Key takeaways
- On licensing alone, both towns are tough for an out-of-county investor, and neither lets a license pass to a buyer.
- Salida requires Chaffee County residency except in its MD (Mixed-Use Downtown) and MC (Mixed-Use Center) zones, and allows one license per owner.
- Buena Vista's Ordinance 14, adopted August 25, 2026, caps licenses by zone. Its table showed one opening across all capped zones, and new applications open November 16, 2026.
- Salida's $15 per bedroom per night STR tax is collected by the city quarterly. Airbnb and Vrbo don't remit it, so the owner files it.
Salida
- Residency: applicants have to live in Chaffee County, except in the MD (Mixed-Use Downtown) and MC (Mixed-Use Center) zones. One license per owner.
- Caps by zone: 85 across the residential zones, 99 in MD, 50 in MH and MC, 75 in MN. The city doesn't publish how many are open.
- Latest change: council amended the rules on February 17, 2026, effective March 23, 2026.
- On a sale: licenses are non-transferable. A buyer applies under the rules in place at the time.
- Cost: $1,000 a year, plus $200 the first time.
- The STR tax: $15 per bedroom per night, approved by voters in November 2022 and collected by the city quarterly. The city says Airbnb and Vrbo don't remit it, so the owner files it.
Buena Vista
- New caps: Ordinance 14, adopted August 25, 2026, caps licenses as a percentage of housing in each zone. The town's table showed zero openings in every capped zone except MU-1, which had one.
- Outside the cap: homes in the MU-MS district and the South Main PUD, and properties with a full-time live-in representative, still need a license but don't count against the cap.
- New limits: Ordinance 16, adopted September 22, 2026, allows at most two licenses per parcel and generally one per person or entity.
- Applying: new applications are accepted from November 16, 2026, by mail or in person only, first come, first served. Full zones go to a waitlist.
- On a sale: a change of ownership ends the license.
- Cost: $250 new, $150 to renew.
Taxes
Sales tax is collected by the state in both towns: 8.65% in Salida (2.9% state, 2.75% county, 3% city) and 8.15% in Buena Vista (2.5% town). Chaffee County adds a 1.9% lodging tax on stays under 30 nights. Salida's $15 per bedroom STR tax comes on top of all that.
Poncha Springs and the county
Poncha Springs and unincorporated Chaffee County both license STRs, but their current rules aren't readable on their official sites (the county's 2024 resolution is a scanned PDF). For an address in either, I'd confirm the rules directly with the town or county before going further.
Where I'd look: the openings in this valley sit in a few specific zones, and they move. The useful question isn't "Salida or Buena Vista." It's which parcels a non-resident can license today. I keep track of that for clients.
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 a non-resident get a short-term rental license in Salida?
Only in Salida's MD (Mixed-Use Downtown) and MC (Mixed-Use Center) zones. Everywhere else, the applicant has to be a Chaffee County resident. Each owner can hold one license, and zones have caps.
What is the Salida short-term rental tax?
$15 per bedroom per night, approved by voters in November 2022. The city collects it quarterly, and Airbnb and Vrbo don't remit it for the owner. State, county and city sales tax plus Chaffee County's 1.9% lodging tax apply too.
Are there short-term rental licenses available in Buena Vista?
Barely. Under Ordinance 14 (adopted August 25, 2026) every capped zone showed zero openings except MU-1, with one. Homes in MU-MS and the South Main PUD aren't counted against the cap. New applications open November 16, 2026.
Does an STR license transfer when you buy a house in Salida or Buena Vista?
No. Salida licenses are non-transferable, and in Buena Vista a change of ownership ends the license. The buyer applies under the rules and caps in force at the time.
Sources
- City of Salida, Short-Term Rentals (read Oct 24, 2026)
- City of Salida, STR FAQ
- City of Salida, Local Election Recap (Nov 8, 2022)
- Town of Buena Vista, Short-Term Rental (read Oct 24, 2026)
- Chaffee County, Lodging tax
- Colorado Department of Revenue, Colorado sales and use tax rates, DR 1002 (January 2026)
Thinking about the Arkansas Valley? Talk to Covest.
Send me the address. I'll tell you which zone it's in, whether a non-resident can license it, and what that does to the price.
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.