A new Boulder short-term rental license for festivals is all but passed now. Pending a final vote by the City Council, the gate will be open for property owners to rent out their homes for the Sundance Film Festival.
The Boulder City Council voted 7-1 in its Thursday meeting to approve the second reading of an ordinance that would establish the festival event license. The third vote on the ordinance is slated for the council’s next regular meeting on Oct. 9. Taishya Adams was the sole “nay” vote, and Mayor Aaron Brockett was absent.
The new festival license would allow for a property owner to rent out their home for up to 29 non-consecutive days per year during and around the time of what the city deems to be a festival. The city is still ironing out the specifics, but the city’s working definition for a festival is an event that runs at least five consecutive days, draws more than 50,000 attendees and is expected to exceed the capacity of Boulder hotels. As of now, it appears that Sundance is the only event that checks all of those boxes.
Unlike existing short-term rentals, the festival license does not require property owners to live in their homes for at least six months in a year. Accessory dwelling units are also eligible for the festival license. Any property ownership type could hold a license, according to a city memo. The festival license would carry a $190 fee but would only need to be renewed every four years, as opposed to every year for the existing short-term rental license.
This story will be updated
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