Breckenridge Locks STR Licenses at 2,200: What Hosts Must Know Now

Breckenridge has drawn a hard line on short-term rentals: the Town Council voted unanimously to cap nonexempt STR licenses at 2,200, and once that ceiling is hit, there is no getting in. The vote came after nearly five hours of public comment that ran overwhelmingly against the measure, making the unanimous result all the more striking for hosts who thought community pushback might slow the ordinance down. It did not.

What the Council Actually Did

The Breckenridge Town Council passed the cap ordinance on first reading with a unanimous vote, then followed up with another unanimous vote on second reading on Sept. 28, making the cap official. Council members framed the goal plainly: stop the conversion of long-term rentals into short-term ones. The cap is the mechanism they chose to do it.

Opponents who showed up for public comment pushed back hard. Many who are directly involved in the short-term rental industry argued during public comment that the cap will not fix the workforce housing problem and only takes away the rights of property owners. The Council heard them and voted yes anyway.

The Number That Matters: 2,200

The cap applies to nonexempt licenses, meaning properties that do not qualify for an exemption under the ordinance. Once the total number of nonexempt licenses reaches 2,200, the town stops issuing new ones. If you do not already hold a license, you could be locked out entirely. If you are on the fence about registering, the cap turns that hesitation into a real risk.

Getting a license is not free or simple. The town charges a $500 license fee, and the license is tied to the property owner, not the property itself. That means if you sell, the license does not transfer to the buyer. It is forfeited. For anyone thinking about buying an already-licensed property and continuing to rent it short-term, that detail changes the math significantly.

What Operators Are on the Hook For

Beyond the license cap, Breckenridge runs a full compliance framework that hosts must navigate. The town requires a local contact, parking, and signage at the property. Fines for non-compliance start at $999, and the town has been actively enforcing its rules, including issuing fines for unregistered properties.

On the tax side, hosts face a combined local and accommodation tax rate of 10.75%. The good news is that both Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit lodging taxes on behalf of hosts in Breckenridge, so manual tax submission is not required for operators using those platforms. But that does not mean compliance is automatic. Registration, licensing, and physical property requirements still fall entirely on the host.

What You Should Do Right Now

If you are an active host, confirm your license is current and that your property meets all physical requirements, including signage, parking, and a reachable local contact. If you are not yet licensed and were planning to start renting, the cap makes speed essential. A waitlist is the likely alternative to an outright denial once the 2,200 limit is reached.

If you own property in Breckenridge and are considering a sale, understand that your STR license does not survive the transaction. A buyer cannot assume it. That affects both your asking price and the buyer's ability to operate legally from day one.

The ordinance is now law. The Council's second unanimous vote closed the debate. Hosts who treat this as background noise do so at their own risk.

For the complete Breckenridge compliance guide including tax calculator, checklist, and daily monitoring, see Breckenridge, CO STR Regulations.