Arvada council adopts revamped short-term rental rules, keeps three-per-permittee cap for now

The Arvada City Council on Feb. 17 approved a rewritten short-term rental ordinance aimed at strengthening enforcement, clarifying permit responsibility and reducing neighborhood disruptions, voting 5-0 to adopt the ordinance as amended.

The ordinance (CB26-001 / Ordinance No. 4917) and associated program rules (R26-012) change how the city licenses and enforces short-term rentals (STRs). Staff told the council the package requires a real person to be named as the permittee (with at least a 20% ownership stake when the property is owned by an entity), clarifies unlawful acts, sets minimum fines for deliberate violations, and establishes a two-night minimum stay and an expedited one-hour response requirement for noise complaints.

City staff said the changes are intended to close enforcement gaps in the existing 2020 ordinance and make accountability clearer for neighbors and operators. “As of 02/12/2026, we have a total of 390 active short term rental licenses,” Josie Sooke, deputy director of CED, told council, adding that staff identified…