Rental License Required Before Occupancy and License Exemptions.
Boulder Revised Code 1981 § 10-3-2
in effect10-3-2. - Rental License Required Before Occupancy and License Exemptions.
(a) No operator shall allow, or offer to allow through advertisement or otherwise, any person to occupy any dwelling, dwelling unit or rooming unit as a tenant or lessee or otherwise for a valuable consideration unless each room or group of rooms constituting the rental property has been issued a valid rental license by the city manager, provided however, an operator may advertise for a rental of thirty days or longer, if the operator has submitted a complete rental licensing application or is advertising for pre-leasing of new construction. Any advertisement shall include the rental licensing number once assigned by the city manager.
(b) Buildings, or building areas, described in one or more of the following paragraphs are exempted from the requirement to obtain a rental license from the city manager, provided, however that the exemptions in subsections (b)(1) and (b)(2) below shall not apply to short-term rentals. No operator shall allow any person to occupy any dwelling, dwelling unit or rooming unit exempted pursuant to subsections (b)(1) and (b)(2) below prior to submitting to the city manager an Affidavit of Exemption for the dwelling, dwelling unit or rooming unit. No person shall be issued any civil penalty or summons for failure to submit an Affidavit of Exemption, unless the person has previously been advised in writing of this requirement.
(1) Any dwelling unit occupied by the owner or members of the owner's family who are at least 21 years of age and housing roomers who are unrelated to the owner or the owner's family. An owner includes an occupant who certifies that the occupant owns an interest in a corporation, firm, partnership, association, organization or any other group acting as a unit that owns the rental property.
(2) A dwelling unit meeting all of the following conditions:
(A) The dwelling unit constitutes the owner's principal residence;
(B) The dwelling unit is temporarily rented by the owner for one period of time no greater than twelve consecutive months in any twenty-four-month period;
(C) The dwelling unit was occupied by the owner immediately before its rental;
(D) The owner of the dwelling unit is temporarily living outside of Boulder County; and
(E) The owner intends to re-occupy the dwelling unit upon termination of the temporary rental period identified in subparagraph (b)(2)(B) of this section.
(3) Commercial hotel and motel occupancies which offer lodging accommodations primarily for periods of time less than thirty days, but bed and breakfast facilities are not excluded from rental license requirements.
(4) Common areas and elements of buildings containing attached, but individually owned, dwelling units.
Ordinance Nos. 5798 (1996); 7416 (2005); 7725 (2010); 7772 (2010); 8050 (2015); 8072 (2015); 8135 (2016); 8154 (2016); 8234 (2018); 8651 (2025)
Source: City of Boulder, Colorado, Revised Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/co/boulder/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT10ST_CH3RELI_10-3-2RELIREBEOCLIEXFetched: 11/14/2026