Short-Term Rental License Application

Summit County regulates short-term vacation rentals to address neighborhood impacts and life safety issues. Summit County's regulations for short term vacation rentals (pdf) are applicable to properties within the unincorporated areas of Summit County.

If you own property within unincorporated Summit County (outside the boundary of an incorporated town) and are interested in renting it for periods of less than 30 consecutive days, you are required to obtain a short-term vacation rental (STR) license.

Summit County first adopted STR regulations in December 2018 which were updated in December 2021 and again in February 2023. The online permit system became operational in March 2019. All STR licenses will be valid through September 30 with annual renewal required by September 30 of each year. Renewal reminders will be emailed to all license holders at least 30 days prior to expiration.

Verify Your Property Jurisdiction and Locate Your Schedule Number

The County STR regulations do not apply to properties located inside the boundaries of incorporated towns.

Before beginning the online Summit County STR license application, check the Property Search and Mapping Tool to verify whether your STR is located within town limits or within unincorporated Summit County. It is important to verify the jurisdiction in which your property is located, as each jurisdiction has its own STR regulations and applicable taxes.

If your property is located within town limits, you do not need an STR license from Summit County. You do need to apply for an STR license from the applicable town. If your property is located within unincorporated Summit County (outside town limits), you must obtain an STR license with the County in order to short-term rent. Please note that the following neighborhoods are located in unincorporated Summit County, not an incorporated town (this list is not comprehensive):

License Fees

Resort Overlay Zone - Resort License: $280/year
Neighborhood Overlay Zone - Type I: $225/year
Neighborhood Overlay Zone - Type II: $340/year

Renewals for STR licenses occur in September of each year. Renewal fees are the full price of the license.

License fees cannot be prorated and are non-refundable.

All STR license application fees are analyzed annually during review and adoption of the Summit County Planning Department Development Review Fee Schedule in March of each year, and will be adjusted annually as needed based on the volume of STR licenses and associated administrative costs.

Official License Count and Cap Update

At this time, each of the 4 basins has more licenses that the cap allows.

We will not be accepting Type II applications until we are below any cap. No waitlist is available at this time.

We will be accepting revised Type I applications, the criteria of which has changed. Please see Section 6.2 of the Ordinance 20-C for criteria, and what to submit with a Type I License application.

Apply for a Short-Term Rental License

Applications will be denied if they contain unverified bedrooms or incorrect information. Please confirm the number of official bedrooms in your unit with the Summit County Assessor prior to application and ensure all information, including unit number, is correct.

Please read through all regulations and requirements before applying. Incomplete applications will NOT be accepted and refunds will not be issued. Please verify you have the following information and documents:

If your property is on a septic system, you will need an OWTS pumper report from within the last 3 years. If you need help locating your pumper report, either use the County's eTRAKiT tool or contact Environmental Health at 970-668-4070.
Sales tax license number and certificate with Summit County listed as the jurisdiction. If you are using Airbnb, VRBO, or other Expedia Group websites, please visit the Tax Information page on our website. If you have questions regarding sales tax, please contact the Finance Department at 970-453-3439.
Completed and signed Acknowledgement form
If the property is owned by a Trust, LLC, Inc. or other multi-party entity, documentation listing all owners of a property, including form of ownership and percentage share, as applicable.
If property is on a well, you must submit the well permit. Please visit the Colorado Division of Water Resources to locate the permit. If the property also has a hot tub being served by a well, you are required to submit proof that the well has been properly augmented. For more information on water augmentation, please visit the Vidler Water website.
Proof of fire pit permit issued by Summit Fire and EMS, if property has an outdoor fire pit.
Only applicable for Type I licenses:
- Evidence showing the STR Qualified Occupant (QO) has a mailing address in Summit County.
- Evidence showing the QO works in Summit County (paystub, W-2, etc)
- Copy of a lease to QO (if applicable)
- At least 2 of the following showing the STR address:
  - Voter registration
  - Tax returns or other tax documents
  - Motor Vehicle Registration

For Properties in the Neighborhood Overlay Zone

Staff is currently only accepting applications for Type I licenses in the Neighborhood Overlay Zone. No Type II license applications are available at this time. People can apply for the Type I license only if the Qualified Occupant meets all required criteria as described in STR Ordinance 20-C. Any Type I application that does not meet the requirements will be rejected and no refunds will be issued. Please note: Type I licenses do not count towards the CAPs and there is no limit to how many will be issued.

If you have all required documents and are ready to apply for your Type I license, please click on 'Apply for a short term rental license' in the Host Compliance Portal.

Please note that staff will not accept applications that do not meet all required criteria and no refunds will be issued for incorrect or incomplete submittals.

For Properties in the Resort Overlay Zone

There are currently no limit to the number of licenses available for properties in the Resort Overlay Zone.

Apply for your Resort License here: Summit County Short-Term Rental Registration Portal.

To apply, update, or renew a Summit County Short-Term Rental License, make sure you’re using Chrome or FireFox.

You do NOT have an STR license until you receive an approval email from the Summit County Planning staff and/or Host Compliance with the approved details of your license.

After Applying For Your STR License

Once we review your application, we’ll send an email to let you know whether it is approved. Please be aware that the review process does take time. We appreciate your patience. The approval email will contain your license number. We will not conduct fire and safety inspections during the application process. After licenses are issued, we will audit a random selection of properties that will be inspected.

Document posting: Print and post the following documents in a prominent location within your STR property:
1. A sign that includes your Summit County STR License Number, street address and responsible agent contact information. Download a template that you can use to create your sign (pdf).
2. Good Neighbor Guidelines (pdf): Fill in your unit’s occupancy limit in the "Maximum Capacity" section at the bottom of page 1.
3. County-approved parking plan
4. County-approved waste disposal and collection plan.
Advertising requirements: STR owners must include the license number, maximum occupancy and maximum parking on all advertising (print, online, etc.). The license number must be located after the property description.