Mesa County, CO Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LDC Section 6.02 BB.7
- Residency requirement
- Representative must be a Mesa County resident
- Availability
- Reachable by phone at all times when rented
- Change notice
- Owner must notify Planning Dept. immediately
- Gap rule
- No rentals during periods with no available rep
Summary
Mesa County does not require the owner to live on site, but it does require a local representative. The Land Development Code mandates a county-resident property manager reachable by phone at all times the rental is occupied, with the Planning Department notified of any change.
7. The local property manager or representative shall be a county resident who can be contacted by telephone and is available at all times when the home is rented. The representative shall be available for resolution of conflicts, cleanup of the property, or issues with the home or occupants and shall be able to respond within a reasonable amount of time.
a. If the local representative changes, it shall be the responsibility of the owner to immediately notify the Mesa County Planning Department of the new representative's name and phone number.
b. If the local representative is not available for a specific period of time, the property shall not be rented during that time.
Full Breakdown
" That representative's job is defined in the code as responding to conflicts, cleanup of the property, or issues with the home or occupants, and doing so "within a reasonable amount of time," language that gives Code Compliance Services a functional standard to measure against if complaints come in about slow response. a makes it the owner's ongoing responsibility to immediately notify the Mesa County Planning Department whenever the local representative changes, keeping the county's contact information current. b adds a hard operating restriction: if the local representative is not available for a specific period, the property shall not be rented during that time, meaning an owner cannot legally book guests during a stretch when there is no reachable local contact, even if the home itself is ready.
Because the representative must be a county resident, an absentee owner living out of state cannot serve as their own contact and must designate someone locally, whether that is a property manager, neighbor, or management company based in Mesa County.
Violations & Fines
Renting the property while the required local representative is unavailable, or failing to notify the Planning Department of a change in representative, is a violation of the vacation rental standards under Section 6.02 BB.11 and can lead the Planning Director to revoke the site plan approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the owner have to live at the vacation rental?
What if my local contact goes on vacation?
Do I need to tell the county if I switch property managers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mesa County
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