City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Boulder, UT
How Boulder regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- Hard cap: maximum 12 RSTR conditional-use permits townwide (lottery when oversubscribed)
- Primary-residence-only: license holder must be a permanent Boulder resident residing on the same property as the RSTR
- Owner-occupied host-present required on-site during all guest stays
- Discretionary conditional-use permit required; whole-home absentee STR foreclosed
Based on: Boulder Town Code Ch.112 (Residential Short-Term Rentals) + §153.204 (Residential Short-Term Rentals, land use)
Summary of the rule
§153.204(C)(4): 'The maximum number of RSTR CUPs issued at one time shall not exceed 12 without legislative amendment to this subsection. If at any time the number of pending applications for a new RSTR CUP exceeds the number of allowed CUPs, the assignment of the available license shall be by lottery.'
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 17, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Boulder · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
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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.