Fort Collins, CO Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- STR compliance mandate
- Sec. 15-648(3), incorporates Chapter 20
- Residential noise cap
- 55 dB(A) day / 50 dB(A) night, Sec. 20-23(a)
- Measurement method
- Sound level meter per Sec. 20-24
- Consequence
- License suspension/revocation under Sec. 15-649
- Chapter
- Chapter 20, Article II - Noise
Summary
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.
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 manner provided in § 20-24 from any source at a level which is in excess of the dB(A) established for the time period and zoning districts listed in this Section is hereby declared to be a noise disturbance and is unlawful.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 155 | Transitional Land Use Code (for project before May 17, 2024): Supplement 61 | Traffic Code: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 15-648(3) requires that "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," making the noise chapter a binding license term rather than a separate, disconnected law. Chapter 20's actual noise standard, Sec. 20-23(a), declares it unlawful for a noise measured under the Sec.
and 50 dB(A) overnight, while commercial zones allow 60/55 dB(A) and industrial zones allow 80/75 dB(A). Sec. 20-24 requires the reading be taken with a sound level meter at least 25 feet from a right-of-way source, or at the receiving property line otherwise, and bars outdoor readings when wind exceeds 15 miles per hour. Because Sec. 15-648(3) pulls Chapter 20 into the license terms, a guest party that trips the Sec. 20-23 decibel limit is simultaneously a Chapter 20 nuisance violation and a breach of the rental license itself.
Violations & Fines
A Sec. 20-23 noise violation traced to a licensed short term rental breaches the Sec. 15-648(3) license condition, exposing the license to suspension, revocation or non-renewal under Sec. 15-649(a)(3). Separately, Chapter 20 noise violations carry their own penalty under Sec. 20-29, and Sec. 15-650 allows a fine or imprisonment under the general penalty in Sec. 1-15 for the licensing breach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the STR license itself set a noise rule, or does it borrow one?
What is the actual decibel limit near a Fort Collins short term rental?
Can a noisy guest party cost my rental license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Collins
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