Routt County, Colorado
Steamboat Springs, CO vacation rental requirements
Steamboat Springs requires a $350 yearly license. Zone A is open, Zone B has small caps, and Zone C allows no new whole-home rentals (hosted rentals are allowed everywhere). Applications include a parking and snow storage plan and a self-inspection affidavit. Stays owe 18.4% in taxes, including a voter-approved 9% STR tax, or 20.4% inside the marketing district.
Checked against official sources November 8, 2026Download checklist (PDF)Free. A printable version of this guide to tick off, with the official sources.
Your licensing checklist
In order: the state, the county, then the town.
State of Colorado
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
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
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.
Routt County, Colorado
Then your town or area
Each town licenses its own short-term rentals and collects its own taxes; outside town limits the county’s rules apply. Pick your area.
City of Steamboat Springs
Check your zone
Use the city’s interactive map (Zoning Districts layer). Zone A has no cap; Zone B is capped by subzone; Zone C allows no new short-term rentals. Hosted and temporary rentals are allowed in every zone.Source
Draw the parking and snow storage plan
Show where guests park and where snow goes. No more than six vehicles outside a garage overnight, on an all-weather surface, never in the street right-of-way.Source
Apply in CityView
Submit the application, acknowledgement form, self-inspection checklist affidavit, and parking plan through the CityView portal and pay $350. Name a local responsible party who answers complaints within an hour.Source
Post the license and rules notice
Post the license and a notice with the responsible party’s 24-hour contact, maximum guests and vehicles, parking locations, and trash, camping, and noise rules. The city has a fillable form.Source
Taxes on each stay
Stays under 30 days owe 18.4%: 2.9% state, 1% county, and the city’s 4.5% sales, 1% accommodations, and 9% STR taxes (plus 2% inside the Local Marketing District). Airbnb and other platforms collect the state and state-administered taxes on their bookings; for direct bookings, file with the Colorado Department of Revenue. Steamboat collects its own taxes; file city returns through Xpress Bill Pay, and ask the city whether Airbnb collects them for you.Source
Fees
$350 a year
| Short-term rental license or renewal | $350 |
|---|
Inspection checklist
What the inspector looks for, from City of Steamboat Springs’s published checklist.
- Self-inspection checklist affidavitAt application and each renewal.Source
Sources
- Sales & Use Tax Topics: Rooms & Accommodations · Colorado Department of Revenue
- Sales Tax Guide and Colorado Sales/Use Tax Rates (DR 1002) · Colorado Department of Revenue
- Rules and Regulations · City of Steamboat Springs
- Licensing · City of Steamboat Springs
- Municipal Tax · City of Steamboat Springs
- Colorado Airbnb market data (active listings) · AirROI
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.