RuleGridColorado · El Paso County
El Paso County
In unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, short-term rentals (STRs / vacation rentals / Airbnb) of the PRINCIPAL structure are ALLOWED with no county STR permit, license, or registration. As verified on 2026-07-16, the El Paso County Planning & Development Department's official Short-Term Rentals page states: "El Paso County does not have a codified short term rental ordinance/Code and there are no specific regulations or permit requirements for short term rental of the principal structure." The ONE conditional exception: "If an accessory structure will be used as a short term rental, then zoning approval is needed." STR properties must otherwise "comply with the El Paso County Land Development Code and County Ordinances," and owners are told to refrain from advertising the property "as a place to hosts events such as weddings, business retreats, etc. to avoid a violation of the Land Development Code." No primary-residence requirement, no minimum-stay rule, no annual-night cap, and no license cap exist at the county level. This record covers ONLY unincorporated El Paso County; incorporated municipalities (notably the City of Colorado Springs, which requires an STR permit) regulate STRs separately. On taxes, STR lodging rented for less than 30 consecutive days is subject to state-administered sales tax: 2.90% Colorado state + 1.23% El Paso County + 1.00% Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) = 5.13% combined in unincorporated El Paso County (unincorporated El Paso County is a PPRTA member jurisdiction). El Paso County levies no separate county lodging/accommodations tax. A Colorado sales tax license is generally required to collect and remit, though marketplace facilitators (Airbnb/Vrbo) are required to collect and remit the applicable state and state-administered local sales taxes on bookings made through their platforms.
Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-15 · sources linked below.
Requirements checklist
-
county County STR permit / registration (NOT required for principal structure) Not required
-
county Zoning approval for STR use of an accessory structure Conditional
-
county Compliance with El Paso County Land Development Code and County Ordinances Required
-
state Colorado State Sales Tax License (to collect/remit sales tax on lodging) Required
Taxes
| Tax | Rate | Administered by | Airbnb remits | Vrbo remits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State Sales Tax (on rooms & accommodations < 30 days) | 2.9% | Colorado Department of Revenue | — | — |
| El Paso County Sales Tax | 1.23% | Colorado Department of Revenue (state-collected on behalf of the county) | — | — |
| Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) Sales Tax | 1% | Colorado Department of Revenue (state-collected) | — | — |
Lodging-tax estimator
Estimate the combined transient/lodging tax (~5.1%) on a stay in El Paso County. Estimate only — not tax advice.
Operating rules
- Primary residence
- No
- Min stay (nights)
- —
- Max nights / year
- —
- Max occupancy
- —
- Zoning-restricted
- —
- Cap on licenses
- No
Zoning: No zoning restriction on using a PRINCIPAL structure as an STR. Using an ACCESSORY structure (ADU, guest house, etc.) as an STR requires county zoning approval. Advertising the property as a venue for events (weddings, business retreats, etc.) would violate the Land Development Code.
- No county STR permit, registration, or license is required for the principal structure (verified 2026-07-16 against the county Planning & Development page).
- Accessory-structure STRs require zoning approval; contact El Paso County Planning & Development, Planner of the Day (dsd-pod@elpasoco.com / 719-520-6944).
- Hosts are told to refrain from advertising the property as a place to host events such as weddings or business retreats to avoid a Land Development Code violation.
- This record applies ONLY to unincorporated El Paso County; incorporated cities (e.g., Colorado Springs, which requires an STR permit) regulate STRs independently.
- El Paso County publishes voluntary 'Good Neighbor Guidelines' (noise, parking, wildlife, local contact) — these are a recommendation, not an enforceable requirement.
Enforcement
- Active enforcement
- yes
- Fines
- No STR-specific fine schedule exists at the county level because there is no codified STR ordinance. Enforcement is complaint-based under the El Paso County Land Development Code and County Ordinances (e.g., advertising the property as an events venue is a Land Development Code violation). Noise and on-street parking concerns are directed to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (719-390-5555); other complaints are submitted to Code Enforcement through the county's online system.
- Notes
- Enforcement is reactive/complaint-driven and tied to general land-use and nuisance code compliance rather than a dedicated STR program. The county also directs neighbors to contact the booking platform (Airbnb/Vrbo) about problematic STR behavior. 'active_enforcement' reflects that complaint-based code enforcement exists, not an STR-specific enforcement program.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Airbnb legal in El Paso County?
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in El Paso County?
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in El Paso County?
Official sources
Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.