LicensedRental

Elbert County, Colorado

Elizabeth, CO vacation rental requirements

Until 2024 Elizabeth didn’t allow short-term rentals. In April 2024 the Town Board took up Ordinance 24-02 to allow them in most residential and downtown zones with a three-year registration (about $30) and a life-safety inspection. We couldn’t confirm it passed; call the town before you list.

Checked against official sources November 8, 2026

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Town rental rules
Proposed 2024
Registration and inspection; adoption not confirmed.Source
Registration
About $30 every 3 years
Staff recommendation; you pay for the inspection.Source
Zones
Most residential and downtown
R-1, RE, R-2, R-TH, R-3, MH-1, CMU, DT.Source
Taxes
7.9%
2.9% state, 1% county, 4% town sales tax.Source

What we checked (November 2026): the April 9, 2024 staff memo and draft Ordinance 24-02 from the Town Board packet; one search for a current town STR page found none. The draft says nothing about occupancy, parking, floor plans, or a local contact.

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.

Elbert County, Colorado

  1. Ask before you list

    We found no short-term rental license here, but zoning may still treat renting by the night as a lodging or commercial use. Ask the Elbert County Community and Development Services office whether your address needs a permit, and check your HOA or deed covenants.

  2. Taxes on each stay

    Stays under 30 days owe 2.9% state plus 1% Elbert County sales tax (plus 4% in Elizabeth or 1.5% in Kiowa). Airbnb and other platforms collect the state and state-administered taxes on their bookings; for direct bookings, file with the Colorado Department of Revenue. Town sales taxes here are state-collected, so platforms collect them. Kiowa voters approved a new 1% lodging tax in November 2025, per Avalara; ask the town who collects it.Source

  3. Inside a town

    Towns make their own rules inside their limits; the county’s zoning applies only outside them. Call the town hall if your rental is in town.

Town of Elizabeth

  1. Confirm the rules with the town

    The 2024 staff memo says short-term rentals weren’t allowed in town before Ordinance 24-02. Ask the town clerk whether it was adopted and what the current fee is.Source

  2. Register and pass an inspection

    As proposed: apply with proof you own the home (or the owner’s signed affidavit), pay the fee, and pass a life-safety inspection at your cost. Registration lasts three years.Source

  3. Taxes on each stay

    Stays under 30 days owe 2.9% state, 1% Elbert County, and 4% Elizabeth sales tax, about 7.9%. Airbnb and other platforms collect the state and state-administered taxes on their bookings; for direct bookings, file with the Colorado Department of Revenue. Elizabeth’s sales tax is state-collected, so platforms collect it.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.