Increased Property Taxes for Short-Term Rentals Under Consideration in Colorado

The idea of taxing rental homes at a commercial rate is likely to be a hot button in Colorado.

1 minute read

January 28, 2020, 8:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Mountain resort

Kristi Blokhin / Shutterstock

"Colorado property owners who lease short-term rental units on sites like Airbnb and VRBO would see a significant spike in their taxes under proposed legislation," reports Linnea Lipson.

The bill (SB20-109), "would classify short-term rentals as nonresidential properties, subject to commercial assessment rates, which are higher than residential rates," according to Lipson.

State Senator Bob Gardner (R-Colorado Springs) proposed the bill, but is quoted in the article casting doubt on whether the proposed approach is the most effective, or even likely to be approved.

Taylor Sienkiewicz provides additional coverage of the proposed bill.

Thursday, January 23, 2020 in The Denver Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

3 hours ago - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

5 hours ago - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

7 hours ago - InTransition Magazine