Moratorium Minute: Ordinances in Effect
In December 2021, Aspen City Council instituted a moratorium on the issuance of certain residential building permits that are required for certain demolition, alteration, and/or construction processes, as well as the issuance of short-term rental permits. This pause granted Council, staff, and the community space to fully consider the impacts of development, including stressors put on the built environment.
After an extensive community engagement process, Aspen City Council approved new short-term rental regulations outlined in Ordinance No. 9, Series 2022, and new residential building regulations outlined in Ordinances No. 13 & 14, Series 2022. These were adopted on June 28, 2022, and June 30, 2022, respectively.
Residential Building
The adopted residential building code amendments are now in effect. The residential permit moratorium will end on August 8, 2022, and Community Development will once again open its process for all residential building applications.
The main areas that changed through the moratorium will be updated on Municode in the coming weeks:
Updated definitions related to floor area.
Updated calculations and measurements methodology for energy efficiency and fire protection and for determining required affordable housing mitigation.
Clarification of the process for measuring demolition and implementation of heightened redevelopment standards.
Creation of demolition allotment for single-family and duplex units.
Updates to the Housing Mitigation Fee-in-Lieu.
Updates to FTE generation rates for single and multi-family development.
Expanded affordable housing development opportunities.
Short-term Rentals
The adopted short-term rental regulations are now in effect. While the short-term rental permit moratorium will end on September 30, 2022, STR applications will not be accepted until October 1, 2022.
Valid 2021-2022 STR permits (issued on or prior to December 8, 2021) are subject to the following regulations in Ordinance No. 9, Series 2022:
Valid 2021-2022 STR permit holders will have until December 31, 2022, to renew their permit in accordance with the requirements of Ordinance No. 9, Series 2022. Details of the issuance of permitting and the new policy will be updated regularly on the short-term rental webpage.
More Information
Updates to the Land Use Code are expected to be released on our website in mid-August. In the meantime, please refer to Ordinance No. 9, Series 2022, Ordinance No. 13, Series 2022, and Ordinance No. 14, Series 2022, for the current language.
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Also, visit our Residential Building Update and Short-term Rental webpages for more information.