Lafayette’s temporary event rental license creates a limited route for rentals during city-approved events, while leaving the city’s main operating requirements in place. The pilot is scheduled to end June 1, 2027, unless the City Council extends it or makes it permanent, Denver7 reported.
A separate permit alongside existing licenses
The city’s existing system requires each short-term rental to obtain both a short-term-rental license and a Sales and Use Tax license. That requirement has applied since Jan. 1, 2024, according to the City of Lafayette.
The standard rental license covers year-round rentals of a primary residence or an accessory dwelling unit, but not a second home. The event license instead allows a person or organization to rent a main dwelling or an ADU during a city-approved event. Both units on one lot may be rented at the same time, Denver7 reported.
The event permit costs $100, half the standard short-term-rental license fee, and applicants can certify their property themselves rather than undergo a city inspection, according to Denver7. The two licenses retain the same occupancy limits, safety standards, insurance requirements, signage and parking rules, and trash-receptacle rules. The reported differences are in the inspection process and applicant eligibility, not those operating requirements.
Boulder’s festival license has a different framework
Boulder’s separate festival lodging license permits rentals for no more than 29 days a year during a major city festival, according to the City of Boulder. Boulder City Council approved updates to its program on April 2, 2026, allowing tenants to rent out space during a city-approved festival with the property owner’s approval, the city said in its announcement.
The two cities’ programs are both limited to festival-related rentals, but their published terms differ: Lafayette’s pilot sets a flat fee and changes who may apply and whether an inspection is required, while Boulder’s license specifies an annual day limit and now includes tenants with owner approval. The 2027 Sundance Film Festival is scheduled to run in Boulder from Jan. 21 through Jan. 31, according to the Sundance Institute. The available terms do not establish how many Lafayette properties will seek the permit or how many visitors will use event rentals.
