RuleGridColorado · Aspen
Aspen
Short-term rentals (any residential rental for periods fewer than 30 days) are legal in the City of Aspen but require a permit and a $150/year STR business license, and are subject to per-zone permit caps and a tiered STR excise tax. STRs are governed by Chapter 26.530 of the Aspen Municipal Code, adopted via Ordinance No. 9, Series 2022. Owners choose among three primary permit types: STR-Owner-Occupied (STR-OO), available only to title owners for whom the property is their primary residence and capped at 120 rental nights per year; STR-Classic (STR-C), for non-owner-occupied units (or owner-occupied units renting more than 120 nights), with no night limit but subject to hard numeric permit caps by residential zone district (e.g., R-6: 81, R/MF: 190, R-15: 47, MU: 39; no cap in Commercial/Lodge zones such as C-1, CC, L, CL, LP, LO); and STR-Lodging Exempt (STR-LE), for qualifying lodges/condo-hotels with no night limit. A temporary permit type was added on Nov 18, 2025 to let new owners honor pre-existing reservations. Annual permit fees (current as of July 2026) are $394 for STR-C and STR-OO and $148/unit for STR-LE, plus a $150/year STR business license. A tiered STR excise tax took effect for stays on or after May 1, 2023 (Resolution 106-2022): 5% for owner-occupied/lodge-exempt permits and 10% for investment/"classic" permits, on top of city lodging taxes and all jurisdictions' sales taxes. The city itself states aggregate tax obligations starting in 2026 of 12.35% (traditional lodge), 17.35% (STR owner-occupied/lodge-exempt), and 22.35% (STR investment/classic 2nd-home). When a zone's cap is reached, new applicants may pay a non-refundable $394 fee to hold a waitlist position and have 14 days to respond when a permit becomes available. Permits are generally non-transferable, except that per the Nov 18, 2025 amendments an active permit may transfer to a person named in legal documents upon the permittee's death or divorce.
Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-15 · sources linked below.
Requirements checklist
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city Short-Term Rental (STR) Permit Required
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city STR Business License Required
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city Primary-residence proof (STR-Owner-Occupied only) Conditional
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city Minimum annual rental activity for renewal Required
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city STR/Lodging tax account and monthly filing Required
Taxes
| Tax | Rate | Administered by | Airbnb remits | Vrbo remits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-Term Rental Tax - Owner-Occupied / Lodge-Exempt | 5% | City of Aspen (collected locally) | — | — |
| Short-Term Rental Tax - Investment / 2nd-Homeowner 'Classic' | 10% | City of Aspen (collected locally) | — | — |
| City Lodging Tax - Tourism Promotion | 1% | City of Aspen (collected locally) | — | — |
| City Lodging Tax - Tourism Promotion / Transportation | 1% | City of Aspen (collected locally) | — | — |
| Aggregate tax obligation - Traditional lodge property (starting 2026) | 12.35% | City of Aspen + Pitkin County + State of Colorado (component sales taxes not itemized on source page) | — | — |
| Aggregate tax obligation - STR Owner-Occupied / Lodge-Exempt (starting 2026) | 17.35% | City of Aspen + Pitkin County + State of Colorado (component sales taxes not itemized on source page) | — | — |
| Aggregate tax obligation - STR Investment / 2nd-Homeowner 'Classic' (starting 2026) | 22.35% | City of Aspen + Pitkin County + State of Colorado (component sales taxes not itemized on source page) | — | — |
Lodging-tax estimator
Estimate the combined transient/lodging tax (~69.1%) on a stay in Aspen. Estimate only — not tax advice.
Operating rules
- Primary residence
- No
- Min stay (nights)
- —
- Max nights / year
- 120
- Max occupancy
- —
- Zoning-restricted
- Yes
- Cap on licenses
- Yes
Zoning: STR-Classic (STR-C) permits are subject to hard numeric caps by residential zone district: RR 2, R-15B 12, MU 39, R-3 1, R-30 1, NC 1, R-6 81, R/MF 190, SCI 2, R-15 47, R/MFA 12, SKI 2, R-15A 8, AH 9. There is no cap on STR-C permits in the Commercial (C-1), Commercial Core (CC), Lodge (L), Commercial Lodge (CL), Lodge Overlay (LP), and Lodge Preservation Overlay (LO) zone districts. When a capped zone is full, applicants may pay a non-refundable $394 fee to hold a waitlist position; when a permit becomes available, City staff email the top waitlist position and the applicant has 14 days to respond and accept.
- primary_residence_required is set to false because STR-Classic permits are available to non-owner-occupied properties; primary residence is required ONLY for the STR-Owner-Occupied (STR-OO) permit type.
- max_nights_per_year of 120 applies ONLY to the STR-Owner-Occupied (STR-OO) permit type; STR-Classic and STR-Lodging Exempt permits have no annual night cap.
- STR defined as renting a residential property for periods fewer than 30 days at a time; rentals of 30 days or more are 'long-term rentals' and do not require an STR permit (confirmed via city FAQ).
- Permits are GENERALLY non-transferable ('Permittee contact information may not be changed after a permit is issued as permits are non-transferable'), BUT per the Nov 18, 2025 Council amendments an active permit may transfer to a person named in legal documents upon the permittee's death or divorce. This corrects the draft's flat 'non-transferable' claim.
- Nov 18, 2025 amendments also: removed HOA affidavit requirement for renewals; eliminated mailed public-notice for new applications in uncapped zones; added a temporary STR permit type to honor pre-existing reservations; and require STR platforms to display permit numbers in ads and remove non-compliant listings.
- Governing law: Chapter 26.530 of the Aspen Municipal Code, adopted via Ordinance No. 9, Series 2022.
- max_occupancy_rule left null: no specific occupancy formula was quotable from the official STR page or FAQ reviewed; verify against full text of Chapter 26.530 (Municode returned HTTP 403 and could not be read).
- grandfathering left null: the official STR page and FAQ did not contain quotable grandfathering language; a 2021-2022 moratorium and transition of pre-existing permits is referenced in secondary sources (Aspen Journalism / Aspen Daily News) but was not confirmed against a primary source here.
Enforcement
- Active enforcement
- unknown
- Fines
- —
- Notes
- Specific fine amounts and the penalty/violation schedule were not quotable from the official STR page or FAQ; Chapter 26.530 (Municode) returned HTTP 403 and could not be read to confirm penalties. Downgraded to needs_review.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Airbnb legal in Aspen?
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in Aspen?
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Aspen?
Official sources
- reference Short-term Rentals | Aspen, CO ↗
- reference Lodging and Short Term Rental Taxes | Aspen, CO ↗
- reference Waitlist for STR-C Permits | Aspen, CO ↗
- reference Aspen City Council approves updates to short-term rental regulations ↗
- reference Short-Term Rental FAQ | Aspen, CO ↗
- reference U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder ↗
Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.