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Manitou Springs, CO Hotels & Lodging: Transient Occupancy Tax (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Tax rate
2% on lodging and camping
Billing basis
Charged for each night of stay
Governing chapter
Municipal Code Chapter 3.24
Permanent-resident exemption
30+ consecutive days under written agreement
Return due date
20th of the following month
Revenue use
Visitor promotion general fund account
Violation penalty
License suspension plus fine up to $2,650

Summary

Manitou Springs levies a 2% lodging and camping tax on hotel, motel, guest house and campground stays under Municipal Code §§ 3.24.020 and 3.24.030. The tax is billed for every day of furnished lodging, calculated from the start of the stay, and the proceeds fund visitor promotion for the city and the Pikes Peak region.

B."Lodging" means the transaction of furnishing rooms or accommodations to any person who for a consideration uses, possesses, or has the right to use or possess any room, or rooms, in a hotel, apartment hotel, lodginghouse, motor hotel, guest house, guest ranch, or any other place that furnishes sleeping accommodations under any concession, permit, right of access, license to use, or other agreement, or otherwise. ... A.There shall be levied, paid and collected a tax of two percent on the purchase in the city, of the following:1.Lodging;2.Camping.B.The lodging tax shall be collected for each and every day of furnished lodging and shall be calculated from the commencement of the lodging term.

Full Breakdown

030 sets the rate at two percent of the purchase price of lodging or camping in the city. 020 defines Lodging broadly to cover a hotel, apartment hotel, lodginghouse, motor hotel, guest house or guest ranch, and it extends to any other place that furnishes sleeping accommodations under any concession, permit, right of access, license to use, or other agreement, language written wide enough to reach nontraditional stays as well as conventional hotels. The tax is collected for each day of furnished lodging, calculated from the commencement of the lodging term, so a multi-night guest pays the two percent on every night billed.

040 carves out an exemption for permanent residents: anyone who signs a written agreement at the start of the stay for at least thirty consecutive days in a hotel, lodginghouse or similar establishment, or a space in a mobile home park, auto camp or trailer court, does not owe the lodging tax on that stay. 080. 090, to the general fund's visitor-promotion appropriation for attracting business and tourism to the city and the greater Pikes Peak region, tying the tax directly to Manitou Springs' tourism-driven economy.

Violations & Fines

Section 3.24.110 makes any violation of Chapter 3.24 or the finance director's collection rules punishable by suspension or revocation of the operator's business license, in addition to the general penalty in Section 1.01.100: a fine of up to $2,650, up to ninety days in jail, or both, with each day of noncompliance charged as a separate offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hotel tax rate in Manitou Springs?
Manitou Springs Municipal Code § 3.24.030 sets the lodging and camping tax at two percent of the purchase price of any hotel, motel, guest house or campground stay in the city. The tax is billed for every day of furnished lodging, calculated from the day the stay begins, and applies on top of the city's regular sales tax.
Does the lodging tax apply to long-term stays?
No. Section 3.24.040 exempts a guest who signs a written agreement, at the start of the stay, for at least thirty consecutive days of occupancy in a hotel, lodginghouse, guest ranch, mobile home park or similar establishment. Short stays and arrangements that fall under thirty days remain fully taxable at two percent.
Who collects and remits the lodging tax?
The vendor, meaning the hotel, motel or other lodging operator, collects the two percent tax from guests and is personally liable for remitting it to the city finance director. Section 3.24.080 requires a monthly return before the twentieth of the month following the reporting period, and the finance director can inspect a vendor's business records at any time.
What happens if a lodging operator does not pay?
Section 3.24.110 authorizes the city to suspend or revoke the operator's business license for violating Chapter 3.24 or the finance director's collection rules. The general penalty in Section 1.01.100 also applies, allowing a fine up to $2,650, up to ninety days in jail, or both, with each day of nonpayment a separate offense.

Sources & Official References

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