Short-term rental rules in Manitou Springs are tight and capped

If you are eyeing a home in Manitou Springs partly to rent it out short-term, read the city’s rules first, because they are strict and the city is small.

Manitou Springs caps the number of short-term rentals citywide and stops accepting new applications once that cap is reached. So even a willing buyer may find there is simply no slot open. New short-term rentals generally must be owner-occupied, meaning the owner lives there most of the year, and there are separation rules so rentals are not clustered on one block.

There is one detail that surprises buyers: the permit is tied to the specific owner, not to the house. When a property sells, the short-term rental permit does not pass to the new owner. So a listing that advertises a “vacation rental” may not let you keep running it after closing.

This is exactly the kind of rule that varies by town, so do not assume Manitou’s approach matches Colorado Springs or unincorporated El Paso County. Counting on rental income means first confirming the current cap status, requirements, and permit availability on the City of Manitou Springs short-term rental page.