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Arapahoe County advances short-term rental rules: legacy licenses, occupancy caps, 24/7 host-compliance and proposed septic inspections

Arapahoe County Board of County Commissioners · April 13, 2026
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Summary

Planning staff outlined revisions to a proposed short-term rental ordinance: a 60-day "legacy" window for existing operators, insurance and occupancy requirements, a 500-foot separation for new licenses (legacy-exempt), host-compliance with a 24/7 hotline, and a recommendation to require septic inspections in some rural areas.

County planning staff presented a consolidated set of amendments to a proposed short-term rental (STR) ordinance intended to balance neighborhood stability, safety and administrative practicality, and commissioners took several direction-setting votes during the study session.

Caitlin Mars, the county zoning manager, told the board that properties operating as STRs in the six months before an ordinance's effective date may apply during a 60-day legacy window for a "legacy designation." That designation would exempt those operators from the primary-residence requirement and from the 500-foot separation buffer that will apply to most new STR licenses. "Short term rentals operating within the 6 months prior to the effective date of the ordinance may apply for a legacy designation on their license," Mars said.

Staff said they estimate roughly 258 legacy properties in unincorporated areas and that mapping and a…

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