Dillon Passes Short-Term Rental Ordinance Requiring Responsible Agent

Along with other local towns and Summit County itself, the Town of Dillon has been steadily working toward adoption of new requirements for short-term rentals.  On November 20, 2018, the Dillon Town Council conducted a second reading and passed its short-term rental ordinance into law.  With passage of the new ordinance, Dillon joined Breckenridge and Silverthorne as the third governmental entity in Summit County to finalize and enact new rules that regulate short-term rentals.  Frisco and Summit County continue to discuss and deliberate regarding the eventual adoption of similar ordinances.

Short-Term Rental License and Application

At least 30 days before advertising a Dillon short-term rental property, the owner is now required to file an application with the Town Clerk and obtain a license.  The Dillon application must include such items as property owner information, short-term rental unit address, proof of ownership, and designation of a responsible agent.  Dillon also requires short-term rental owners to submit a sworn affidavit, which certifies the habitability of their short-term rental unit as well as the unit’s compliance with applicable building and safety codes, a parking plan, and a trash and recycling plan.

Before issuing or renewing a short-term rental license, the ordinance provides the Town of Dillon with the power to potentially request an inspection of a short-term rental unit. The purpose of the inspection would be to determine whether any extraordinary fire hazard exists and whether the unit is clean and sanitary.  However, at the Council meeting for passage of the ordinance, staff from the Town of Dillon acknowledged that inspection requests would not be routinely requested.

Dillon Responsible Agent

In order to obtain a license, the Town now requires each short-term rental owner to name a Responsible Agent in Dillon.  While it’s possible for the owner to name themselves, the short-term rental ordinance defines a Dillon Responsible Agent as someone who is available to respond to any issues arising from a short-term rental property within 60 minutes.  The Town of Dillon is participating in a county-wide call center for receiving complaints regarding short-term rental properties.  When a complaint comes in, it will be directed immediately to the Responsible Agent.  And, the Town ordinance suggests that a Dillon Responsible Agent must respond and attempt to resolve the complaint issue within 60 minutes.

Staff members for the Town of Dillon have advised Summit Local Agent that they will be drafting a set of administrative regulations to provide additional details regarding the responsibilities for a person or company that serves as a Responsible Agent in Dillon.  As the Town drafts these administrative regulations, Summit Local Agent may have an opportunity to potentially submit feedback, but we will otherwise closely watch the process to adjust to any new requirements that are created.

Posting Requirements

Once the Town of Dillon issues a license, the short-term rental owner must post information for renters in a prominent location within the short-term rental unit.  That information includes the following:

• The short-term rental license number;
• Contact information for owner and/or responsible agent, including a phone number for 24-hour response to emergencies;
• Description of location of fire extinguishers and emergency egress; and
• General guidelines on Town regulations, as well as any unit specific guidelines, regarding noise, parking, trash pickup, wildlife guidelines, and fire restrictions

Effective Date

Like Breckenridge, the Dillon short-term rental ordinance provides for a future start date for compliance with its ordinance.  Section 3 of the ordinance expressly states that it shall take effect on January 1, 2019. As a result, Summit Local Agent is currently planning for that start date.

 

With the new short term rental ordinance now enacted, Summit Local Agent aims to help you comply in the most cost-effective way possible, by serving as your Dillon Colorado Responsible Agent starting on January 1, 2019.