BondPermit · Short-term rental check

Short-term rental rules — Denver, CO

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What we checked
  • Denver, CO's short-term-rental registration requirement
  • Denver, CO's lodging-tax requirement
  • Whether the published rules are still current
What we found
  • →A licence is required — $50 application + $100/yr
  • →Lodging tax applies
  • !Rules here changed recently — see what changed below
  • !This city publishes a daily penalty for operating unregistered
Read this before you list — these are rules you must confirm, not a verdict. This page is informational, not legal advice, and not a guarantee. Only the base zoning above is checked live, and even that is just the zone designation — not a ruling that short-term rental is allowed at this address. Short-term-rental legality is mostly decided by layers we do not verify here: city registration, primary-residence requirements, night caps, RSO / rent-stabilized & ADU restrictions, and your HOA or condo rules (an HOA can ban STR even where the city allows it). Confirm every rule with the issuing authority before you advertise or accept a booking.
Denver, CO · free check

Short-term rental rules (preview)

What you get free: the city's core registration + lodging tax to confirm. Full packet, fine exposure, and stage checklist are in the $49 report below.

Registration / license
Short-Term Rental License — PRIMARY RESIDENCE ONLY, and a person can have only one primary residence, so this is effectively one license per person (DRMC 33-46(4), 33-53(a)).
Cost$50 application + $100/yr
Issued byDenver Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) — renamed from Excise & Licenses, Nov 4 2025
ApplyOfficial STR page → · Registration portal →
What changed — An LLC, corporation, partnership, or any similar legal entity CANNOT hold or operate a Denver STR: the zoning code requires operation by 'the person or persons' who occupy it as their primary residence and expressly excludes entities (DZC § 11.8.10.1(B)) — the single most-missed Denver rule. A separate Lodger's Tax account must exist BEFORE the STR license issues. No cap, no quota, no lottery; STR is allowed in all zone districts.
Lodging / occupancy tax
Denver Lodger's Tax + Colorado state lodging sales tax
RateDenver Lodger's Tax 10.75% + Colorado state 4% = 14.75% combined. The HOST is the vendor and must collect and remit UNLESS the booking runs through a lodging platform that is itself the merchant of record — so direct bookings and non-vendor platforms remain the host's liability. File monthly if liability averages over $300/mo, quarterly if $300 or less, annually if $15 or less.
Paid toDenver Department of Finance (Treasury) + Colorado Department of Revenue
RegisterTax registration →
Key deadline (confirm at source)
Denver does NOT mandate delisting — the City's own council presentation states the ordinance 'does not mandate which method(s) of compliance a platform may use.' Delisting is one optional method. (Note: the codified text says 'on and after February 1, 2020' — an uncorrected drafting error; the real effective date is Feb 1 2021.)
Penalty band exists in city code
up to $999 per day (each day a separate offense) · Full statute cite + what gaps trigger it → in the $49 report
🔒 In the $49 report (not free)
  • 4 operator exposure gaps (what missing can fine / delist you)
  • Full city application packet (6 items + official guide PDFs)
  • 5 official document & portal links (ordinance, how-to, HOT guide…)
  • Stage-specific action sequence (existing operator vs new owner)
  • Cited money & enforcement snapshot (fee + penalty statute + contacts)
Denver, CO · stay current

Watch Denver, CO for rule changes — $9.99/mo

We re-check Denver, CO's official short-term-rental license & tax pages and email you the moment they change — a heads-up to re-check, never a legal verdict. Cancel anytime.

BondPermit by AurumFlux AI · informational only, not legal advice · bondpermit.com