: $394 annually. Permit fees are non-refundable[1] |
| Classic permit caps by residential zone | Classic (STR-C) permits are capped at roughly 75% of pre-moratorium permit levels across 14 residential zoning districts, ranging from as few as 1 permit in some zones (e.g. R-3, R-30) up to 190 permits in the R-MF zone, which is the highest-capacity zone. Commercial, Commercial Core, Lodge, and Lodge Overlay zones have no cap[2]Confirming |
| Some zones already exceed their cap via grandfathering | As of an April 2023 report, 8 of the 14 residential zones had reached or exceeded their caps, blocking new Classic permits; the R-MF zone alone had 235 issued permits against a cap of 190, and had a waitlist of 29 applicants (52 total applicants citywide)[2]Confirming |
| STR-specific excise tax stacks on top of sales/lodging tax | A 5.00% short-term rental tax applies to Owner-Occupied and Lodging-Exempt permitted properties; a 10.00% short-term rental tax applies to Classic (investment/second-home) permitted properties, in addition to standard city, state, and special-district sales and lodging taxes, bringing combined totals to 16.30% and 21.30% respectively[3] |
| Owner-Occupied permit requires proof of primary residence | An applicant for an Owner-Occupied permit must provide two forms of proof that the property is their primary residence, such as a driver's license, vehicle registration, voter registration, or tax return[1] |
| Minimum rental activity required for renewal | An STR must be occupied by a short-term renter at least once per year, as shown in tax filings, to be eligible for permit renewal; a permit showing one full year of zero tax filings is considered abandoned, and long-term (30+ day) rentals do not satisfy this requirement[1] |
| Last researched | September 25, 2026 |
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Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Eligibility & zoning
| GIS map to check a property's zone and cap status | The city provides an STR GIS map so an owner can verify their property's zoning designation and whether that zone's Classic permit cap has been reached[1] |
|---|---|
| 2021 moratorium preceded the current three-tier system | In December 2021, Aspen City Council enacted an emergency moratorium halting new STR permits; code amendments establishing the three-tier permit system and zone-specific quotas were approved in June 2022, and the new regulations took effect October 1, 2022 when applications reopened[2]Confirming |
Licensing & application
| Application and tax-filing platform transitioned to Localgov | Effective June 1, 2026, the city transitioned its STR application and tax-filing system from MuniRevs/GovOS to Localgov; existing account information transfers automatically, but users must register new accounts using the same email address on file[1] |
|---|---|
| 15-business-day review after fee payment | Applications are reviewed by city staff within 15 business days of the permit fee payment date; required documents vary by permit type and may include HOA affidavits, self-inspection checklists, lodging-exempt affidavits, and public notice affidavits (except for renewals)[1] |
Taxes & fees
| Monthly tax filing required | Operators must file monthly Sales, Lodging, and STR Excise Taxes through the Localgov portal; the platform automatically calculates amounts due. STR tax obligations apply to all nightly stays commencing on or after May 1, 2023, regardless of when the booking was made[3] |
|---|
Operations & complaints
| Violations reported through Aspen 311 Connect | Suspected STR violations can be reported to the city through the Aspen 311 Connect portal[1] |
|---|
Changes
Recent and pending changes
The City of Aspen's own Short-Term Rentals webpage and STR Program Guidelines document are the primary official sources to monitor. Zone-by-zone cap and waitlist figures came from an Aspen Journalism investigative report reflecting an April 2023 snapshot rather than the city's own real-time GIS data, so these numbers should be periodically re-checked against the city's STR GIS Map. Given that most residential zones are already at or above their caps, any change to the cap policy or a new moratorium would be a high-impact update for subscribers watching this market.
Sources
Every rule above links to one of these
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This page is general information compiled from official sources, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules, deed restrictions and zoning for a specific property can be stricter. Confirm with the local permitting office and a qualified professional before buying or listing a property.