Where short-term rentals are allowed in Fort Collins, CO
Where a Fort Collins rental can operate depends on a two-color zoning map. Green areas take only primary rentals, while yellow areas allow non-primary ones as well. A building with three or more units is excluded whatever its zone.[3]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Fort Collins?
Your zoning decides
What you apply for: Short Term Rental License
- Seasonal homes
- 371
- Housing units
- 74,558
- Residents
- 170,229
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleAllowed by zone
- City fee$500
- Tax on each stay11.3%
- Seasonal homes5 per 1,000
Fort Collins short-term rental license
Fort Collins licenses every short-term rental, meaning any stay shorter than 30 days in a row. You first open a sales and lodging tax license, which takes five to seven days. The rental application then costs $500, with proof of ownership, liability coverage and photos of the space. Processing runs seven to 10 business days. Renewal comes every June 30, again at $500 with no proration. Your license number must appear on all online listings.[3]
What Fort Collins asks of you
No dwelling unit may be used as a primary or non-primary short-term rental without a city license.[4]
A primary residence is the home where you live nine months or more of the calendar year. A primary rental leases part of it to one party at a time.[4]
For a primary license, residence is shown with a driver's license, car registration or voter registration.[3]
Only the owner may operate a short-term rental, so a long-term tenant cannot list the home.[3]
The city's FAQ says an accessory dwelling unit may not be used as a short-term rental.[3]
The code's definition makes an accessory unit that is not a primary residence eligible for a primary license. The lot must also hold a primary residence.[4]
In a multi-unit building, a rental may operate only if the entire structure meets the safety requirements of an R-1 occupancy.[4]
A license issued in a zone that later dropped the use can keep renewing. It must never have been revoked, suspended or allowed to lapse.[4]
Off-street parking scales with the bedrooms rented. One to two bedrooms need one space.[3]
Three to four bedrooms need two spaces, and five to six need three. Two cars parked one behind the other count as a single spot.[3]
A designated person responds within four hours, in person if needed, whenever the home is rented. Guests get that person's current phone number.[4]
A copy of the license is displayed prominently inside the rental.[4]
Applicants show proof of liability insurance. The code leaves the coverage limits to administrative regulations.[4]
No license is issued where marijuana is cultivated or processed in the home.[4]
A license ends when ownership of the property transfers.[4]
A buyer may apply for a new license within 30 days of closing.[3]
After a revocation, the unit is ineligible for a new license for one year.[4]
The city pays a company that scans more than 25 websites for listings. It seeks voluntary compliance before issuing any fine.[3]
The city's FAQ puts the maximum penalty at a $2,830 fine and 180 days in jail. Every day of continued violation is charged as its own offense.[3]
Section 1-15 of the code, amended by Ordinance 089 of 2026, caps the fine at $2,650. Jail time stays at 180 days at most.[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 Fort Collins
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[6] | 2.9% | The state revenue department |
| Larimer County sales tax[6] | 1.05% | The state revenue department |
| Fort Collins city sales tax[6] | 4.35% | The city |
| Fort Collins city lodging tax[6] | 3% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 11.3% |
Third-party sites such as Airbnb collect the city's sales and lodging taxes from guests. They send that money to Fort Collins under their own account. For direct bookings, you collect it yourself. A return is still due when there is no tax to send, or a $25 assessment applies.[3]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Fort Collins is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 371 of Fort Collins's 74,558 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 5 out of every 1,000. It ranks Fort Collins 20th of the 21 Colorado cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 20th of 21
- Share of housing
- 5 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $577,900
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Fort Collins sits among its neighbors
Summit County, CO
Permit required
Unincorporated areas only. Type II licenses are capped by basin, with waitlists in three basins.
Summit County short-term rental rulesEstes Park, CO
Capped
991 seasonal homes, 251 per 1,000 housing units.
Estes Park short-term rental rulesSteamboat Springs, CO
Allowed by zone
3,224 seasonal homes, 295 per 1,000 housing units.
Steamboat Springs short-term rental rulesColorado Springs, CO
Permit required
974 seasonal homes, 5 per 1,000 housing units.
Colorado Springs short-term rental rulesFAQ
Fort Collins short-term rental questions
Is a non-primary rental allowed anywhere in Fort Collins?
How much does a Fort Collins short-term rental license cost?
Can I rent to more than one group at a time in Fort Collins?
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
- Short-Term Rentals, City of Fort Collins, read on October 1, 2026
- Municipal Code, Chapter 15, Article XVIII, Short Term Rental Licensing, City of Fort Collins, read on October 1, 2026
- Municipal Code, section 1-15, General penalty, City of Fort Collins, read on October 1, 2026
- Sales Tax, City of Fort Collins, 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.
Airbnb host fee calculator
What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb profit calculator
Nightly rate, occupancy, Airbnb fee, management, mortgage, taxes and depreciation. You get cash flow, cash-on-cash return and what is left after the IRS.
Airbnb cleaning checklist generator
Build a printable turnover checklist by room, with restock, photos to take and a place for the cleaner to sign. Free PDF, no sign-up.