Real Estate Investor · Littleton, CO · Member since 2017 · 18 posts · 5 votes
Hello BP Community - Does anyone know if Morrison, CO has any short term rental regulations, or where to find them? I have found some for Jeff-co but getting mixed facts on Morrison. Any help appreciated, thanks!
@Matt Jones (and @Steve K. and anyone else interested in Airbnb laws in Colorado), Morrison is even more strict than Denver when it comes to short-term rentals. They ban Airbnb-style rentals of less than 30 days. It's ordinance 421 passed in 2015. For those following along at home, that language is found in Title 10, Chapter 1, Article E, section 6 (or 10-1E-6) in the municipal code.
It reads: "The renting or leasing of real property for residential occupation for periods of time less than thirty (30) days is prohibited in any zoning district within the town, except as permitted in this title for hotels, motels and bed and breakfast inns."
The ordinance itself says it is intended to "protect residential integrity." If you want to see the actual ordinance, PM me. I've got a PDF copy.
@Steve K. It was good to meet you in person at the event a few weeks ago. Thanks for the shout-out.
@Matt Jones You're not alone if finding it difficult to get clear answers about what the Airbnb and short-term rental regulations allow and do not allow. If a Colorado city has actual rules at all, they're usually buried deep in a website. A lot of cities floor me by telling me they don't allow it but then they can't tell me where to see the language of the law. For some cities, it seems to be a gut feeling that it's "probably not allowed." Denver is actually doing a decent job of advertising their Airbnb laws.
Alright, enough of my rant. I've talked to Morrison's zoning department recently. They say short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO are NOT allowed in the city of Morrison. The woman I talked to said that it is a recently passed ordinance. I have asked for documentation and can get back to you once I see it.
You might reach out to @Lynae Chambers She has a property that she rents as an Airbnb either in or near Morrison. (I recall she said she has a Morrison address, but that doesn't mean she's in the city limits.)
What's your goal? Is it to have a property up there that you can rent out and then have for yourself when you go to Red Rocks? Or it simply to find a city where you can rent an investment property full-time on Airbnb? If it's the latter, look no further than your backyard. Littleton is one of the few cities that don't have any restrictions and have told me they don't plan to enact any.
@Matt Jones (and @Steve K. and anyone else interested in Airbnb laws in Colorado), Morrison is even more strict than Denver when it comes to short-term rentals. They ban Airbnb-style rentals of less than 30 days. It's ordinance 421 passed in 2015. For those following along at home, that language is found in Title 10, Chapter 1, Article E, section 6 (or 10-1E-6) in the municipal code.
It reads: "The renting or leasing of real property for residential occupation for periods of time less than thirty (30) days is prohibited in any zoning district within the town, except as permitted in this title for hotels, motels and bed and breakfast inns."
The ordinance itself says it is intended to "protect residential integrity." If you want to see the actual ordinance, PM me. I've got a PDF copy.
Thank you @Steve K. for the fwd to @James Carlson I really appreciate the input. I am looking for a property that fits my short term rental business needs, so far sticking with properties that are unincorporated and not part of any HOA are the best bet for the longer term. Towns like Morrison can change so quickly without people noticing. What are the penalties? Does it say? Thank you again, new to the site and this is very helpful.
Well, I'm guessing this is a wee bit late for you, but I was just responding to another post about Colorado Airbnb laws and had to track down my post from here. Saw your post from September last year. The STR ordinance isn't easy to find for Morrison, but you can see the language here: https://codelibrary.amlegal.co... It's Title 10, Chapter 1, Article E, Section 6, the final paragraph before the charts start.
@James Carlson I just stumbled on this thread, and thank you for sharing your findings! Great details. I have a property that has a Morrison address (Quincy & Youngfield approximately), but it is not in the town of Morrison limits. There are several STRs in the area, so I suspect that the county guidelines apply only in this part of Morrison; I am in unincorporated Jefferson County. That said, I am wondering if you have any details on unincorporated Jefferson County. I found the county criteria which reads as:
"Property must be minimum of 1 acre, meet the underlying zone district, have adequate parking, meet the requirements set for by the Wildfire Hazard Overlay District, have valid water and sanitation, have legal access, use the primary dwelling unit, be free of violations, and have no substantial detriment to the intent of the Zoning Resolution."
The only item of concern is the line about a "minimum of 1-acre". The other properties in my neighborhood are not 1 acre. Do you think the county made an exception for these, or perhaps are they operating non-permitted?
Thanks! I am new here, so appreciate your contributions!
I'd venture to say those nearby properties are just ignoring the law.
Most cities and counties in Colorado have well-defined STR requirements, and if you meet those, then you can operate a vacation rental.
Jefferson County is the only Colorado municipality I know that has some requirements but also gives discretion to approve a short-term rental permit over to a county board.
To your specific question, yes, the 1-acre requirement is likely a barrier for you and your neighbors.
The frustrating thing for a lot of Airbnb owners in JeffCo is that if you try to play by the rules, you could get shut down. (I had an STR investor client have their permit pulled for dubious reasons.) But if you just operate without a permit, the county does a poor job of coming after you. My guess is your neighbors are operating without a permit.
So there's an incentive to not even apply for a license.