Crested Butte, CO short-term rental limits
Crested Butte allows 199 unlimited vacation rental licenses at most, one more than before a June 2025 ordinance. Applications for them open only from October 1 to October 31, for the following year. No vacation rental may operate without a license.[7]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Crested Butte?
Limited number allowed
What you apply for: Vacation rental license
- Seasonal homes
- 403
- Housing units
- 1,179
- Residents
- 1,229
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleCapped
- City fee$250
- Tax on each stay20.9%
- Seasonal homes342 per 1,000
Crested Butte short-term rental license
Crested Butte requires a vacation rental license for any stay of 29 consecutive nights or fewer. It issues two kinds. A Primary Occupancy License goes to people who live in the home, or rent it long term, at least six months a year. It works in every zone, with no cap on numbers, up to 90 rental nights a year, for $250. An Unlimited license costs $800 and allows unlimited nights. It is limited to certain zones, two per block face, and to 199 licenses in all.[3]
What Crested Butte asks of you
Renting up to two sleeping units while the owner or an agent is present also counts as a vacation rental.[3]
Unlimited licenses are open in eight residential districts: R1, R1A, R1C, R1D, R1E, R2, R2C and R3C. Business districts B3 and B4 also qualify.[3]
The town names R1B, R2A and R4 among the districts closed to unlimited rentals. Grandfathered licenses there last until a sale, a lapse or a revocation.[5]
A block face shorter than 200 linear feet may hold one vacation rental license. From 200 to 400 feet, the limit is two.[8]
An unlimited license has to be rented at least 29 nights a year.[3]
The town's FAQ puts that minimum at 30 nights in one answer, then at 29 in a later one.[5]
Ordinance No. 4 of 2025 accepts primary license applications throughout the year.[7]
The town's primary occupancy guide lists October 1 to October 31 as the only window for new applications.[6]
One person may hold one license, whatever its type. When an LLC or trust owns the home, the applicant is a member holding more than 10% of it.[5]
Homes under a deed restriction cannot become vacation rentals. Neither can homes bound by a private covenant on occupancy.[5]
The guest limit is two per bedroom, plus two. No vacation rental may exceed ten people.[6]
Off-street parking must meet the zoning code minimum and stay cleared all year.[6]
A local contact on call around the clock must physically respond to any complaint within one hour.[6]
The license number appears in every advertisement for the rental. Inside, the Good Neighbor Guidelines hang in a clearly visible spot.[6]
Every year, the town business license is renewed together with the vacation rental license.[6]
The town lists its annual business license at $150.[3]
The FAQ revokes a license after three noise or trash citations in a rolling 12-month period.[5]
The primary occupancy guide counts three ticketed violations in a single calendar year instead.[6]
Unlicensed renting can draw a municipal court summons or a fine as high as $1,000 a day. The property then waits two years before it may apply.[5]
What Colorado asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
When guests book through a platform, it collects Colorado sales tax on the full amount charged. The platform also handles any county lodging tax and local marketing district tax.[1]
Lodging taxes a city sets stay outside the state's system, since the Department of Revenue administers none of them. Home-rule cities that run their own sales tax sit outside it too, so start with your city.[1]
Hosts who take direct bookings need a Colorado sales tax license and collect the 2.9% state rate themselves. The license is $16, prorated, with a $50 deposit returned once your state tax tops $50.[2]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Crested Butte
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado state sales tax[4] | 2.9% | The state revenue department |
| Gunnison County sales tax[4] | 1% | The state revenue department |
| Rural transportation authority sales tax[4] | 1% | The state revenue department |
| Local Marketing District tax, lodging only[4] | 4% | The state revenue department |
| Crested Butte sales tax[4] | 4.5% | The city |
| Crested Butte vacation rental excise tax[4] | 7.5% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 20.9% |
Voters approved the 7.5% excise tax on November 2, 2021, for the town's Affordable Housing Fund. Both town taxes are filed on MUNIRevs, and the state receives the other 8.9%.[4]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Crested Butte is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 403 of Crested Butte's 1,179 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 342 out of every 1,000. It ranks Crested Butte 9th of the 21 Colorado cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 9th of 21
- Share of housing
- 342 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $1,010,600
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Crested Butte sits among its neighbors
Grand County, CO
Permit required
Unincorporated areas only. Up to 16 occupants, with no cap on permits or nights.
Grand County short-term rental rulesMount Crested Butte, CO
License required
918 seasonal homes, 573 per 1,000 housing units.
Mount Crested Butte short-term rental rulesFAQ
Crested Butte short-term rental questions
Is there a waitlist for an unlimited license in Crested Butte?
Can I buy a Crested Butte home and keep its vacation rental license?
How long does a Crested Butte vacation rental license last?
How much tax does a Crested Butte vacation rental collect?
Sources
- Sales & Use Tax Topics: Rooms & Accommodations (revised April 2026), Colorado Department of Revenue, read on October 1, 2026
- Colorado Sales Tax Guide, Colorado Department of Revenue, read on October 1, 2026
- Licensing and Permitting, Vacation (Short Term) Rental License, Town of Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
- Tax Information, Town of Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
- Vacation/Short Term Rentals Frequently Asked Questions (December 13, 2022), Town of Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
- Primary Occupancy Vacation Rental License Details, Town of Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
- Ordinance No. 4, Series 2025, amending Chapter 6, Article 5, Vacation Rental Licenses, Town of Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
- Number of Unlimited Vacation Rentals Available for Licensing by Block Face, 2026 (September 2, 2026), Town of Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
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Airbnb cleaning checklist generator
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