Colorado · Breckenridge

Breckenridge

Name: Breckenridge short-term rental regulations
Creator: RuleGrid
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

city Allowed with registration Verified · last verified 2026-07-15

Short-term rental (defined by the Town as "a residential dwelling unit, or any room therein, available for lease for a term of less than thirty (30) consecutive days") is allowed in the Town of Breckenridge only with a Town-issued Accommodation Unit (Short-Term Rental) License; a valid license is required for each STR property regardless of how it is marketed (management company, VRBO, Airbnb, newspaper ads, word of mouth, etc.). The program is governed by the Town's adopted Accommodations Ordinances — Ordinance No. 29, Series 2021 and Ordinance No. 28, Series 2022 — plus Ordinance No. 35 (passed November 23, 2021) amending Chapter 1, Title 4 of the Breckenridge Town Code concerning the annual accommodation unit regulatory fee. Cost to license = an annual accommodation unit license fee / business and occupational license tax (BOLT) tiered by bedroom count ($75 studio, $100 1BR, $125 2BR, $150 3BR, $175 for 4+ BR) PLUS an annual accommodation unit regulatory fee of $756.00 per studio/bedroom per year with no limit on the number of bedrooms charged; the regulatory fee commences January 1, 2021 and is not imposed where the unit is the license holder's primary residence and is rented no more than 21 days per year. Licenses are capped within a four-zone system (Resort Properties Zone; Tourism Zone 1; downtown-core Zone 2; residential Zone 3). Per the Town's published "December 2025" availability snapshot: Resort Properties Zone had 1,719 current licenses and no waitlist; Zone 1 allows 1,680 licenses with 1,225 held, 467 available and no waitlist; Zone 2 allows 130 licenses and is at its cap of 130 with no availability and a waitlist; Zone 3 allows 390 licenses but has 1,058 held (over cap), no availability, and a waitlist (these counts are published quarterly and are a Dec-2025 snapshot). STR licenses are non-transferable/non-refundable in the event of property sale. Each STR must designate a Responsible Agent available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week who responds to any complaint within sixty (60) minutes (Town STR complaint line 970-423-5334). Lodging is taxed at a combined 12.275% (2.9% CO state + 2.0% Summit County + 0.75% Mass Transportation System + 0.725% Multi-Jurisdictional Housing Authority + 2.5% Town sales + 3.4% Town Public Accommodation Tax); Airbnb and Vrbo have a special agreement with the Town to collect and remit taxes on behalf of license holders, but a valid Town license is still required to rent.

Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-15 · sources linked below.

Requirements checklist

city Accommodation Unit (Short-Term Rental) License Required

Fee: — · Renewal: Annual · Applies to: Every residential dwelling unit, or any room therein, available for lease for a term of less than thirty (30) consecutive days within the Town of Breckenridge · official page ↗
city Annual Accommodation Unit Regulatory Fee Conditional

Fee: $756 / annual_per_bedroom · Renewal: Annual · Applies to: All licensed short-term rentals; not imposed where the accommodation unit is the license holder's primary residence and is rented no more than 21 days per year · official page ↗
city Primary Residence Regulatory-Fee Exemption Conditional

Fee: $0 / annual · Renewal: Annual application · Applies to: License holders whose accommodation unit is their primary residence and is rented no more than 21 days per year (must apply to the Town) · official page ↗
city Responsible Agent Designation Required

Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: Every licensed short-term rental; may be a management company, rental agent, or individual identified by the licensee · official page ↗
city License Number Displayed in Advertising Required

Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: All STR advertisements/listings for the property · official page ↗
state Colorado Sales Tax License Required

Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: All businesses, property managers, and homeowners collecting the accommodations tax on Breckenridge lodging · official page ↗

Taxes

Tax	Rate	Administered by	Airbnb remits	Vrbo remits
Combined lodging tax	—	—	—	—
Colorado state sales tax	—	—	—	—
Summit County sales tax	—	—	—	—
Mass Transportation System (MTS)	—	—	—	—
Multi-Jurisdictional Housing Authority (MHA)	—	—	—	—
Town of Breckenridge sales tax	—	—	—	—
Town of Breckenridge Public Accommodation Tax	—	—	—	—

Operating rules

Primary residence: No
Min stay (nights): —
Max nights / year: —
Max occupancy: —
Zoning-restricted: Yes
Cap on licenses: Yes

Grandfathering: yes

Zoning: STR licensing operates within four adopted zones: Resort Properties Zone; Tourism Zone (Zone 1); downtown core (Zone 2); and residential areas (Zone 3). A property's zone is determined via the Town's searchable GIS short-term-rental map. Per the Town's published 'December 2025' availability snapshot: Resort Properties Zone had 1,719 current licenses and no waitlist; Zone 1 allows 1,680 licenses with 1,225 held, 467 available and no waitlist; Zone 2 allows 130 licenses, is at its cap of 130 (no availability) with a waitlist; Zone 3 allows 390 licenses but has 1,058 held (over cap), no availability, and a waitlist. These counts are static, published quarterly, and represent a December 2025 snapshot (as of the record date they are ~7 months old and should be re-pulled).

Zone caps did not affect existing licenses; current license holders may continue renting (Ordinance No. 28, Series 2022 framework).
Short-term rental licenses are non-transferable/non-refundable in the event of property sale; over-cap zones (2 and 3) are expected to decline toward their targeted caps over time.
A property's zone can be looked up on the Town's searchable GIS Short-Term Rental Areas map by address, subdivision, or schedule number.
Individual homeowner associations may impose their own STR requirements, restrictions, and covenants.

Enforcement

Active enforcement: unknown
Fines: —
Notes: Complaint line, non-emergency dispatch, licensing phone/email, and tax-penalty terms are quote-anchored to the Town's STR and Accommodations Tax pages.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Airbnb legal in Breckenridge?

Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in Breckenridge?

Yes — Breckenridge requires: Accommodation Unit (Short-Term Rental) License; Annual Accommodation Unit Regulatory Fee; Primary Residence Regulatory-Fee Exemption. See the requirements checklist for fees, renewal, and official links.

What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Breckenridge?

Combined lodging tax, Colorado state sales tax, Summit County sales tax, Mass Transportation System (MTS), Multi-Jurisdictional Housing Authority (MHA), Town of Breckenridge sales tax, Town of Breckenridge Public Accommodation Tax. Use the lodging-tax estimator on this page for a specific stay.

Official sources

Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.