Short answer: as of mid-2026, you can't pull a new short-term rental license — a temporary moratorium paused new applications and runs through September 30, 2026 (it can lift sooner). Existing licensed rentals keep operating. Here's exactly how the rules work, and what your options are right now.
We manage short-term rentals here and we've sat through the licensing process ourselves, so this is the practical version — what the rules actually say, sourced straight from the Town, and what it means if you're trying to rent out a home in Buena Vista today.
In January 2026 the Town of Buena Vista adopted Emergency Ordinance No. 01, a temporary moratorium that pauses the acceptance and approval of new short-term rental license applications. As of June 2026 it's still in effect and is structured to run through September 30, 2026, though trustees can lift it sooner. They've been explicit that the goal is to pause and revise the policy — not to ban short-term rentals — and a stakeholder committee is working on the revisions now. If you already hold a license, you keep operating.
Even once applications reopen, Buena Vista limits licenses by category, as a percentage of the town's residential housing units. This is the part that surprises most people:
| Who's licensing the property | Cap |
|---|---|
| Your own primary residence (all or part) | No cap |
| Property in the East Main (MU-MS) or South Main PUD zones | No cap (MU-MS needs a special use permit) |
| Out-of-county owner, or any entity (LLC, trust) | 6% of residential units |
| In-county, non-primary, non-entity | 3% of residential units |
When a capped category is full, new applicants go on a first-come waitlist (the town date- and time-stamps applications). The unit count that sets the percentages is recalculated each year.
Here's the part that catches owners off guard: "Buena Vista" isn't one set of rules. Every short-term rental needs its own permit from whichever jurisdiction the property physically sits in — and the Town and the County run separate systems with separate caps. Each property carries its own permit; if you own more than one, each one needs its own.
The County's rules, per the Chaffee County Land Use Code:
| Chaffee County (unincorporated) | Rule |
|---|---|
| Permits available | Capped at 310 per year |
| Per property | One permit per property (the primary residence or an ADU — not both) |
| Transfers with a sale? | No — the permit doesn't transfer to a new owner |
| Waitlist priority | Chaffee County residents are prioritized over out-of-county applicants |
| Septic systems | Occupancy limited to two people per bedroom |
That septic rule is the reason a three-bedroom home on a septic system caps at six guests — it's a County permit condition, not a house rule anyone invented. Get the jurisdiction wrong and you can do everything else right and still be out of compliance.
Sorting out which jurisdiction you're in, which cap applies, where you land on the waitlist, and keeping the permit in good standing year to year is genuinely confusing — and it's exactly the kind of thing we handle for the owners we manage. We'll help you identify the right permit for your specific property and walk you through obtaining and maintaining it. The owner has to hold the permit — we can't file it for you — but you won't be guessing your way through it.
A cap on supply, with demand still climbing, hands real pricing power to owners who already hold a license — so if you're already in, that license is a genuinely valuable position to protect. We'll also say plainly that a system like this rewards the stamp of permission about as much as how well someone actually runs their place, and it raises the bar for the next person trying to do the same thing. To be fair, the town is balancing real trade-offs — long-term housing and neighborhood character — and they've framed this as a pause to get it right. No clean answer, just trade-offs. Our view: a responsibly run rental is a good neighbor, and good operation beats blanket restriction.
If you're trying to get into short-term renting in Buena Vista today, you're not necessarily out of luck:
The rules reward the people who understand them, and they change — which is exactly where a local manager who's tracking the policy earns their keep.
Tell us your address and situation and we'll walk you through your licensing options honestly — what's possible now, what the waitlist looks like, and what the fall-2026 revisions could mean for you.
Ask Us About Your Property Call 719-626-8755No — a temporary moratorium (Emergency Ordinance No. 01, Jan 2026) paused new applications through Sept 30, 2026. It's a pause to revise policy, not a ban, and existing licenses keep operating.
By category, as a percentage of town housing units: primary residences and the East Main / South Main PUD zones aren't capped; out-of-county or entity-held properties are capped at 6%, in-county non-primary non-entity at 3%, with a waitlist when full.
It depends on where the property physically sits. Inside Buena Vista town limits you need a Town STR license (subject to the moratorium and caps above). In unincorporated Chaffee County you need a Chaffee County STR permit instead — a separate system capped at 310 permits a year, one per property, non-transferable at sale, with county residents prioritized on the waitlist and septic homes limited to two people per bedroom. Each property needs its own permit, and we help owners navigate the right one.
No. The license is voided at sale and the new owner must apply for their own — which they can't do for a new one during the moratorium. Verify before buying.
$250 new / $150 renewal, one license per address with a certificate of occupancy, and a fire inspection passed within 60 days of conditional approval.
If you advertise exclusively on Airbnb, VRBO, or Evolve, generally no. List anywhere else and you must collect sales tax with a Colorado sales tax license.
Sources & further reading: Licensing rules, caps, fees, and transfer/inspection requirements from the Town of Buena Vista official STR page. Chaffee County permit rules (310-license annual cap, non-transferable permits, county-resident waitlist priority, and septic occupancy limits) from the Chaffee County Land Use Code. Moratorium adoption and current status from local reporting by Ark Valley Voice and the Chaffee County Times. Regulations change — always verify current requirements directly with the Town of Buena Vista before making decisions.