Short-term rental rules · Breckenridge, Colorado
Short-term rentals in Breckenridge, explained properly.
Breckenridge requires an annual short-term rental license with a $756-per-bedroom regulatory fee, and manages supply through four zones (Resort, Tourism/Zone 1, Downtown Core/Zone 2, and Single Family Residential/Zone 3), each with its own license cap and waitlist. The town code caps Zone 1 at 1,680 licenses, Zone 2 at 130 and Zone 3 at 390; Zones 2 and 3 were already over their caps through grandfathered licenses, and Zone 3 (residential) is the most restrictive, with licenses far exceeding the cap and multi-year waitlists for new applicants.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Annual STR license required | A valid short-term rental license is required to rent a property for fewer than 30 consecutive days; the license is non-transferable and non-refundable when the property is sold [1] |
| Annual regulatory fee | $756 per studio or bedroom per year, in addition to the Business and Occupational License Tax (BOLT). Under Town Code 4-6-3 the Town Council sets the fee each year in its budget at no more than $756 per studio/bedroom; Ordinance No. 35 (November 23, 2021) directs the money to housing programs, community impact mitigation, and program administration and enforcement. The Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the fee as a regulatory fee, not a voter-approved tax, in March 2026 [1] [2] [3] |
| Four-zone cap structure | The town manages STR supply through four zones — Resort Properties, Tourism (Zone 1), Downtown Core (Zone 2), and residential areas (Zone 3) — each with its own license cap and a separate waitlist, adopted by Ordinance No. 28, Series 2022 (reported adoption August 2022, effective September 27, 2022) [4] [2] |
| License caps by zone | Town Code 4-6-5 caps Zone 1 (Tourism) at 1,680 licenses, Zone 2 (Downtown Core) at 130, and Zone 3 (residential) at 390. The Resort Properties zone is limited to the resort-property units that existed when the 2022 ordinance took effect, plus licenses granted administratively to newly qualifying resort properties. Zones 2 and 3 already have more licenses than their caps (grandfathered), so new applicants face waitlists; secondary sources reported roughly 19 to 22 owners on the Zone 2 waitlist and roughly 190 to 230 on the Zone 3 waitlist in 2026, with Zone 3 waits estimated at many years, while Zone 1 and the Resort zone still had licenses available [2] [5] |
| Occupancy limit | Two persons per bedroom plus four additional persons for all units except studios; a maximum of four persons total for studio units. The maximum overnight occupancy must also be shown in every advertisement. (Secondary sources say the bedroom count follows the Summit County Assessor's records; Town Code 4-6-4 sets the town's own bedroom criteria.) [2] [5] |
| Parking requirement and deficiency fee | Properties must provide one parking space per bedroom plus one additional space; owners unable to meet this requirement pay a $300 fee per deficient space [6]Confirming |
| Primary-residence exception to the regulatory fee | An owner whose accommodation unit is their primary residence, and who rents it for no more than 21 days per year, is exempt from the annual regulatory fee (the license and business license tax still apply); the owner must document primary residence each year with two of: driver license, voter registration, vehicle registration [7] [2] [6] |
| License number and occupancy required in advertisements | Every advertisement for the property, on any platform, must prominently show the town business license number ("Breckenridge Business License No. ___") and the maximum overnight occupancy; owners get written notice and 15 days to correct a violation [1] [2] |
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Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Eligibility & zoning
| Existing licenses grandfathered when caps were adopted | When the zone caps were adopted in 2022, existing short-term rental licenses in every zone were protected and not revoked, even where the cap was already exceeded [4] |
|---|---|
| Zone 2 and Zone 3 caps expected to decline naturally | Because Zones 2 and 3 already exceed their caps through grandfathered licenses, the number of licenses in those zones is expected to gradually decrease as properties change hands or owners decline to renew [4] |
| GIS map to check a specific property's zone | The town provides a searchable GIS map of the short-term rental areas so an owner can look up which of the four zones a specific property falls into; current license counts and waitlists by zone are published on a separate town page [1] |
| How the zone waitlists work | Each zone has its own waitlist. When a license opens in a zone, the owner at the top of that zone's list has 14 business days to submit a complete application, or the offer moves to the next owner. Only current property owners can join a waitlist, and a waitlist spot is void if the property sells (the buyer must re-apply to the waitlist after purchase) [2] |
| Extra requirements for Resort Properties zone units | Resort properties must provide a 24-hour on-site staffed front desk and phone line, 24-hour private security, on-site housekeeping and enclosed garage parking, and may be required to run a shuttle service under the finance director's rules [2] |
Licensing & application
| HOAs may impose additional restrictions | A homeowners association can impose its own additional short-term rental restrictions on top of the town's licensing rules [1] |
|---|
Taxes & fees
| Booking platforms remit sales/accommodation taxes | Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit taxes on behalf of licensees for bookings made through those platforms under an agreement with the town, but a valid town license is still required; owners who rent directly and collect money from guests themselves must collect and remit sales and accommodation taxes (town taxes through MuniRevs, state and special-district taxes to the Colorado Department of Revenue) [1] [8] |
|---|---|
| Total tax on short-term lodging | 12.275% in total on stays under 30 days: 2.9% Colorado state sales tax, 2.5% town sales tax, 3.4% town public accommodation tax, 2.75% Summit County tax and 0.725% special district (MHA) tax [8] |
Operations & complaints
| Town complaint line | Neighbors or guests can report short-term rental issues to the town's complaint line at 970-423-5334 [1] |
|---|---|
| Fines for violations | The town can impose administrative fines of up to $1,000 per day until a violation is cured, payable within 14 days of notice, and can also deny, suspend or revoke a license; fines and denials can be appealed to the town manager or a hearing officer [2] |
Changes
Recent and pending changes
We checked the town's short-term rental licensing, license-cap history, apply/waitlist and sales-and-accommodation-tax pages; Town Code title 4, chapter 6 (current through Ord. 7, Series 2026, passed July 28, 2026; every chapter 6 section still cites only Ord. 28, Series 2022, so no 2025-2026 amendment to caps, fees or waitlists was found); the finance department's Article IV administrative rules; the Colorado Court of Appeals decision on the regulatory fee (March 26, 2026); and Colorado legislation (HB25-1247 county lodging tax expansion, signed May 13, 2025; the 2024 short-term rental property-tax bills SB24-033 and HB24-1299 both failed, and no 2026 bill changing short-term rental rules was found). The town's license-availability and waitlist page and its FAQ page blocked automated access, so current license counts and waitlist lengths come from secondary sources and should be checked in a browser. Watch for any Summit County ballot measure raising the county lodging tax under HB25-1247, and any council change to the Zone 2 or Zone 3 caps.
In Dorotik v. Town of Breckenridge (2026 COA 20), the Colorado Court of Appeals held that the town's short-term rental regulatory fee is a regulatory fee, not a tax that needed voter approval under TABOR, so the fee stays in place.
HB25-1247 raises the maximum county lodging tax from 2% to 6% and widens its allowed uses, but any new tax or rate increase needs approval from voters in the affected unincorporated areas and municipalities. Summit County's rate on Breckenridge stays the same unless voters approve an increase.
Sources
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This page is general information compiled from public 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.