Fort Collins, CO Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Fort Collins, CO, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- License required
- Before any stay under 30 days, § 15-642
- Two license types
- Primary rental and non-primary rental, different criteria
- Tax prerequisite
- Must hold sales, use, and lodging tax licenses
- Term
- Issued through December 31; renew annually
- Transfer
- Not transferable; ends when property is sold
- Grandfather cutoff
- Operating before March 31, 2017 for exemption
Summary
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.
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 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.(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.(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.
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
Section 15-642 makes it unlawful to lease or use any dwelling unit as a short term primary rental (part of an owner's primary residence) or short term non-primary rental (an investment property) within the City without a license issued under Article XVIII. 1(K)(1)(k); and certify compliance with the sanitation, mechanical, electrical, structural, and fire safety rules in Chapter 5, subject to Director inspection. Refusing that inspection is itself grounds for denial. Non-primary rental applicants face the same requirements under § 15-644(b). 5. A license runs from issuance through December 31 and must be renewed annually; it is not transferable and terminates automatically if the property changes ownership, per § 15-645 and § 15-647(a).
A dwelling in a zone district that does not allow short term rentals can still qualify under the grandfather rule in § 15-646 if it was actively operating before March 31, 2017, and obtained its tax license before October 31, 2017.
Violations & Fines
Renting a dwelling as a short term rental without the license is a violation of § 15-642 in its own right, on top of the general penalty in § 15-650, which allows a fine or imprisonment under § 1-15 and lets the City pursue any other legal remedy. The Director can also suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a license under § 15-649 for fraud or misrepresentation on the application, failure to hold the required tax licenses, or noncompliance with the Article; a revoked license makes that dwelling ineligible for a new one for one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to rent my house on Airbnb in Fort Collins?
What do I need to get a short term rental license?
Does my short term rental license transfer if I sell the house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Collins
How Fort Collins compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Fort Collins to another location·View the Colorado short-term rentals overview
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