Key takeaways
- Idaho Springs is closed to investors. An STR there has to be the owner's primary residence, the city allows only 15, and licenses aren't transferable.
- Unincorporated Clear Creek County licenses non-owner-occupied rentals under Ordinance 19, capped at 4.5% of residences, which the county puts at 163 permits for 2026, then a waitlist.
- County licenses don't transfer on a sale, except to family, a trust or an entity the owner controls, so a buyer applies against the cap.
- Georgetown caps STRs by ward and showed 31 of 47 in use in its May 2026 count, though a July 2026 ordinance may change those limits.
Idaho Springs
The city licenses a short-term rental only in the licensee's primary residence, meaning the place they live most of the year, backed by a driver's license, voter or vehicle registration and their tax filing. One primary residence per person.
- Cap: no more than 15 licensed STRs at a time. When one opens, the city posts a notice and holds a lottery if more than one person applies.
- On a sale: licenses aren't transferable.
- For an investor: there isn't a path inside city limits. Investors looking at this stretch of I-70 look at the county instead.
Unincorporated Clear Creek County
The county regulates STRs under Ordinance 19, adopted December 17, 2024. There are two kinds of license.
- Standard (non-primary residence): the investor license. Capped at 4.5% of residences each year, which the county puts at 163 permits for 2026. When none are left, applicants go on a waitlist. The county doesn't publish a live count of how many remain.
- Primary Resident: uncapped, for people renting part of the home they live in, or renting the whole home seasonally. The county page limits seasonal rentals to 120 days a year; the ordinance text says 90 after the 2025 license period, so confirm which applies.
- On a sale: not transferable, except to family, a trust or an entity the owner controls (Ord. 19, Sec. 2.7). A buyer applies against the cap.
- Cost: $1,000 for a Standard license plus $500 registration, $200 document review and a $150 safety inspection, per the county fee schedule of December 2024.
- House rules: two guests per bedroom (septic permit capacity governs on septic), one off-street space per bedroom, proof of legal water and sewer or septic, and a contact who responds within an hour. Airbnb's host coverage doesn't count as the required insurance.
A replacement, draft Ordinance 21, was still out for public comment in October 2026. As drafted it would keep the 4.5% cap, exempt new construction from it and loosen the rule against neighboring STRs. Until it's adopted, Ordinance 19 is what applies.
Georgetown and the smaller towns
Georgetown caps STRs by ward. Its May 2026 count showed 31 of 47 in use (Ward 1: 9 of 13, Ward 2: 8 of 15, Ward 3: 14 of 19). The town posted a new ward-limits ordinance in July 2026 that may change those numbers, so check before relying on them. The application runs $500 a year plus a business license, and the town collects its own 2% lodging tax.
Empire limits permits to 5% of homes in its R-1 and R-2 zones and requires a conditional use permit. Silver Plume requires owning the property for 24 months before applying, unless it was bought before January 1, 2022.
Taxes
Sales tax in every Clear Creek jurisdiction is collected by the state. In Idaho Springs that's 10.55% (2.9% state, 2.65% county, 5% city), in Georgetown 10.05%. A 2% county lodging tax applies across the county except Georgetown, which runs its own.
What matters most here: water, septic and parking. In the canyon, a lot of homes can't show one space per bedroom or a septic permit sized for the guest count they'd need. I check those before anything else.
Related: Colorado mountain towns still issuing STR licenses, does an STR license transfer when you buy, and STR lodging taxes by town.
Questions investors ask
Can you run an Airbnb in Idaho Springs as an investor?
No. Idaho Springs only licenses short-term rentals in the licensee's primary residence, caps them at 15 citywide, and licenses don't transfer on a sale.
How many short-term rental licenses does Clear Creek County allow?
Unincorporated Clear Creek County caps Standard (non-primary residence) licenses at 4.5% of residences each year. For 2026 that's 163 permits. When they're gone, applicants go on a waitlist.
Does a Clear Creek County STR license transfer when the property sells?
No. Under Ordinance 19 a license isn't transferable, except to family, a trust or an entity the owner controls. A buyer applies in their own name against the cap.
Can you Airbnb in Georgetown, Colorado?
Georgetown licenses STRs under ward caps. Its May 2026 count showed 31 of 47 in use, though a July 2026 ordinance may change the ward limits. The town also collects its own 2% lodging tax.
Sources
- City of Idaho Springs, Short-Term Rentals (read Oct 24, 2026)
- Clear Creek County, Short-Term Rentals
- Clear Creek County, Ordinance 19 (adopted Dec 17, 2024)
- Clear Creek County, STR fee schedule R-24-92 (Dec 10, 2024)
- Clear Creek County, Draft Ordinance 21 (draft, 2026)
- Town of Georgetown, Short-Term Rentals (ward counts as of May 2026)
- Town of Silver Plume, Licenses and permits
- Colorado Department of Revenue, Colorado sales and use tax rates, DR 1002 (January 2026)
Looking along I-70? Ask Covest.
Send me the address. I'll tell you whose rules apply, whether a license is realistic, and what the septic and parking allow.
Talk to ShalomCovest LLC is a licensed Colorado real estate brokerage. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and rules change. Confirm current requirements with the town or county before you buy.