Short-Term Rentals in Fort Collins, CO (2026)

9 verified short-term rentals rules for Fort Collins, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Short-Term Rental Permits

No one may rent out a Fort Collins dwelling for stays under 30 days without a City license. City Code § 15-642 requires the license before any short term primary or non-primary rental, and § 15-644 sets minimum requirements: ownership documentation, sales and lodging tax licenses, code compliance, and a fire and safety inspection.

Fort Collins Short Term Rental License Rules

Significant Restrictions

Fort Collins City Code § 15-642; § 15-644(a)(1)-(3)

No person may lease to any person, or use, any dwelling unit as a short term primary rental or short term non-primary rental within the City unless a license to rent such dwelling unit has been first issued as provided in this Article. ... (a)The following are the minimum requirements that must be satisfied by the applicant for the issuance of a short term primary rental license.(1)The applican...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Noise Rules

A Fort Collins short term rental license is conditioned on following the City's Nuisances chapter, and that chapter fixes hard decibel ceilings by zoning district and time of day. Sec. 15-648(3) folds Chapter 20 into every license, and Sec. 20-23 sets the actual noise limits a licensee's guests must not exceed.

Fort Collins STR Noise Compliance Rule

Some Restrictions

Fort Collins Municipal Code Sec. 15-648(3); Sec. 20-23(a)

The licensee shall comply with all applicable Code of the City of Fort Collins and Land Use Code provisions including, but not limited to, the Code of the City of Fort Collins Chapter 5, Buildings and Building Regulations, and the Code of the City of Fort Collins Chapter 20, Nuisances, Chapter 25, Taxation, and Land Use Code Section 5.9.1(K)(1)(k). ... A noise measured or registered in the mann...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Taxes & Fees

Short term rental hosts in Fort Collins must hold sales, use, and lodging tax licenses before they can get a rental license under City Code § 15-644(a)(2). The City's lodging tax runs three percent of the nightly price under § 25-242, on top of sales tax, and lodging providers file a return with the Financial Officer by the 20th of every month.

Fort Collins Short Term Rental Taxes and Fees

Some Restrictions

Fort Collins City Code § 15-644(a)(2); § 25-242; § 25-245(a)

(2)The applicant must have valid sales and use and lodging tax licenses issued pursuant to Chapter 25, Article IV, of the Code of the City of Fort Collins for the dwelling unit to be utilized as a short term primary rental. ... On and after 11:59 p.m. March 31, 1984, there is levied and shall be paid and collected an excise tax of three (3) percent on the lodging price paid for the leasing, ren...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

Every short term rental license in Fort Collins is conditioned on compliance with the Land Use Code's parking standard for the use. City Code Sec. 15-644 folds Land Use Code Section 5.9.1(K)(1)(k) directly into the licensing checklist, so a parking shortfall can block or cost a license just like a missing tax certificate.

Fort Collins STR Parking Requirement

Some Restrictions

Fort Collins Municipal Code Sec. 15-644(a)(3)

The dwelling unit must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws including, but not limited to, the Code of the City of Fort Collins and Land Use Code, and in particular, Land Use Code Section 5.9.1(K)(1)(k) which sets forth applicable parking requirements.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Occupancy Limits

Fort Collins does not cap the number of guests an STR can host by ordinance; instead it regulates building occupancy classification. A short term rental inside a multi-unit building may only operate if the whole structure meets R-1 Occupancy Building fire and life-safety standards under Sec. 15-647(d).

Fort Collins Multi-Unit STR Occupancy Rule

Some Restrictions

Fort Collins Municipal Code Sec. 15-647(d)

A short term primary or non-primary rental shall only operate in a multi-unit dwelling unit if the entire multi-unit structure meets all sanitation, mechanical, electrical, structural, and fire safety requirements applicable to an R-1 Occupancy Building.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Insurance Requirements

Fort Collins will not license a short term rental until the owner proves liability insurance covering renter injuries. City Code Sec. 15-644 sets this as a minimum licensing requirement for both primary and non-primary short term rentals, with the required coverage limits fixed by administrative regulation, not left to the applicant's discretion.

Fort Collins STR Liability Insurance Rule

Some Restrictions

Fort Collins Municipal Code Sec. 15-644(a)(5)

The applicant must maintain and provide proof of liability insurance sufficient to compensate renters for injuries that may be sustained in the dwelling unit proposed to be rented within the coverage limits established in administrative regulations adopted pursuant to § 15-651.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Host Presence Rule

Fort Collins requires every licensed short term rental to have a responsible person on call. City Code § 15-644(a)(7) makes the applicant name at least one person able to reach the property and respond to any renter or City complaint within four hours, at all times the unit is being rented, whether or not the host lives on site.

Fort Collins Short Term Rental Response Rule

Some Restrictions

Fort Collins City Code § 15-644(a)(7); § 15-648(6)

(7)The applicant must identify one or more persons who will be available to respond within four (4) hours at all times during which the dwelling unit is rented to any issues raised by the renter or the City. Any such person must have access to the dwelling unit and be authorized to make decisions regarding the dwelling unit. ... (6)The person(s) identified in § 15-644(a)(7) and § 15-644(b)(7) s...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

A short term primary rental license in Fort Collins can only go to the owner of a dwelling that is actually that owner's own home. Sec. 15-644(a)(1) demands documentation proving both ownership and occupancy, and Sec. 15-641 defines primary residence as nine or more months of the year, only one at a time.

Fort Collins STR Primary Residence Rule

Some Restrictions

Fort Collins Municipal Code Sec. 15-644(a)(1); Sec. 15-641

The applicant must provide documentation satisfactory to the Financial Officer that the applicant is the owner of the dwelling unit and that the dwelling unit is his or her primary residence. ... Primary residence shall mean the dwelling unit in which a person resides for nine (9) or more months of the calendar year. Under this definition, a person has only one (1) primary residence at a time.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Repeat Violator Strikes

Fort Collins does not use a strikes system for short term rentals; a single revocation locks the dwelling out for a full year. Sec. 15-649(c) bars the property from getting a new license for twelve months after any revocation, regardless of who owns it.

Fort Collins STR One-Year License Ban

Significant Restrictions

Fort Collins Municipal Code Sec. 15-649(c)

Upon revocation of a license, the dwelling unit described in the license is ineligible to receive another license pursuant to this Article for one (1) year from the date of revocation.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Looking for Larimer County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fort Collins city rules.

Short-Term Rentals in Larimer County →