Short-term rental rules · Winter Park, Colorado
Short-term rentals in Winter Park, explained properly.
The Town of Winter Park, in Grand County, requires an owner to register a short-term rental (a stay under 30 consecutive days) with the Town Manager before operating or advertising it. Registration lasts 12 months and is issued to the specific owner, so it cannot be transferred. A business license is also required, and a rental for 20 or more people needs a special use permit first. Rules include a responsible agent reachable 24 hours a day who responds within 60 minutes, the registration number and parking details in every advertisement, and penalties of a warning, then $500, then $1,000 and/or a two-year registration bar. This page rests on Ordinance 552, effective October 1, 2021; later amendments, the current Town Code, the fee schedule and the zoning code haven't been reviewed yet, so confirm the current rules and your address with the Town.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are short-term rentals allowed? | Conditional: a Town registration is required, a rental for 20 or more people needs a special use permit first, and which zoning districts allow short-term rentals hasn't been reviewed [1] ClauseConfirming |
| Town short-term rental registration required? | Yes: it is unlawful to operate or advertise a short-term rental (under 30 consecutive days) without first registering with the Town Manager or designee; each unit is registered separately for a 12-month term and renewed annually. Excluded: commercial hotels or inns with single ownership [1] ClauseConfirming |
| Registration fees | The ordinance leaves the registration fee to a Town Council resolution; the current fee schedule hasn't been reviewed yet [1] ClauseConfirming |
| Local taxes on short stays | Lawfully assessed property and sales taxes on the unit must be paid; the Town's lodging tax rules and rates haven't been reviewed yet, and this page does not total state and local taxes [1] ClauseConfirming |
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Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Licensing
| Is a business license required for a short-term rental? | Yes: a business license is required for every short-term rental unit; a unit run through a property management company may operate under that company's collective business license, with a valid registration for each property [1] ClauseConfirming Section 3-10-4(F) requires proof of a collective business license to be given to the Town when the unit is registered. The business license chapter and fee haven't been reviewed yet. The Town Code's current text and any amendments after Ordinance 552 (2021) haven't been reviewed yet, so confirm the current rule with the Town. |
|---|---|
| Does a short-term rental for 20 or more people need a special use permit? | Yes: a high-impact short-term rental (occupancy of twenty or more people at one time) must receive a special use permit under Title 7, Chapter 9 before it can register [1] ClauseConfirming Section 3-10-3(A) defines a high-impact short-term rental as one accommodating occupancy of twenty (20) or more people at one time, and Section 3-10-4(C) requires the special use permit before registration. Section 3-10-5(A)(9) requires it to comply with all conditions of the permit, and the permit may be revoked under Title 7, Chapter 9. Title 7, Chapter 9 hasn't been reviewed yet, so its process and fee are not stated here. The Town Code's current text and any amendments after Ordinance 552 (2021) haven't been reviewed yet, so confirm the current rule with the Town. |
| Can a registration be transferred to a new owner? | No: the registration is issued to the specific owner of a specific unit and cannot be transferred or assigned to another person, entity or address; a third party may manage it for the owner [1] ClauseConfirming Section 3-10-4(B) says the registration does not run with the unit, so a buyer of the property has to register in their own name. Management by a third party on the owner's behalf is allowed. The Town Code's current text and any amendments after Ordinance 552 (2021) haven't been reviewed yet, so confirm the current rule with the Town. |
Operating rules
| Must there be a responsible agent reachable around the clock? | Yes: a responsible agent (name, address, phone) is named at registration and must be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and respond within 60 minutes of a complaint [1] Clause Section 3-10-5(A)(8): the owner may change the agent by notifying the Town in writing at least seven days before the change, and may name an alternate agent. The agent's failure to respond is a violation enforced against the unit and the owner under Section 3-10-6. |
|---|---|
| Must advertisements show the registration number? | Yes: every advertisement must prominently display the registration number as "Winter Park Short - Term Rental Registration No." and list the number of on-site parking spots [1] Clause Section 3-10-5(A)(1)-(2). If no on-site parking is provided, the advertisement must say that no parking is provided and that no on-street parking is permitted. Leaving out the required information is a violation. |
| Where may guests park? | Guests' vehicles may be parked only on the unit's site or in a Town-designated parking area; none on lawn or landscaped areas or on the public street or right of way next to the unit, and no one may stay overnight in a vehicle [1] Clause Section 3-10-5(A)(2). |
| Are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers required? | Yes: smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers must be installed and operable at all times while the unit is occupied; wood-burning fireplaces and stoves must be cleaned annually [1] Clause Section 3-10-5(B) also requires the unit to meet the Town's adopted building and technical codes, other Town ordinances and rules, and any development permit terms. Pets are subject to Title 4, Chapter 2 of the Town Code, which hasn't been reviewed yet. |
| Do noise, trash and open-burning rules apply to guests? | Yes: occupants must not cause unreasonable noise (Sec. 4-1-4), the unit must not be a nuisance (Title 4, Ch. 12), trash follows Title 4, Ch. 10, and open burning is allowed only as Sec. 4-1-3 permits [1] Clause Section 3-10-5(A)(3)-(7). If extra burning or drought restrictions from Grand County or the Town are in effect, the owner must post that information conspicuously in the unit. Those Title 4 sections haven't been reviewed yet, so quiet hours and burning limits are not stated here. |
| Must the registration and conditions be posted in the unit? | Yes: the owner must post a copy of the registration and the Town's conditions in a conspicuous location in the unit, and give the responsible agent a copy of the conditions [1] Clause Section 3-10-5(E). The Town gives the owner the conditions when it issues the registration. |
Enforcement
| What are the penalties for violations? | Violations are civil infractions: 1st offense a warning, 2nd offense a $500 fine, 3rd and later offenses a $1,000 fine and/or registration prohibited for two years, counted within a registration's 12-month term; each day is a separate offense [1] Clause Section 3-10-6. A rental operating without registration first gets a certified-mail notice and ten business days to remove the advertisement, end the rental or register, and fines apply if the violation is not corrected. A high-impact rental's special use permit may also be revoked under Title 7, Chapter 9. The Town may also seek damages, specific performance and injunctions, including eviction of occupants. |
|---|
State law that also applies
| State sales tax on short stays | 2.9%, plus any local sales taxes the state collects [2] [3] Clause 1 Clause 2 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). |
|---|---|
| Which stays are taxed? | Stays of less than 30 days [3] Clause 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. |
| Colorado sales tax license required? | Yes, unless you rent only through a booking platform that collects the state-collected taxes for you [3] [2] Clause 1 Clause 2 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. |
| Do booking platforms collect state taxes? | Yes, for state-collected taxes [3] Clause 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). |
| County lodging and local marketing district taxes | Set by some counties and districts; filed with the state [3] Clause 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. |
Changes
Recent and pending changes
We read the full text of Ordinance 552 of 2021, which added Chapter 10 (Short-Term Rental Registration) to Title 3 of the Winter Park Town Code, as published on the Town's website. We haven't reviewed later amendments to that chapter, the current codified Town Code, the fee resolution, Title 7 (special use permits and zoning), Title 4, or Town Council agendas, so we will watch the Town Code and the Town's short-term rental pages for changes.
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.