Colorado Springs approves STR/Airbnb ordinance

[James Carlson]

To all you Colorado Springs short-term rental owners and those considering an investment, here's an update from last night's city council meeting about the short-term rental ordinance.

It's good news. The city council voted 8-0 last night to approve an Airbnb ordinance. The big picture is this: Airbnb/VRBO/short-term rentals can continue mostly unabated. The details:

• STR owners must obtain a $119 STR license.
• Can operate one STR in any legal dwelling unit
  • R-1 properties can do one STR
  • R-2 properties can do up to two STRs
  • R-4 properties can operate up to four STRs
  • This does mean that if you have a single-family home, zoned R-1, you can NOT operate multiple Airbnb room rentals. (You can rent two rooms to the same party but can't rent each room to separate parties.)
• The process for handling violations has been revised to a tiered system, so you're not automatically going to a hearing because a nosy neighbor complained
• Maintain $500,000 of liability coverage.
• Can't use the STR for large gatherings like weddings or commercial events