The City of Arvada is currently considering updates to our short-term rental ordinance. A short-term rental, or STR, is a home or a portion of a home that the owner can rent out for short periods of time. The goals of these proposed changes are to bring the city more in alignment with neighboring communities, ensure all short-term rentals are properly licensed, and address resident concerns around property maintenance, trash and snow removal, noise and safety related to such properties in their neighborhoods.

At a high level, the changes being considered are:

• Only real persons ages 18 and over with ownership interest in the property can hold a short-term rental license. LLCs can no longer hold a license; however, an LLC/corporation can still own the STR itself.
• Individuals can only hold one short-term rental license at a time, either for an owner-occupied property or a non-owner-occupied property. The changes allow for the gradual stepdown to one license over time for current licensees who hold more than one STR license.
• Stronger enforcement provisions to hold hosts and violators accountable.

In addition to these changes, the City is introducing a new platform that will monitor rental activity, ensure that only licensed STRs are operating in the City, and provide a 24/7 customer service line to address complaints and issues. Finally, the STR license fee has increased from $175 to $350 annually, and an annual inspection may be required to ensure that STR properties are appropriate and safe. 

The next step in the process is to present these changes to City Council and hold a public hearing to hear community feedback. But first, we want to gauge how you feel about the proposed changes. In the short survey below, please tell us your favorability, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "Not at all in favor" and 5 being "Extremely in favor," of the proposed changes. This information will help us make recommendations informed by your experiences. Thank you!