Eligibility first

• The property is your principal residence. Boulder licenses short term rentals only in the owner's principal residence; a non owner occupied investment Short Term Rental is generally not licensable.
• You qualify as an owner: a natural person, trust, or nonprofit, with your name on the deed and at least 50 percent ownership.
• The property does not rely on an ADU for the rental. Short term rentals are no longer eligible in properties with an ADU (narrow pre 2019 exceptions aside).
• Two local contacts, in addition to you, are lined up for the application.

The licenses

• Short term rental license obtained through the city's application and Customer Self Service portal. The city lists a $190 application fee and a $25 business license as the costs at application (as published when checked).
• A business license is issued alongside the rental license; both stay current.
• You have read the short term rental tax code (Boulder Revised Code Title 3, Chapter 15) and set up collection and remittance of the Short Term Rental tax.

Keeping the license alive

• The annual affidavit and fee, certifying the property is still your principal residence, are submitted every year by the license anniversary date. Missing the deadline revokes the license.
• The license itself runs a four year term and is renewed through the same application process.
• Every advertisement includes the rental license number and the maximum number of unrelated individuals permitted to occupy the unit, as shown on the license.
• You self certify life safety compliance: smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and the other safety equipment the city lists.
• Selling ends it: the license is no longer valid if the property is sold.

Worth knowing

• A separate Festival Lodging license lets homeowners rent during city approved festival events, up to 29 days a year, on different terms. The city anticipated applications opening December 1, 2025; check the city's festival lodging page for the current state.
• Applying for one license type cancels the other: a new short term license cancels a standard long term rental license for the property and vice versa.
• HOA and condo rules: not in any public dataset. Check in writing.