Pitkin County, CO Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

JURISDICTIONAL OVERVIEW. Pitkin County is a non-home-rule statutory county in central Colorado containing the home-rule City of Aspen, the Town of Snowmass Village, and portions of the Town of Basalt (which straddles the Pitkin-Eagle county line). Unincorporated Pitkin County includes Woody Creek, Old Snowmass, Lenado, Redstone, the Crystal River valley, and rural McLain Flats / Brush Creek areas. Each incorporated municipality operates its own STR licensing regime; the County licenses unincorporated parcels only.

PITKIN COUNTY — BOCC ORDINANCE 028-2022 (UNINCORPORATED). On June 22, 2023 the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners finalized the licensing implementation of Ordinance 028-2022, codified as Pitkin County Code Title 6 (Short-Term Rental Code). The ordinance took effect for licensing September 20, 2023. After the effective date, it is unlawful for any property owner or owner's agent to rent, advertise for rent, offer, lease, or exchange a dwelling unit in unincorporated Pitkin County for a term of less than 30 days without an active County STR license.

THREE LICENSE CATEGORIES (PITKIN COUNTY). Every unincorporated STR license falls into one of three tiers based on the maximum number of rental nights permitted per calendar year: (1) SEASONAL — 61 to 120 nights per year (the absolute maximum allowed; no STR may rent more than 120 nights/year regardless of demand). (2) LIMITED SEASONAL — 21 to 60 nights per year. (3) OTHERWISE LIMITED — 20 nights or fewer per year. License terms are one year. Renewal applications are accepted no sooner than 30 days before expiration. The 2025 renewal window ran November 15, 2024 through January 14, 2025, and the same November-15-to-January-14 cycle applies to subsequent renewal years.

FEES (PITKIN COUNTY). Annual fees are tied to the Pitkin County Assessor's market value of the dwelling: - Seasonal (61-120 nights): 0.07% of assessed market value - Limited Seasonal (21-60 nights): 0.06% of assessed market value - Otherwise Limited (≤20 nights): 0.05% of assessed market value For reference, on a $5 million home (typical of Aspen-area properties), the annual STR license fee runs roughly $2,500 (Otherwise Limited) to $3,500 (Seasonal).

ELIGIBILITY HISTORY REQUIREMENT (PITKIN COUNTY). To qualify for any new County STR license, the applicant must demonstrate at least one documented short-term rental night between May 11, 2017 and May 11, 2022. Properties with no documented rental history during that five-year window are NOT eligible for a Pitkin County STR license — this 'historical use' gate effectively caps total county STR supply at the inventory of properties that were operating before the May 2022 moratorium.

MINIMUM STAY (PITKIN COUNTY). All Pitkin County STR licenses require a 4-night minimum booking. Stays under four nights are prohibited. The four-night minimum was adopted to reduce parking, trash, and turnover-related neighbor impacts.

ORDINANCE 22-2024 (PLATFORM COMPLIANCE). In September 2024, Pitkin County adopted Ordinance 22 (2024) requiring all hosting/listing platforms (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, etc.) to display the property's valid Pitkin County STR license number on every advertisement and to remove any listing that lacks a valid license number, that has been suspended/revoked, or that has been terminated for tax non-compliance. Licenses with zero tax filings for one year are deemed abandoned and terminated automatically.

APPLICATION PROCESS (PITKIN COUNTY). Applications are submitted online through the SagesGov portal at sagesgov.com/pitkincounty-co. The County recommends applying at least 14 days in advance of the planned rental start date. Applications require proof of property ownership, the documentary rental-history record (May 2017-May 2022), a designated 24/7 local contact, a self-inspection or fire safety affidavit, posted house rules, an HOA acknowledgment where applicable, and payment of the tier-based fee. Contact: STR@pitkincounty.com, 970-429-1858, 530 E. Main St., Suite 205, Aspen, CO 81611.

CITY OF ASPEN — ORDINANCE NO. 9, SERIES 2022 (SEPARATE REGIME). The home-rule City of Aspen operates a parallel and more restrictive STR program under Ordinance No. 9, Series 2022. STRs are defined as residential property rentals 'for a fee, primarily for tourist accommodations' for fewer than 30 days. Three permit types are issued: (1) STR-CLASSIC (STR-C) — investment properties, second homes, or owner-occupied properties not seeking the 120-night cap; subject to ZONE-BASED PERMIT CAPS (see below); annual permit fee approximately $394; unlimited annual nights but capped by total permits per zone. (2) STR-OWNER-OCCUPIED (STR-OO) — primary residence of the owner; not subject to the zone cap; limited to 120 rental nights per year; annual permit fee approximately $394; requires two forms of residency proof. (3) STR-LODGING-EXEMPT (STR-LE) — units in lodges, condo-hotels, and aparthotels professionally managed by a lodge operator; not subject to caps; not limited by nights; annual permit fee approximately $148 per unit.

ZONE-BASED CAPS (CITY OF ASPEN, STR-C ONLY). Under Ordinance No. 9, the number of available STR-C permits in residential zones was rolled back to 75% of the pre-moratorium count. Reported caps include: R-6 zone — 81 permits; R/MF (Residential Multifamily) — 190 permits; R-15 — 47 permits; R-15B — 12 permits; MU (Mixed Use) — 39 permits; R-3 zone — 1 permit; R-30 zone — 1 permit. Lodge, Commercial, and certain overlay districts are not capped. Eight of fourteen residential districts have already reached their caps; new STR-C applicants in capped zones are placed on a waiting list. The City Council adopted amendments in November 2024 to streamline applications, allow limited transferability exemptions, and tighten compliance enforcement.

ASPEN APPLICATION & SUPPORTING REQUIREMENTS. Applicants register through the MUNIRevs portal. Required documents include: property owner identification (with natural-person disclosure for LLC owners), two residency proofs for STR-OO applications, an HOA permission affidavit where applicable, a self-inspection safety checklist, posted emergency information, a designated 24/7 local responsible person, and proof of a separate City of Aspen Business License ($150/year, required in addition to the STR permit fee). Permits are renewed annually; the 2026 renewal window runs November 15, 2025 - January 14, 2026, with January 20, 2026 the deadline for any outstanding STR excise tax filings. A property must record at least one short-term rental in the prior year to remain renewable; permits with no activity may be deemed abandoned.

ASPEN STR EXCISE TAX (RESOLUTION 106-2022, BALLOT MEASURE 2A). Aspen voters approved Ballot Measure 2A on November 8, 2022 by 61.7% (3,595 ballots cast) authorizing a tiered STR excise tax adopted by Resolution 106-2022 effective May 1, 2023. The excise tax is layered ON TOP of all existing state, county, and city sales and lodging taxes: - STR-LE: 5.0% STR excise tax - STR-OO: 5.0% STR excise tax - STR-C: 10.0% STR excise tax Revenue allocation (per ballot language): minimum 70% to affordable housing; up to 30% to environmental initiatives, infrastructure repair, and capital maintenance.

ASPEN TOTAL TAX BURDEN (Approximate, 2026). Combined state sales tax (2.9%) + Pitkin County sales tax (3.1%, includes 0.5% MTS) + RTA / RTD additions + City of Aspen sales/lodging taxes + STR excise tax produce these effective rates: - Traditional lodge / hotel: ~12.35% - STR-OO and STR-LE: ~17.35% - STR-C (investment / second home): ~22.35% Aspen also imposes two voter-approved 1% lodging taxes — Ordinance 45-2000 (1% tourism promotion) and Ordinance 31-2010 (1% split 50/50 between tourism promotion and transit).

STATE AUTHORITY (HB20-1093, HB23-1287, HB19-1240). Counties' authority to license STRs derives from HB20-1093, codified at C.R.S. § 30-15-401(1)(s)(I), effective September 14, 2020. HB23-1287, signed June 5, 2023 and effective August 7, 2023, expressly authorizes counties to require online vacation-rental platforms to (a) display a valid license number on every listing and (b) remove listings on county notice of suspension, revocation, or location in a prohibited area. Pitkin County's Ordinance 22-2024 directly implements HB23-1287's platform-compliance authority. Marketplace facilitators (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com) qualifying as 'accommodations intermediaries' under HB19-1240 collect and remit state sales tax (2.9%) and state-administered local taxes; locally-administered Aspen city taxes are collected by the City directly and are not always remitted by marketplace facilitators on the host's behalf — direct-booked or self-managed hosts remain responsible for those.

CRS TITLE 39 LODGING TAX FRAMEWORK. Stays of fewer than 30 consecutive days to the same tenant are taxable lodging under CRS Title 39 (sales and use taxes) and CRS Title 29 (local sales taxes). Stays of 30 or more consecutive days to the same tenant are exempt from Colorado state sales/lodging tax. All Pitkin County STR operators must register with the Colorado Department of Revenue, obtain a Colorado sales tax license, and remit applicable state and locally-administered taxes monthly or as required by the licensing jurisdiction.

FIRE PROTECTION AND BUILDING SAFETY. STRs in unincorporated Pitkin County remain subject to inspection authority of the local fire protection district (Aspen Fire Protection District, Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority, Basalt and Rural Fire Protection District, Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District in lower-valley areas). Districts may require working smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms, posted egress and evacuation maps, accessible address numbers, and may conduct inspections as a condition of license issuance or renewal. Aspen STR-OO and STR-C licensees must complete an annual self-inspection safety checklist.

WHAT THIS MEANS IN PRACTICE. (a) UNINCORPORATED PITKIN COUNTY: you need a Pitkin County STR license under one of the three tiers (Seasonal/Limited Seasonal/Otherwise Limited) — but only if your property had at least one documented STR night between May 11, 2017 and May 11, 2022. New STRs without that history are NOT eligible. Maximum 120 nights/year, minimum 4-night booking, fee 0.05%-0.07% of assessed value, all listings must show your license number, monthly tax filings required. (b) CITY OF ASPEN: you need an Aspen STR-C, STR-OO, or STR-LE permit under Ordinance No. 9, Series 2022, plus a $150 Aspen Business License, plus you pay 5%-10% STR excise tax on top of all standard sales/lodging taxes. STR-C permits in eight residential zones are at or above their caps and only re-issue from waiting lists. (c) SNOWMASS VILLAGE: contact the Town directly — separate licensing regime not addressed by this entry.