Loveland, CO Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Loveland's regulatory posture toward STR occupancy is markedly looser than peer regulated cities. No section of Title 18 UDC or other Loveland Municipal Code chapter caps guest count, ties occupancy to a per-bedroom formula, requires a sprinkler system above a stated bedroom threshold for STR use, or defines what counts as a 'legal bedroom' for STR purposes - all because no dedicated STR ordinance exists. Maximum dwelling occupancy is governed by the adopted residential building code (LMC Title 15, Building Code, which adopts the International Residential Code with local amendments) on the same terms it applies to long-term residential occupancy, plus general fire-life-safety baseline requirements: smoke detectors in every bedroom and outside sleeping areas, carbon monoxide detectors adjacent to sleeping areas where the dwelling has an attached garage or fuel-fired appliance, and emergency egress per the adopted building code (typically a direct outside door or an egress window meeting minimum dimensions). The Loveland UDC's underlying definition of 'family' and the dwelling-unit definition control how many unrelated occupants may share a dwelling on a long-term basis, and that definition is the operative ceiling for STR guests as well, but it is not a per-night STR cap - it is the same definition that applies to any residential lease. In practice, Loveland STR operators set their own marketed guest count based on the dwelling's beds and the building code's general life-safety capacity, with no city-imposed maximum applicable specifically to STR use. HOA-governed neighborhoods often have stricter overnight-guest provisions in their CC&Rs that are enforceable in civil court regardless of city law.