LicensedRental

Clear Creek County, Colorado

Unincorporated Clear Creek County, CO vacation rental requirements

Outside Idaho Springs, Georgetown, Silver Plume, and Empire, Clear Creek County requires a yearly short-term rental license. Whole-home licenses for homes you don’t live in are capped at 4.5% of homes and can’t sit next to another one. Applications need a site plan with parking, trash, and snow storage; plan on one off-street space per bedroom, a yearly safety inspection, and an agent who answers within an hour.

Checked against official sources November 8, 2026

Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.

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County license
Required, renewed yearly
Fee set by the county’s STR fee schedule.Source
Standard (non-resident) licenses
Capped at 4.5% of homes
No two may adjoin, even across a road.Source
Primary residence licenses
No cap
Rent part of your home, or the whole home up to 90 days a year if you live there 9+ months.Source
Guests
2 per bedroom + 2
On septic, your septic permit’s capacity (usually 2 per bedroom).Source
Parking
1 off-street space per bedroom
No parking in the road.Source
Drawings
Site plan, and a floor plan for room rentals

The ordinance leaves the dollar amounts to a separate county fee schedule we didn’t read. Ask Clear Creek County Planning for the current fee and whether Standard licenses are available under the cap.

Your licensing checklist

In order: the state, the county, then the town.

State of Colorado

  1. Get a state sales tax license

    If you rent rooms or a home for stays under 30 days, Colorado requires a sales tax license from the Department of Revenue. Platforms like Airbnb collect the state and state-administered taxes on their bookings; you file for anything booked directly.Source

    MyBiz Colorado →

  2. Check for home-rule city taxes

    Many cities and mountain towns collect their own sales and lodging taxes. Platforms aren’t required by the state to collect these, so you may need a separate city tax license and returns.Source

  3. Get your county or city rental license

    Most Colorado mountain counties and towns, and Denver, require a short-term rental license or permit, often with an inspection, an occupancy limit, posted information, and a local responder. Pick your area for the rules.

Clear Creek County, Colorado

  1. Then your town or area

    Cities and towns make their own rental rules inside their limits; the county’s rules apply only outside them. Pick your area.

Clear Creek County (unincorporated areas)

  1. Pick the license type

    A Standard license covers any legal home, under the 4.5% cap and never next to another Standard rental. A Primary Residence - Occupied license lets you rent part of the home you live in full time. A Primary Residence - Seasonal license lets you rent the whole home up to 90 days a year if you live there at least nine months; ADUs don’t qualify.Source

  2. Draw the site plan

    Make a scaled map (or a written description) showing the lot and boundaries, the house, parking, where trash and snow are stored, any grill or fire feature, and the number of bedrooms and guests. For a room rental, add a floor plan showing the rented part of the home.Source

  3. Pass the safety inspection and apply

    Have a 5 lb or larger fire extinguisher in view (checked yearly), smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide alarms, and pass the yearly safety inspection. Name a responsible agent who answers complaints within an hour, 24/7.Source

    Clear Creek County STR application →

  4. Post the license and guidebook

    Post the license on or beside the entry door, 48 to 68 inches up, and keep a guest guidebook with a map of the parcel and parking and the evacuation routes. Renew at least 30 days before the license expires; late renewals are treated as expired.Source

  5. Taxes on each stay

    Stays under 30 days owe 2.9% state plus Clear Creek County taxes. Airbnb and other platforms collect the state and state-administered taxes on their bookings; for direct bookings, file with the Colorado Department of Revenue. At renewal you must show federal, state, and local taxes were paid.Source

Inspection checklist

What the inspector looks for, from Clear Creek County (unincorporated areas)’s published checklist.

  • Fire extinguisher, 5 lb or largerVisible and inspected every year.Source
  • Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
  • Yearly safety inspectionOr other proof the Chief Building Official accepts.Source
  • Guest guidebook with parcel and parking mapPlus fire and emergency evacuation routes.Source

House rules for guests

Responsible agent
Responds within 1 hour, 24/7
Source
Vehicles
No sleeping in cars or RVs
Source

Sources

A plain-language summary to help you prepare, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with the office before you apply. Spot something out of date? Email hello@licensedrental.com.