City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Cortez, CO
How Cortez regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Short-term rentals here are subject to registration, a lodging tax, or a small number of operating rules.
- City of Cortez levies a 2% municipal Lodger's Tax reaching short-term-rental stays (29 nights or shorter)
- The Land Use Code regulates no short-term-rental use category — no STR permit, registration, or residential-zone restriction; only the municipal Lodger's Tax and a general business license touch STR stays
- General city sales-tax license required for accommodations, not an STR-specific process
- No citywide cap, quota, or primary-residence supply device found
Based on: City of Cortez municipal Lodger's Tax (2%); Ordinance No. 1375, Series 2026 (adopted 2026-08-11) refers the existing
Summary of the rule
City of Cortez Lodger's Tax of 2% of the listing price (incl. cleaning/guest fees) applies to reservations of 29 nights or shorter; Airbnb collects and remits it for Cortez listings.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Regulatory change ahead
Ordinance 1375, Series 2026, passed by the City Council on August 11, 2026, places a ballot question on the November 3, 2026 general election to raise the City's Lodger's Tax on hotel stays and short-term rentals from 2 percent to 6 percent. Source ↗
Reported as fact only, reflecting the code as currently in effect — not legal advice, and not a prediction of the outcome. Verify current status before relying on it.
Last reviewed Sep 21, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Cortez · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
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City Watch tracks changes from public sources — council agendas, state bills, local news — not a complete legal compendium.
A city permit is not the whole picture — HOA, condominium, deed, or lease rules may be stricter.
City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.