Short-term rentals in Buena Vista, explained properly.

Section 6-123 requires a valid license and a certificate of occupancy for each STR, and each STR needs its own license; a room rental in a house is licensed under one license, and in a mixed-use building each dwelling unit needs its own. Licenses are issued by the Town Clerk to the property owner, belong to that owner and dwelling unit, and cannot be assigned or transferred. The Town says a change of ownership ends the license and the new owner must apply under the rules then in force. A license cannot be advertised before it is issued. Accessory dwelling units count as separate dwelling units.

Under Section 6-125 and Table 6-125 the number of active licenses in each district may not exceed a percentage of the district's housing with a certificate of occupancy that is not deed restricted, rounded down. No new license can be issued if it would exceed the cap. When a cap is reached the Town Clerk keeps complete applications on a waiting list in the order they are complete, and offers a license that becomes free to the first eligible applicant, who has 30 days to meet all requirements. The Town's page showed these maximums on October 8, 2026: R-1 8, R-1 OT 1, R-1.5 0, R-2 5, R-2 OT 5, R-3 7, MU-1 5 and MU-2 28, with 0 available everywhere except 1 in MU-1. Availability changes, so ask the Town Clerk before applying.

Section 6-125(e) says these dwelling units still need an STR license but are not counted toward the cap: a property where a full-time onsite or live-in representative lives in a dwelling on the same property; dwelling units in the MU-MS district; and dwelling units in the South Main PUD. The representative must occupy a dwelling on the same property on an ongoing basis, be responsible for the STR's management, operation and compliance, and be the owner or an authorized tenant; the Town may ask for proof of occupancy. A change of representative must be reported within 30 days. In MU-MS the Unified Development Code also requires a special use permit for an STR.

A license lawfully issued and in good standing before the caps can continue and renew as a nonconforming licensed STR and still counts toward the cap. If it is revoked, surrendered, expires, ends because of a change in ownership or otherwise stops operating, any later application for the property is subject to the cap and every other rule then in force.

The Code lists these as ineligible and says ineligible properties may not be used as STRs. Deed-restricted means a dwelling unit under a recorded instrument that requires affordable, workforce, employee, attainable or income-restricted occupancy and that prohibits or materially restricts STR use. Live-work units may not be used or licensed as STRs. The Town's page also says an accessory structure must qualify as an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and have a Town-assigned address.

Ordinance No. 16, Series of 2026, adopted September 22, 2026, adds Section 6-125(q): no more than two STR licenses may be issued for one parcel, and a person or entity may not directly or indirectly hold or control more than one license, except a primary dwelling and accessory dwelling unit on the same parcel; using a family member, agent or affiliated entity to get around this is not allowed. It becomes effective 30 days after publication, and the Municipal Code on Municode was last updated through Ordinance 15 and did not yet include it. We did not find the publication date, so the exact start date is unconfirmed. The same ordinance repeals the definitions of primary residence and resident and strikes the wording in Section 6-124(d) that let trust or entity owners apply only as a non-resident of Chaffee County.

The Town's page lists a $250 new-license fee and a $150 renewal fee. The Code says fees are set by the Board of Trustees and are not refunded if an application is denied. We did not read the Town's fee schedule. Applications must be mailed or hand-delivered to Town Hall; email submissions and phone payments are not accepted.

The Town's page says new-license applications for 2027 open Monday, November 16, 2026, after the annual renewal process and the Town Clerk's publication of available licenses by district. Applications are subject to availability, the district cap and the rules in force when submitted. The applicant must submit a deed showing at least a 50% fee simple ownership interest. After conditional approval the applicant has 60 days to pass a fire inspection (renewals only if the Town requires one). Licenses run to December 31. Renewals are due between October 1 and October 31 under Section 6-129, though one line of the Town's page says October 30 at noon. Renewal is not automatic: the Clerk approves only a timely, complete application for a property with no more than one sustained enforcement action that calendar year and no nuisance conviction or plea. A denial can be appealed to the Board of Trustees within 10 days, and a denied property cannot reapply until January 1 of the next year.

Every STR must be continuously insured with minimum limits of $1,000,000, through property liability insurance, commercial liability insurance or an endorsement to a homeowner's policy covering short-term rentals.

All advertising must show the Town-issued license number immediately after the description of the property, and a property cannot be advertised until it is licensed. Advertising or offering an unlicensed property is unlawful. After written notice from the Town that a listing is tied to an invalid, expired, revoked or suspended license, the hosting platform must remove it within seven days.

The Unified Development Code's use standards for STRs say all applicable taxes and fees must be paid before operating, occupancy may not exceed 30 days, a valid Town license is needed before and during any rental, the STR must provide a snow removal plan that meets the Town's requirements, and it must comply with the state sanitary standards for public accommodations (6 CCR 1010-14).

The Code requires each STR to be licensed and to comply with the Town's Short-Term Rental Housing Standards and Specifications whenever it is leased, and a current copy must be kept at the property. Applications must include everything the Standards require. We did not find or read the Standards document, so this page does not list its contents (the Town's fire inspection checklist and any local contact rules are in Town documents we did not rely on).

Operating or advertising without a license is unlawful, and each day of a violation is a separate offense. Administrative penalties for violations of the Article: a written warning for a first offense, a fine set by the Board of Trustees for a second, and for a third, revocation with no reapplication for that property for one year plus a fine. The Town can skip steps. Violations are also subject to the penalties in Section 1-72, which we did not read, so this page lists no dollar fines. A revocation notice is mailed at least 10 days before it takes effect and can be appealed to the Town Administrator or designee within 10 days.

The Town levies a 2.5% sales tax on the same sales and taxable services as the state sales tax, and the State Department of Revenue collects, administers and enforces it the same way as the state tax. The Town's page says the State collects all sales tax for the Town. The Town Code's Section 4-76 punishes failing to collect or submit it.

Colorado charges 2.9% state sales tax on rooms and accommodations. The Town's page lists a 2.75% Chaffee County sales tax. We did not find the county's own ordinance, so the county rate rests on the Town's page.

The state's July 2026 lodging report lists a county lodging district tax of 1.90% for Chaffee County limits, remitted quarterly on form DR 1485, and notes that it applies to lodging services including hotels, motels and condominiums. The report lists omitted jurisdictions for some counties; it names none for Chaffee County. It is published each January and July and may not reflect newer county resolutions.

Colorado charges its 2.9% state sales tax on the entire amount charged for rooms and accommodations. A stay may also owe local sales taxes that the Colorado Department of Revenue collects for counties and special districts, and any sales tax of a home-rule city that collects its own tax (see below).

State sales tax does not apply to a room or accommodations rented to a person who is a permanent resident of it and has a written agreement to occupy it for at least 30 consecutive days. Shorter stays are taxed.

The Colorado Department of Revenue says anyone who offers rooms or accommodations for rent must get a Colorado sales tax license and collect sales tax on taxable rentals. A seller who makes sales only through a marketplace may be exempt from licensing, collection and filing if the marketplace collects all state and state-administered local sales taxes for them. The license costs $16 (prorated) plus a $50 deposit, a separate license is needed for each business location, and licenses expire on December 31 of odd-numbered years.

For rooms rented through a marketplace (including online platforms), the marketplace facilitator must collect and remit the state sales tax and the local sales taxes the state collects, plus any county lodging tax and local marketing district tax. City taxes in home-rule cities are separate (see below).

Colorado counties may add a county lodging tax, regional transportation authorities a visitor benefit tax, and local marketing districts a marketing tax on rooms subject to state sales tax. County lodging and visitor benefit taxes are filed quarterly with the Department of Revenue on form DR 1485; the Department's DR 1003 publication lists the rates.