Rental Housing Licensing: Long-Term

The Rental License code provides for comprehensive enforcement of Property Maintenance Code and other requirements under the Boulder Revised code for rented accommodations. Obtaining a rental license is the responsibility of the property owner. The discovery of an unlicensed rental property will result in legal action.

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Licensing Requirements

The city's Boulder Revised Code and Property Maintenance Code require all rental properties in Boulder to maintain a valid rental license. The code establishes minimum standards for the use and safe occupancy of dwellings to protect, preserve and promote the physical and mental health of its residents.

• Short-Term Rental Housing Licensing
• Rental Housing Licensing Guide

Rental licenses are not required under the following circumstances. These exemptions do not apply to short-term rentals.

• A dwelling unit occupied by the owner (or members of the owner's family who are at least 21 yrs of age) who rents to no more than two people unrelated to the owner's family

If your property meets all of these criteria, submit a Rental License Exemption Affidavit - Temporary Rental

• The dwelling unit is the owner's principal residence
• The dwelling unit is temporarily rented for no longer than 12 consecutive months in any 24-month period
• The dwelling unit was occupied by the owner immediately prior to its rental
• The owner is temporarily living outside of Boulder County
• The owner intends to reoccupy the dwelling

Yes. Rental licenses are required for all properties offered for rent and, in addition to inspection for licensing, city staff may inspect the ADU for other approval criteria.

Only property owners who do not reside in Boulder County are required to have a local agent. The local agent is designated by the owner, provides a contact person for the property, and must be able to respond to the property within 60 minutes.

Yes, however, please consider that tenants frequently change and it is the owner's responsibility to keep the city informed of a new agent.

Submit the Rental Licensing Change of Information or Agent form with your changes.

Are there circumstances under which code violations could impact the term of an existing rental license?

Yes. The Reduced Term Rental License code allows the term of a rental license to be reduced to 12 months when there is a violation of the land use or to 24 months for violations of the Housing Code.

Single-family homes seeking a rental license certify compliance through a rental inspection. Multi-unit dwellings are required to submit a Lighting Certification to receive a four-year term license. Multi-unit dwellings will receive a one-year reduced term license if certification is not received at application, which will be extended to a full four-year term if certification is submitted within the one-year term.

The SmartRegs ordinances require all rental housing to meet a basic energy efficiency standard.

See if a Property is Licensed

Customer Self-Service Portal

• Customers can access the city's permitting, licensing and land management system to view rental license information by going to Customer Self-Service (CSS) portal
• You may search as a guest or create a CSS account
• For questions on how to set up an account, please review the user guide

Interactive map

• To obtain a report of licensed residential rental properties on a specific parcel, go to the Licensed Residential Rental Properties Map (opens in a new window)
• You can search the map by address
• The map will zoom into the parcel
• Click on the highlighted parcel and License Information link to view the report
• Rental property information is viewable for fully licensed rental properties
• Licenses in progress, expired or closed are not viewable

Open Data Rental Housing Property List

• The Rental Housing Property List contains all residential rental properties that are currently licensed.
• This list updates daily and is part of our Open Data catalog for public use.
• You can download the list of over 10,000 licensed properties to sort and search by many categories such as address, sub-community, occupancy limits and dwelling count.

Apply for a Standard Long-Term Rental License or Renew a Current License

Fill out an application form

Standard Long-Term rentals are rentals of 30 days or more at a time.

• Fill out and submit the Rental License Long Term Application

• Properties must be SmartRegs compliant prior to application submittal for a rental housing license
• Properties must be compliant with the Outdoor Lighting Ordinance to receive a full term license.

Submit your application

• Rental license fees are payable on the Customer Self-service Portal upon notification, after your application is processed
• A rental license fee is $190
• For quickest processing, submit an online application
• If unable to complete online application, please contact RentalHousingLicensing@bouldercolorado.gov for assistance

Set-up a Rental Inspection

Check the criteria

All of the criteria for rental inspections is available in the Rental Housing License Handbook and SmartRegs Handbook found in the Applications & Forms database.

• License a standard, or long-term, rental property;
• Renew a license; or
• Apply for a new license when ownership has changed.

• All long term rental properties, prior to application for rental.
• See more information on how to get a SmartRegs inspection.

Contact a certified inspector

• See the list of certified rental and SmartRegs inspectors, or search companies licensed to perform rental inspections through the Customer Self-service portal .
• You should always ask the company or person if they are officially licensed by the city to perform inspections for a rental license.
• Book an appointment and the inspector will guide you through the process.

Licensed Inspection Companies

A Rental Inspection is needed for:

• A rental property that has never been licensed before;
• A rental property whose previous license has expired; and
• A transfer of ownership.

Rental inspection compliance verification forms must be completed and signed by a licensed inspector.

Inspections are done by private inspection companies. Re-inspections may be required if there are items to be repaired. If the property is in compliance, the inspector will inform you at the inspection site and will provide a signed inspection compliance verification form.

Charges for the inspection depend on the policies of the licensed rental housing inspector that you have contracted with. Prices vary - please compare prices between companies.

The Rental Inspection consists of four parts:

• General Life Safety Requirements;
• Plumbing Facilities and Fixture Requirements;
• Mechanical and Electrical Requirements; and
• Fire Safety Requirements.

If you are unable to complete the required inspections by your expiration/due date, please contact us at RHL@bouldercolorado.gov with an extension request and provide details of your situation.

Yes, inspections are considered current if they were performed within the last 12 months and are submitted within 90 days past license expiration.

A contractor licensed in the City of Boulder can assist you with determining the cost and extent of the repair work.

The city is not a party to the contract so is not involved in setting the fee. It is up to the property owner to hire a licensed inspector and negotiate a price for the service.

Visit the Contractor Licensing page to learn more.