LicensedRental

Logan County, Colorado

Sterling, CO vacation rental requirements

Sterling has about 30 Airbnb listings. We found no city short-term rental license, but Sterling is a home-rule city that collects its own 3% sales tax, so you may need a city sales tax license and returns even if Airbnb collects the state and county taxes.

Checked against official sources November 8, 2026

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Market
About 30 Airbnb listings
City rental rules
None found
One search; city code not read.
City sales tax
3%, collected by the city
Home rule; plus 0.1% South Platte Valley RTA.Source
Taxes
About 7% plus county lodging tax
2.9% state, 1% county, 3% city, 0.1% RTA.Source

What we checked (November 2026): one web search for Sterling short-term rental rules and lodging tax (no city STR page found), and the state rate table. We did not read Sterling’s municipal code.

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.

Logan 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 Logan County Planning, Zoning and Building Department 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 and 1% Logan County sales tax plus the county lodging tax. Airbnb and other platforms collect the state and state-administered taxes on their bookings; for direct bookings, file with the Colorado Department of Revenue. County taxes are state-administered, so platforms collect them. In Sterling, see the Sterling page: the city collects its own sales tax.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.

City of Sterling

  1. Ask the city about a tax license

    Sterling collects its own sales tax. Ask the city whether you need a city sales tax license for your rental, whether Airbnb remits the city tax for you, and whether the city has a lodging tax.Source

  2. Taxes on each stay

    Stays under 30 days owe 2.9% state, 1% Logan County, 3% Sterling, and 0.1% RTA sales tax, plus the county lodging tax. Airbnb and other platforms collect the state and state-administered taxes on their bookings; for direct bookings, file with the Colorado Department of Revenue. Sterling’s 3% is self-collected by the city; platforms may not remit it.Source

  3. Ask about zoning

    Ask the City of Sterling whether zoning allows a short-term rental at your address. Check your HOA rules too.

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.