AirBnB Regulation Information?

[Clay Rouse]

I am newer to real estate investing and this page. I have decided to concentrate on AirBnB. I am having a hard time finding STR regulations for areas. Is there certain websites, or people you can call in an area that can give me more information on this? Any help would be appreciated!

[James Carlson]

@Clay Rouse

We follow the short-term rental/Airbnb laws in Colorado closely. (We have a database on our site of numerous Airbnb laws.) If you're looking for an STR investment in the Denver area, there aren't many cities that allow non-owner occupied ones. Arvada allows them. So does Wheat Ridge. Adams County is about to (just northwest of Denver). And Northglenn, about 20 minutes north of Denver, does too.

Most mountain towns allow them in some form. And be aware if you're looking in the foothills, most homes -- while listed in a particular city -- are actually in the unincorporated area of the county and are subject to the county rules.

If you're not looking in the Denver metro, call the planning department of whatever city you're interested in. Ask for the planner of the day (like an on-call planner), and they should know. Ask specific questions:

-- Do you allow rentals of less than 30 days? If so, only in the primary residence or in non-primary residence?

-- Are there density restrictions like only one non-owner occupied STR per 500'. (That's the rule in Colorado Springs, for instance.)

-- Are there limits on the nights you can rent? (In Arvada, for instance, you can only rent a home as an STR for 240 nights per year).

-- And always ask for the ordinance that undergirds whatever answers they give you.

Good luck!