In 2022 governments throughout the Roaring Fork Valley tackled new ways of addressing Short Term Rentals. ACRA polled members, attended public hearings, and submitted public comment in accordance with member feedback. ACRA also provided education and outreach through the resource page below. The ACRA Board of Directors and Public Affairs Committee encouraged city council to create a tax category for legacy rental and resident occupied properties.
Short Term Rental Regulations
SB24-033 Lodging Property Tax Treatment
The Aspen Chamber Board of Directors has taken a stance in opposition to Senate Bill 33, taking into consideration several key factors:
- Protection of Purpose-Built Condo-Resort Properties: Our community has a substantial number of condos compared to traditional hotel rooms, and we aim to safeguard purpose-built condo-resort properties from the proposed tax.
- Preservation of Tourism Industry: We are committed to preventing any potential loss of bed base in our mountain communities, ensuring the continued strength of our tourism industry.
- Support for Workforce Housing Funding: The board is keen on maintaining funding for workforce housing in our municipalities, recognizing its importance for the well-being of our local workforce.
- Prevention of One-Size-Fits-All Solutions: We advocate for addressing local challenges at the local level, steering clear of overarching state solutions that may not suit the unique needs of our community.
After reviewing the economic impact information released by the Colorado Resort & Lodging Alliance, it is evident that the passage of SB33 would have a significant negative impact on Aspen.
Past Public Meetings
PAST PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR STRS IN CITY OF ASPEN
Ordinance #026, Series of 2021 - Amendments to Vacation Rental Regulations
11/16/21 Work Session
12/7/21 Regular Meeting (1st Reading)
12/14/21 Regular Meeting (2nd Reading)
Ordinance #027, Series of 2021 - Moratorium on Issuance of New Vacation Rental Permits
12/8/21 Special Meeting
Ordinance #09, Series of 2022 - Establishment of Short-term Rental Regulations
3/22/22 Regular Meeting (Policy Resolution)
5/24/22 Regular Meeting (1st Reading)
6/28/22 Regular Meeting (2nd Reading)
Resolution #099, Series of 2022 - Adoption of Short-term Rental Program Guidelines
9/13/22 Regular Meeting
Resolution #106, Series of 2022 - STR Tax Question on November 8, 2022 Ballot
8/16/22 Work Session
8/29/22 Special Meeting
Resolution #137, Series of 2024 - Amendments to Short-term Rental Program Guidelines
11/19/24 Regular Meeting
Ordinance #08, Series of 2025 - Amendments to Short-term Rental Regulations
1/24/25 Work Session
6/24/25 Regular Meeting (Policy Resolution)
9/30/25 Regular Meeting (1st Reading)
11/18/25 Regular Meeting (2nd Reading)
STR Tax
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Moratorium Info Page: https://aspen.gov/1384/Residential-Building-Regulations-Update
- Moratorium work plan: as far as I can tell, this is no longer online since the moratorium has passed.
- Short term rental page: https://aspen.gov/1407/Short-term-Rentals
- Finance office: https://www.aspen.gov/364/Finance-and-Purchasing
- ComDev: https://aspen.gov/177/Community-Development
ACRA Position
See ACRA's letter to city council here.
Business Positions
STR Regulations in Colorado’s Mountain Communities
Avon – Excise tax on short-term rental units to fund community housing. The initiative PASSED with 70% voting yes and 30% voting no.
Crested Butte – $8.985 million in debt authority, to be paid for with an increase of the excise tax on vacation rentals; and a separate question for $24 million in debt authority, to be paid for with two taxes: a sales and use tax and a Community Housing tax on undeveloped residential land and on residential units that are not a primary residence and are not being rented for residential purposes for at least six consecutive months per year. Initiative 2C PASSED with 56.57% voting yes to 43.43% voting no.
Leadville – Accommodations tax on the leasing of short-term rental units and short-term commercial public accommodations to fund affordable and community housing programs.
Ouray – Excise tax on the leasing of short-term rentals to fund housing programs, as well as to fund debt for the water and wastewater treatment plants. Initial results show Initiative 2A PASSING with 246 votes in favor and 205 votes against. However, there were still more than 100 ballots left to count at the time of this initial result.
Telluride - There were three ballot issues related to short term rentals on the ballot in Telluride including:
Ballot Issue 2A, which will remove a current county-wide 2 percent Lodging Tax and instead impose a 2 percent Town Lodger’s Tax on rooms and accommodations rented for 29 days or less. Ballot Issue 2APASSED with just over 65 percent of votes.
Question 2D, which includes a two-year pause on the issuance of new short-term rental (STR) licenses through November 2023 and aims to generate $200,000 annually through an 100 percent increase on STR license fees, would be best. Question 2D PASSED with just over 55 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results as of press time Tuesday night. Just under 44 percent of people voted against it.
Question 300, which aimed to limit STRs to 400 and conduct an annual lottery to distribute the licenses (primary homeowners and lodging establishments would be exempt). Ballot Question 300 FAILED with just over 41 percent of the voting yes, while about 58 percent of people voted against it.
Vail – Sales tax to fund housing initiatives, developments and programs is expected to PASS – current vote of 771 yes to 685 no.
Good Neighbor Guide
The Good Neighbor Guide is only required for units within the City of Aspen, not Pitkin County. In the update, you may want to specify that this is only a City requirement in the description since the ACRA page has a good deal of information about STRs in Pitkin County as well. Wouldn’t want users in Pitkin County to think this is a requirement of the PitCo program.
View here.