Rental Rules by City / Colorado / Vail

Vail short-term rental rules & tax calculator

Eagle County, Colorado · Verified against official sources Oct 24, 2026

📋 The Basics

Can I rent my place short-term here?: Only in some areas
Do I need a permit?: Yes. You need an annual Town STR license.
What taxes do I pay?: Total about 10.8%. Check your Airbnb payout report to see which ones Airbnb collects; you pay the rest yourself.

Your 3 steps to be legal

Get insurance and a local rep within 60 minutes.
Apply 30+ days before advertising ($260).
Put the license number in every ad.

⚠️ Biggest risk: Employee housing units can never be STRs.

Words confusing? See the glossary. Details and official sources are below.

Tax calculator

Nightly rate ($) Nights Cleaning fee ($)

Rates used: State + Eagle County + RTA sales tax 4.9% + Town of Vail sales tax 4.5% + Vail Local Marketing District lodging tax 1.4% = 10.8%. Mandatory cleaning fees are included in the taxable total. 10.8% total per the Town of Vail.

What Airbnb collects: Per the Town, marketplaces like Airbnb and VRBO collect and remit sales tax; direct bookings are on you.

This is the general rule for Vail. Does your address qualify?

The free info covers the city as a whole. Your property can still be different: zoning can change from one street to the next, and an HOA or condo ban can stop rentals even where the city allows them.

Your $49 Compliance Check looks at your exact property:

Whether your exact address and zone allow short-term rentals
A check of HOA / condo rental restrictions to look for
Which permits and tax accounts you personally need
What you're missing right now
A personal report with clear next steps and official sources, by email
A refund if we report a rule in error (refund policy)

🔎 How we check: official city, county and state sources, a last-verified date on every page, and nothing guessed. Learn more

Check my address: $49

🔔 Stay notified: $4.99/month

Rules don't change every week, but they do change, and nobody emails you when they do. We'll alert you when city rules, tourist taxes, HOA-related laws, or Airbnb/Vrbo policies change in Vail. Cancel anytime.

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Need guest waivers and booking tools too? Click here for more info

Why use this instead of a web search?

Instead of scattered, sometimes outdated pages, you get the city, county and state rules on one page, with official sources linked, a last-checked date, and unconfirmed items marked "verify" instead of guessed. How we verify →

Advanced details (laws, fees, sources)

Rules

License	A non-transferable annual Town STR license is required for every STR; apply at least 30 days before advertising.
Fee	$260 admin fee ($50 in buildings with 24/7 on-site management).
Renewal	Licenses expire Feb 28; renew by Jan 31. A sale requires a new license.
Local rep	A local representative within 60 minutes, available 24/7. $1M liability insurance; notarized self-compliance affidavit.
Restrictions	Deed-restricted employee housing units (EHUs) can't be STRs. Duplexes must notify the adjoining owner. Show your registration number in all ads.

Items marked "Verify with the city" could not be confirmed from an official source; call the office listed before relying on them.

Sources

Free tools

Free "Is my rental legal?" checklist · Free tourist tax calculator

Rules can change

Vail's rules, its tax rates and platform policies can change through a council vote, a new state law or a court ruling, often with little notice to hosts. We re-check this page monthly; subscribers get notified. Stay Compliant for $4.99/mo.

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Rules, tax rates and Airbnb/Vrbo policies can change without warning, and hosts who miss a change can be fined. Get alerts when your city, county or state changes, deadline reminders, a pending-bill watch list and a monthly host brief (even in quiet months: "we checked on [date]; no changes"). Compare plans.

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Not legal or tax advice. Last verified Oct 24, 2026. Rules and rates change: confirm with the official sources linked before you rent or file.