What is the state sales tax in Denver, Colorado?

2.9%. Applies to Applies to the total price including cleaning/other fees.

What is the state local marketing district (lmd) tax in Denver, Colorado?

1%. Applies to Applies to the total price including cleaning/other fees.

What is the state local special district tax (rtd/cd/fd) in Denver, Colorado?

1.1%. Applies to Applies to total amount including cleaning/other fees.

What is the city of denver lodger's tax in Denver, Colorado?

10.75%. Applies to Applies to total price including cleaning/other fees. Exempt if stay is longer than 29 nights.

Do I need a denver short-term rental license in Denver, Colorado?

Yes. Any short-term rental in Denver at your primary residence Issued by Denver Department of Excise and Licenses. Renewal: annual

Do I need a denver lodger's tax license in Denver, Colorado?

Yes. Anyone collecting rent on stays of 29 nights or fewer in Denver Issued by Denver Treasury Division. Renewal: annual

Do I need a colorado sales tax license in Denver, Colorado?

Yes. Anyone renting accommodations for less than 30 consecutive days Issued by Colorado Department of Revenue. Renewal: biennial

Short-term rental tax profile

Denver, Colorado

15.75% total (2.9% state sales + 1% LMD + 1.1% special district + 10.75% Denver Lodger's Tax) for stays of 29 nights or fewer, all applied to the full guest total including cleaning fees.

Researched 2026-08-20 · Legality: Restricted

Is it allowed here

Short-term rentals are allowed in Denver only when the property is the owner's primary residence. Rentals are limited to one per owner at their primary residence only. Additional requirements include obtaining a short-term rental license from the City and collecting and remitting local taxes.

What the guest is charged

Tax	Rate	Applies to	Confidence
State Sales TaxColorado Department of Revenue	2.9%	Applies to the total price including cleaning/other fees.	High	Source
State Local Marketing District (LMD) TaxColorado Department of Revenue	1%	Applies to the total price including cleaning/other fees.	High	Source
State Local Special District Tax (RTD/CD/FD)Colorado Department of Revenue	1.1%	Applies to total amount including cleaning/other fees.	High	Source
City of Denver Lodger's TaxDenver Treasury Division	10.75%	Applies to total price including cleaning/other fees. Exempt if stay is longer than 29 nights.	Medium	Secondary source

Who actually remits it

Whoever runs the guest's card owes the tax. That is the whole rule, and it is why the same booking can be taxed differently on two platforms.

Platform	Merchant of record	Collects	You remit
Airbnb	Platform	Fully	Nothing
Vrbo	Partner	None	State Sales Tax, State LMD Tax, State Special District Tax, City of Denver Lodger's Tax
Booking.com	Partner	None	State Sales Tax, State LMD Tax, State Special District Tax, City of Denver Lodger's Tax
Expedia	Partner	None	State Sales Tax, State LMD Tax, State Special District Tax, City of Denver Lodger's Tax
Google	Partner	None	State Sales Tax, State LMD Tax, State Special District Tax, City of Denver Lodger's Tax
Whimstay	Partner	None	State Sales Tax, State LMD Tax, State Special District Tax, City of Denver Lodger's Tax
Direct	Partner	None	State Sales Tax, State LMD Tax, State Special District Tax, City of Denver Lodger's Tax

On a real booking

$200 a night, 3 nights, $60 cleaning

For a 3-night booking at $200 per night with a $60 cleaning fee, taxable subtotal is $660. Total tax is 15.75%, or $103.95, for a guest total of $763.95. All taxes apply since the stay is 29 nights or fewer and the cleaning fee is taxable.

What you have to hold

Denver Short-Term Rental License

Any short-term rental in Denver at your primary residence

Issued by
Denver Department of Excise and Licenses

Cost
$50 application fee, $50 license fee (total $100/year)

Renewal
annual

Lead time
Processing time varies, allow at least 2-4 weeks

Apply
Denver Lodger's Tax License

Anyone collecting rent on stays of 29 nights or fewer in Denver

Issued by
Denver Treasury Division

Cost
No fee listed

Renewal
annual

Lead time
Allow a few weeks for processing

Apply
Colorado Sales Tax License

Anyone renting accommodations for less than 30 consecutive days

Issued by
Colorado Department of Revenue

Cost
$16 one-time fee (valid for 2 years)

Renewal
biennial

Lead time
Several days to weeks to process

Apply

What you file, and when

Obligation	Frequency	Due	To
File and pay State Sales Tax, LMD, and Special District Tax	monthly	Due on the 20th of the month for prior month's receipts	Colorado Department of Revenue
File and pay Denver Lodger's Tax	monthly	Due on or before the 20th of the month for prior month's receipts	Denver Treasury Division

Primary sources

Corzly does not file this for you

You register, you collect, you remit, you hold the licenses. What we do is run the property so those numbers are right in the first place, on every channel, without you chasing them.

Talk to us about your portfolio

How to use this page. Corzly does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice, and we are not licensed tax professionals. This profile is automated research compiled from published government sources. Each figure carries a link to the source we read, so you can verify it yourself rather than take our word for it.

Tax rates, license requirements and filing rules change, and any source can be superseded without notice. Anything we could not confirm is marked Low confidence or listed under "Still to confirm" rather than guessed at. Before charging a guest, registering, or filing a return, confirm every figure directly with the taxing authority.

Registering, collecting, filing and remitting remain your responsibility. If the amounts matter to your business, and they do, take this research to a licensed tax professional or the authority itself before acting on it.