Short Term Rentals

Short term rentals are allowed in lawful dwelling units (i.e. you cannot rent out a tuff shed, tent, etc.) in zones where residential units are allowed (A, R, R-1 9000, R-1 6000, R-2, R-4, R-5, SU, PUD, OR, OC, PBC, C-5, C-6 and M-1). To find the zoning of your property visit this link.

View Zoning Map

• How to use the zoning map (For accessibility requests, please contact the Planning Department at (719) 385-5905 or planningdev@coloradosprings.gov.)

All of the issued Short Term Rental (STR) permits are shown in the map links provided below.  Each permit location is represented by a dot.  In areas with fewer STR permits, the buffer areas are shown in green, and in areas with a higher concentration of STR permits, those areas are shown in red.  This information will be updated monthly.

• January to July 2019 heat map showing where permits were issued.
• February 2019 heat map
• March 2019 heat map
• April 2019 heat map 
• May 2019 heat map
• June 2019 heat map
• July 2019 heat map

• If you are in an R-1 you can have one listing for your property; this can be your whole house, or just one room/section of your house. 
• If you are in an R-2 you can have two listings for your property; this means you can have one listing for your main house and a different listing for a cottage in the backyard. 
• Up to 4 listings are allowed on properties that are zoned for multi-family (ie a property that would allow for an apartment). 
• In the case of a condominium complex (or similar common ownership), each owner is allowed to operate a maximum of 2 short term rentals within the complex. 

There is no limit to the number of short term rentals residents of Colorado Springs can operate (with the exception of condominium properties). There is also not a cap on the number of short term rentals that the City will allow to operate.

Each listing requires a separate permit application and fee.

A short term rental permit costs $119 annually. This does not include fees associated with your sales tax license.

Short term rental permits are valid for one year.

Your application, self-inspection checklist, and good neighbor guidelines with filled out local emergency contact, city-issued permit number, and valid-through date will act as your permit. This information needs to be prominently displayed within the unit. You may black out contact information you do not want renters to see such as your primary address and email. Please keep the local emergency contact information (name and phone number) available to renters.

Yes, you would still have to have a permit. The intent of the permit is to:

1. establish a community standard for the integration of short term rental units within existing neighborhoods while maintaining neighborhoodA geographic sub-area within the city that contains but is not limited to residential land uses. The extent of a neighborhood is variable and may be defined by tradition, organizational boundaries, period of building and development, or subdivision patterns. Neighborhood boundaries may include such features as major streets or other physical elements. and community character;
2. to ensure health and safety of visitors and residents by re-affirming police, fire, and building safety guidelines for transient lodgers who may not be familiar with local laws;
3. and to ensure that short term rental owners are paying LART tax similar to other transient lodging including hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts. 

No matter the length of time, tenants, owners, and neighborhoods all deserve to be informed and held to the same standard.

First, check the city map on Springs View to see if a permit exists for the property. Click "show layer list" and ensure that "Short Term Rentals" is checked under "Planning-Administration." Enter the property address in the search bar. If a permit does not show up, please contact the City's Neighborhood Services Division (Code Enforcement) or submit a report online. 

• How to Search SpringsView 

If there is an emergency, please call 911. 

If there is a non-life threatening issue, including loud parties, please call the police non-emergency line at 719-444-7000.

Emergency contact information for the short term rental can be viewed at Springs View. Click "Show Layer List" and ensure that "Short Term Rentals" is checked under "Planning-Administration." Enter the property address in the search bar. If a Short Term Rental permit has been issued, the name and phone number of the property's emergency contact will come up. This information has been provided by the owner as someone that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and able to respond to the non-life threatening emergency within one hour.

The City of Colorado Springs takes a stance affirmed by research materials provided by the American Planning Association that indicate that short term rentals are a hybrid use and it is important to recognize the need for finding a compatible balance for limited commercial use in residential areas, similar to the allowance for home occupations. Case law related to short term vacation rentals have varied in verdicts. Several examples from the Colorado Court of Appeals have stated that short term rentals are a commercial use, while case law from Colorado, Washington, Kentucky, and Wisconsin have affirmed that an HOA cannot prohibit short term rental under commercial use prohibitions within covenants.