HomeMy WebLinkAboutPROCEDURES Residential Vacation Home Lottery and Waitlist 2026-03Standard Operating Procedures for Residential Vacation Home Waitlist Lottery
The following procedures outline the steps necessary to complete a residential vacation
home waitlist lottery application, and if successfully selected, the waitlist and application
process to obtain a vacation home business license as outlined in the Municipal Code.
Waitlist Lottery Process
The following outlines the process for residential zoned properties within the Town of
Estes Park to apply to the waitlist lottery for future use as a vacation home short-term
rental.
Ordinance 18-25: The Board of Trustees approved the ordinance which was effective
December 15, 2025 to establish a waitlist lottery system with a cap for those interested
in obtaining a residentially zoned vacation home license as they become available. A
lottery will be held following the annual renewal period which ends January 31st when
there are ten (10) or fewer applications on the waitlist and populate the list up to 30
properties. Properties on the waitlist will be processed up to the residential cap after the
annual renewal deadline and throughout the year as licenses become available and
once the lottery has been completed, if required per the regulations. The waitlist will be
maintained by the Town Clerk’s office.
Public Notice: The Town Clerk will issue a public notice with the assistance of the Public
Information office for a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to a lottery. The notice will
include the general entry requirements and the timeline for applying. Notices will be
published through current media platforms used by the Town and on the Town’s website
at www.estes.org/vacationhomelicensing.
Eligibility: A natural person or up to two (2) natural persons who own a property within
the Estes Park town limits at the time a waitlist lottery application is filed. A property
may be owned by a corporation, limited liability corporation, a trust, etc. so long as the
natural person(s) can demonstrate ownership interest in the entity. Failure to submit
sufficient evidence demonstrating the ownership interest (including the interest of each
applicant) at time of application shall result in the application being deemed incomplete
and ineffective, and therefore, will not be added to the lottery. The Town Clerk’s office
utilizes the Larimer County Assessor Records to determine ownership.
Waitlist Lottery Application: The electronic application form will be available on the
Town’s website. No more than one entry shall be made per dwelling unit; any dwelling
unit receiving multiple entries is disqualified from the lottery. The following are required
for an application to be found complete and qualify for the lottery: complete application
submitted by the deadline, payment of the application fee, and any documentation to
clearly demonstrate proof of ownership of the property by the natural person(s) listed on
the application. Applicants will be notified and have five (5) days to correct deficiencies;
failure to provide a complete application shall automatically cause it to be voided.
Lottery Drawing: Each application will be assigned a unique six (6) digit application
number through the completion of the online form. The lottery drawing will be held
following the cure period utilizing Google Sheets “Randomizing Range” to conduct the
lottery drawing. The waitlist will be populated by the successfully selected applications
up to the maximum of the cap of 30 in the order drawn. All applicants will be notified of
the results of the lottery using the email provided on the application. For those not
selected, a list will be maintained in the event the applicant chooses to apply again in
future lotteries for the same property. The code provides an additional entry into each
consecutive lottery when a new application is submitted so long as it is submitted by the
same owners for the same property. The intent is to afford a greater chance of winning.
Waitlist: Upon an opening within the residential vacation home cap, the Town Clerk’s
office will remove the next property on the waitlist. The natural person(s) will be notified
of the opportunity to apply for a vacation home license utilizing the email on file. No
other attempt to notify by mail or phone will be completed. It is the responsibility of
those natural person(s) on file to maintain an email address with the Town Clerk’s office.
Upon receipt of the email notification, the vacation home application shall be completed
within 14 days of the date of the notice. A complete, valid, and timely application,
including all required fees and deposits, must be submitted in order for a registration
packet to be issued. All required deadlines associated with the registration packet and
application process can be found on the Town’s website and are outlined in the
registration packet letter. Failure to meet the deadlines associated with the application
process shall result in the application lapsing and be voided.
Any additional questions on the lottery process or waitlist should be directed to the Town
Clerk’s office at townclerk@estes.org.