LicensedRental

Colorado county rules

Larimer County, CO vacation rental rules and taxes

Larimer County holds Estes Park, the Front Range’s top mountain rental market, plus Fort Collins and Loveland. Outside town limits the county licenses every short-term rental, with a building permit and life-safety inspection, and caps licenses in the Estes Valley’s residential zones. Each city sets its own rules inside its limits.

Checked against official sources November 8, 2026
Market
About 2,400 Airbnb listings
Estes Park 1,381, Fort Collins 549, Loveland 319, Drake 50, Bellvue 38, Red Feather Lakes 27 (AirROI).Source
County license
Required outside town limits
Renewed every two years for $250.Source
Estes Valley cap
208 in residential zones
Waitlist kept by the county.Source

What to do

  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.

Towns

Full guide

Estes Park

Estes Park caps vacation homes in its residential zones at 322, with a short waitlist filled by lottery; commercial zones have no cap. A license costs $200 plus $50 per bedroom plus a $1,500 workforce housing fee each year, after a compliance and life-safety inspection. Stays pay 14.45%, all collected by the state, so Airbnb collects it all.

Full guide

Fort Collins

Fort Collins licenses two kinds of short-term rentals: primary (your own home) and non-primary, each allowed only in mapped zones. The license costs $500 a year, needs off-street parking by bedroom count and a contact who can be there within four hours, and Airbnb collects the city’s sales and lodging taxes.

Full guide

Loveland

Loveland charges a 3% lodging tax on top of its 3% city sales tax, and Airbnb and Vrbo must collect both. We didn’t find a separate short-term rental license on the city’s tax page, so ask city planning about zoning before you list.

Full guide

Unincorporated Larimer County

Outside city and town limits, Larimer County requires a short-term rental license with a pre-application meeting, a planning review, a conversion building permit, and a 22-item life-safety inspection. Up to 10 guests, one rental per property, spacing from other rentals and parks, and a cap of 208 licenses in the Estes Valley’s residential zones. The review needs a dimensioned floor plan and a site plan.

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.