Mount Crested Butte, CO short-term rental license
Mt. Crested Butte sets no limit on the number of short-term rental licenses. It has no zoning restrictions on them either. Renewals are accepted from August 1 to November 2, and missing that window means a new application with an inspection.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Mount Crested Butte?
Get a license first
What you apply for: Short-term rental license
- Seasonal homes
- 918
- Housing units
- 1,603
- Residents
- 823
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleLicense required
- City fee$400
- Tax on each stay18.8%
- Seasonal homes573 per 1,000
Mount Crested Butte short-term rental license
Mt. Crested Butte requires a short-term rental license before a property is advertised or hosts guests for stays under 30 days. A new license costs $400 per calendar year, and a renewal costs $325. An occupancy fee of $10 per advertised occupant is paid with it, so a home advertised for eight owes $80. Every license expires on December 31. Each listing must show the license number before booking, along with the parking spaces allowed and the maximum occupancy. A missing item brings a $200 fine.[6]
What Mount Crested Butte asks of you
The licensing program dates from 2020. It covers any property advertised or rented for stays of 29 nights at most, under Chapter 11, Article 2 of the Town Code.[3]
Operating without a valid license leads to a court summons. The fine can reach $1,000 per day.[6]
Proof of ownership is limited to a warranty deed or the latest Gunnison County property tax bill.[6]
An inspection checks each property before the license is issued. Applicants get 60 days after processing to fix deficiencies. An application not approved within those 60 days is denied.[6]
License fees are nonrefundable.[6]
The parking plan fixes how many vehicles guests may bring. Every vehicle parks at the rental. Parking on Town streets is prohibited, with no overflow area.[6]
Where a homeowners association governs the property, the HOA approves the parking plan in writing.[6]
A local representative stays available 24/7 while guests are in the home. That person lives within 45 minutes of the property and answers within 45 minutes.[6]
A change of local representative must reach the town within 10 days, or the license is suspended.[6]
The owner signs the Good Neighbor Policy and posts it inside the unit.[6]
Under that policy, guests keep the noise down from 10:00 p.m. on. The quiet period ends at 8:00 a.m.[7]
On pickup day, bins reach the curb at 5:30 a.m. at the earliest. A bin that is not wildlife-resistant is back indoors by 6:00 p.m.[8]
The owner affirms that the unit is insured for short-term rental use.[8]
The license itself is posted near the front door.[6]
Raising the advertised occupancy requires town approval and a reinspection, which costs $75.[6]
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 Mount 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[5] | 2.9% | The state revenue department |
| Gunnison County sales tax[5] | 1% | The state revenue department |
| RTA special district tax[5] | 1% | The state revenue department |
| Gunnison County Local Marketing District tax[5] | 4% | The state revenue department |
| Mt. Crested Butte sales tax[5] | 5% | The city |
| Mt. Crested Butte excise tax[5] | 4.9% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 18.8% |
Airbnb remits taxes directly to the town. Vrbo does too, except for listings managed with integrated property management software, which leaves the host to remit. Hosts who rent only through those two sites still file a sales tax report.[5]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Mount Crested Butte is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 918 of Mount Crested Butte's 1,603 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 573 out of every 1,000. It ranks Mount Crested Butte 4th of the 21 Colorado cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 4th of 21
- Share of housing
- 573 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $555,300
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Mount Crested Butte sits among its neighbors
Denver, CO
Primary residence only
Only in your primary residence, with a Denver license. You can be away during stays, with a local responsible party in Denver.
Denver short-term rental rulesCrested Butte, CO
Capped
403 seasonal homes, 342 per 1,000 housing units.
Crested Butte short-term rental rulesDillon, CO
License required
703 seasonal homes, 574 per 1,000 housing units.
Dillon short-term rental rulesBreckenridge, CO
Capped
4,406 seasonal homes, 559 per 1,000 housing units.
Breckenridge short-term rental rulesFAQ
Mount Crested Butte short-term rental questions
Does Booking.com collect Mt. Crested Butte taxes?
What does a Mt. Crested Butte renewal cost?
What if a Mt. Crested Butte tax return is late?
Can one license cover two Mt. Crested Butte units?
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, Town of Mt. Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term Rental FAQ's, Town of Mt. Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
- Lodging Taxes, Town of Mt. Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
- Short Term Rental Guide 2026, Town of Mt. Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term Rental Good Neighbor Policy, updated June 2025, Town of Mt. Crested Butte, read on October 1, 2026
- Short Term Rental (STR) Self-Compliance Affidavit 2026, Town of Mt. 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.
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 house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.