Denver Short-Term Rental Laws (2026)
Colorado · Last reviewed: July 2026
Denver allows short-term rentals only in a host's primary residence, licensed annually through Excise & Licenses, with no cap on nights. The city enforces the primary-residence requirement unusually aggressively, so pure investment properties cannot legally operate as STRs. A 10.75% lodger's tax applies to short stays.
General information, not legal advice. Verify with the current statute or a local attorney before acting.
Denver Airbnb rules at a glance
| Status | Permitted with license, primary residence only |
|---|---|
| Primary residence required | Yes |
| Permit / license | Short-term rental business license from Excise & Licenses; annual fee around $100 plus lodger's tax registration |
| Night caps | None |
| Lodging taxes | City lodger's tax of 10.75% on stays under 30 days |
Key rules for hosts in Denver
- Only a host's primary residence may be licensed as a short-term rental
- License number must appear on every listing and advertisement
- Hosts must carry liability insurance (or platform equivalent) and meet safety standards
- Licenses are non-transferable and renewed annually
- False primary-residence claims have been prosecuted, including criminal charges in high-profile cases
Enforcement
Denver is known for aggressive enforcement of the primary-residence rule, including audits of utility bills and voter registration; violators have faced license revocation and prosecution.
Taxes on short stays
City lodger's tax of 10.75% on stays under 30 days. Platforms often collect and remit some or all lodging taxes automatically, but hosts remain responsible for registration and any amounts the platform does not handle. Stays of 30 days or longer are generally exempt from lodging taxes and from the short-term rental rules above. STR income is also ordinary taxable income at the federal and state level.
What this means for investors
Before underwriting a short-term rental in Denver, confirm the parcel’s exact jurisdiction and zoning, whether a permit is available to a non-resident owner, and the all-in tax load — then stress-test the deal as a 30-plus-day furnished rental or a traditional lease in case the rules tighten. Model the numbers with the Airbnb calculator and compare against a long-term strategy using our rental income investing guide.
Official source
Verify current requirements on Denver’s official short-term rental page: https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Business-Licensing/Business-licenses/Short-term-rentals.
Denver short-term rental FAQs
- Is Airbnb legal in Denver?
- Short-term rentals in Denver are legal only when the host complies with the city's rules. The current regime: Permitted with license, primary residence only. Permit or registration requirement: Short-term rental business license from Excise & Licenses; annual fee around $100 plus lodger's tax registration. Operating without the required registration can lead to fines and platform delisting, Denver is among the markets where Airbnb and Vrbo are required or pressured to remove non-compliant listings. Check the city's official short-term rental page before listing, because ordinances in this space are amended frequently.
- Do I have to live in the property to rent it short-term in Denver?
- Primary-residence requirement in Denver: Yes. Night caps: None. This is the single biggest factor separating investor-friendly STR markets from restricted ones, where a primary-residence rule applies, a pure investment property generally cannot operate as a short-term rental at all, and investors instead look at 30-plus-day furnished rentals, which most STR ordinances (including Denver's) do not cover.
- What taxes do short-term rental hosts pay in Denver?
- Lodging taxes for short-term stays in Denver: City lodger's tax of 10.75% on stays under 30 days. On top of lodging taxes, STR income is ordinary taxable income at the federal and state level, and hosts averaging short stays with substantial services may owe self-employment tax. Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit some lodging taxes automatically in many jurisdictions, but the host remains legally responsible for confirming full compliance, verify current rates with the city and state revenue departments, as they change often.
Compare other markets
This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws change — verify with the current statute or a local attorney before acting. Summary reflects widely documented rules as of July 2026; short-term rental ordinances are amended and litigated frequently.