A curated collection of Aspen and Snowmass real estate, zoning, development, and local reference links—organized for quick access and practical use. (This page is in process of re-organization. Apr 2026)
Jump to:
Short Term Rental Info & Regs
Development & Projects
Taxes, Districts & Fees
Airport & Transportation
Market / Property Reference
Local Context & Insights
Additional Resources
ZONING, LAND USE & REGULATIONS
• Pitkin County Land Use Code – Shortcuts
• City of Aspen Land Use Code Updates
• Short-Term Rental Regulations
• Development Review Process
Pitkin County Land Use Code Shortcuts
PITKIN COUNTY GROWTH & LAND USE CODE ISSUES PRESENTLY UNDER DISCUSSION, NOV 2023
PITKIN COUNTY LAND USE CODE – LUC – PRIMER 101 – Start video at 10:44
ZONING – LAND USE
Sec 4-20 Permitted Uses (Pgs 1-105), or shortcut link to pages 5-12 PERMITTED USE TABLE AND KEY (Pg 8)
Web-friendly shortcut Links to Pitkin County & City of Aspen Land Use Code
Zone Districts: All Zone Districts, AR2, R6, R15, R15A, R30, AR10
PITKIN COUNTY LAND USE CODE (LUC) CHAPTER 5 – DIMENSIONAL REQUIREMENTS (July 2006 Page 23)
CHEAT SHEET FOR CALCULATING ALLOWABLE FLOOR AREA (FAR)
12.20.22 ADN The Price of County TDRs Keeps Rising
12.10.21 AT Price of Pitkin Co TDRs Hits $1.8M
03.21.21 ADN: Transferable development rights, or TDR’s in the real estate industry, proved attractive to property owners during the COVID-19 pandemic especially, Aspen appraiser Randy Gold continued, “A TDR in Pitkin County equates to 2,500 square feet of buildable area,” he explained, adding that the program was started in 1995 and TDR prices sold on the open market were generally stable “for years and years,” at between $200,000 and $250,000 for most of that time period. “In July 2020, TDRS were selling for $230,000. By the end of the year, the most recent closing on TDRs were selling for $360,000,” he said. “And now, Feb 2021, there are TDRS under contract for $375,000 to $400,000.”
City of Aspen Land Use Code Updates
CITY OF ASPEN: FALL 2022 SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE LAND USE CODE
Read highlights of these changes by Aspen’s Garfield & Hecht Law Firm
Aspen City Council considers City demo permits & special waivers, May 16, 24
City of Aspen TDR Request by Homeowner Denied, AT
FENCING REGS REGULATIONS IN CITY OF ASPEN CO
USFS Forest Service Flexible Partnerships Act of 2017
Pitkin County Agricultural Status: Agricultural Property Designation
Eagle County Agricultural Status: Agricultural Property Questionaire and Valuation Information
SHORT TERM RENTAL (STR) REGULATIONS
CITY OF ASPEN SHORT TERM RENTALS (STR) REGULATIONS (New regs Oct 2022; updated May 1, 2023 – Ordinance 9)
PITKIN COUNTY SHORT TERM RENTAL (STR) REGULATIONS AND CODE
Aspen CO STR Short Term Rental Map link & Resources for Property Owners
Snowmass Village, CO STR Short Term Rental Regulations and Resources for Property Owners
Article: Recent Aspen STRs short-term-rental regs diminish supply & dampen future growth, Apr 29, 23, Aspen Journalism
Definitions:
– Short term rental, STR = less than 30 days
– Long term rental, LTR = 30 days or more
Short Term Rental Tax Rates City of Aspen (Effective 01/01/2026):
– STR-C – STR-Classic, which include most more condominiums and homes, the new combined tax rate will be 22.35%, (formerly 21.3%).
– STR-OO – STR-Lodging Exempt and STR-Owner Occupied properties tax rate. The new combined tax rate will be 17.35%, (formerly 16.3%).
– STR-LE – Hotels and fractional properties pay the commercial lodging rate. The new combined tax rate will be 17.35%, (formerly 11.3%).
Rental Program Ratings Description courtesy Frias Property Management
DEVELOPMENT & PROJECTS
RESTORATION HARDWARE (RH) – ASPEN ECOSYSTEM: “In January 2021, local Aspen developer Mark Hunt and RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware revealed their collaboration to create a luxury boutique hotel, a show gallery, and additional retail, dining, and residential properties, collectively termed the ‘Aspen Ecosystem.’ According to the announcement, the RH Guesthouse at the Historic Crystal Palace was expected to open in 2022. “It’s going slower than we anticipated,” said RH Chairman and CEO Gary Friedman during the company’s 1st Qtr Report on 6/13/24. “Our development partner likes to say, ‘probably easier to develop on the moon than it is in Aspen,’ and things are taking more time. Aspen, it’s a small town.” Aspen Daily News
RH – The Man Behind the Curtain NYT May 8, 24
Restoration Hardware RH Guesthouse 2022-2023 Plans for Aspen
LIFT 1A CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT PLANS – GORSUCH HAUS/AMAN RESORTS & CHALET ALPINA (FORMERLY LIFT ONE LODGE)
CHEAT SHEET v4 LINKS & ARTICLES (Updated Aug 2025)
LIFT 1A CORRIDOR PLAN ILLUSTRATION, PLANS W/OPEN SPACE
GORSUCH HAUS/AMAN RESORTS – condensed land use application.
CHALET ALPINA / aka LIFT ONE LODGE – condensed land use application.
TAXES, DISTRICTS & FEES
• Property Tax Information
• Metro Districts Overview
• Transfer Taxes / Fees
PITKIN COUNTY PROPERTY VALUATIONS MAY 2023 ARTICLES
Property values soar and what it means for your Aspen Snowmass Pitkin County taxes, ADN 05/02/23
How to Read Your Pitkin County Valuation Notices, AT 05/04/23
State & local restrictions will limit Pitkin County property taxes, AT 04/06/23
PITKIN COUNTY PROPERTY TAXES – ASSESSOR & TREASURER
Pitkin County has the second-lowest mill levy in the state and Colorado has the third-lowest property tax burden in the country.
(Source: Pitkin County Commissioners Greg Poschman and Kelly McNicholas Kury op-ed 11/01/24 Aspen Daily News).
Real Estate Taxes in Pitkin County, CO – Aspen Real Estate – Explained: Colorado requires county assessors to perform a reappraisal of property – new valuations – every two years on the odd year. The next reappraisal will be in the spring of 2023 and will reflect the property value as of June 30, 2022. Taxes are paid in arrears. (The 2023 property tax bill will be for 2022 taxes due). The actual value of a property is determined by the county assessor’s office. The assessment rate is set by the state. In 2023, the Colorado legislature lowered the residential and multi-family property rate to 6.765% from 6.95% earlier in the year. Mill levies are set by local special tax districts and will not be finalized until sometime in December (typically, after the Nov. elections)…Pitkin County property tax collections are restricted (for the most part) to a limit of 5.5% increase per Tabor amendment. (Nov 4, 23 Aspen Times)
Pitkin Co officials say limits will keep taxes from rising like home prices (April 7, 23 Aspen Times)
Pitkin County Real Estate Taxes on Vacant Land versus a Lot with Home or Legal Structure
ASPEN TAX DISTRICTS FOR REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAX (RETT) – BUYER PAYS UPON CLOSING – The City of Aspen and the Town of Snowmass Village collect a Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) on property conveyances within their boundaries. Within the City of Aspen, the RETT is 1.5% of the property purchase price; in the Town of Snowmass Village, it is 1.0%. The tax is payable by the buyer for property within these listed areas.
ASPEN NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE RETT APPLIES AT 1.5% OF PURCHASE PRICE
Aspen Highlands Residential Metropolitan Tax District Info
Brush Creek Metro District & contacts: Brush Creek Landowners Association (BCLA) is Evie at Marolt, LLC 970‐925‐4047 Ext 5. (Oct 2019)
Pitkin County Board Approves Solar Farm, Nov 18, 2019, Aspen Times
AIRPORT & TRANSPORTATION
Aspen Airport (ASE) Fact Sheet and Expansion & Closure 2027 – Updates
AIRLINES PARTNERS AS OF MARCH 2026 • American Airlines • Delta • United TOP FEEDER MARKETS • Atlanta, GA • Austin, TX • Chicago, IL • Dallas, TX • Denver, CO • Houston, TX • Los Angeles, CA • Orange County, CA • Phoenix, AZ • San Francisco, CA
Ground Transportation Options
Dial-a-Ride info – Dial-a-Ride serves the Mountain Valley residential area on a fixed route free of charge. Provides door-to-door service in this area for $1. Call 970.920.9999 to schedule personalized service. Dial-A-Ride service is available: 6:30 a.m. – 1:45 a.m. daily
RFTA – City of Aspen – Bus Ride Route Maps & Schedule – 970.925.8484
MARKET / PROPERTY REFERENCE
2014 – 2025 Flip Job Examples – Recent or In-Process Redeveloped Properties
Aspen Condominium Complexes with Right of First Refusal (ROFR) on Purchases
Residences at The Little Nell (RLN Aspen) – Buyers’ Info and FAQ’S
Downtown Aspen Penthouses approved and in development pipeline as of Mar 2019
Aspen Historic Victorian and Aspen Modern Preservation Resources
Aspen Modern – a guide to mid-20th century architecture in Aspen in which certain desIgnated properties fall under the auspices of the
Aspen Historical Preservation Commission.
219 N. Monarch Redeveloped Aspen Home in Aspen’s West End Land Planner Analysis
LOCAL CONTEXT & INSIGHTS
• Aspen Ideas Festival Overview
• Key Local Institutions / Context
On Fri Feb 25, 22, Aspen Times columnist Roger Marolt wrote a beautiful piece on remembering Aspenite Jack Brendlinger and an Aspen past so wonderful from what we seem to be becoming in these pandemic times. Link to article.
ASPEN IDEAS – A DESCRIPTION – Article: “The Aspen Idea describes the integration of body/mind/spirit – the nurturing of the whole person – and it came to the fore in the earliest days of the Aspen Institute where artists, leaders, thinkers, and musicians could gather…Mortimer Adler once referred to Aspen as the “Athens of the West.” And upon his visit here in 1949, Albert Schweitzer’s proclaimed “Aspen is a little too close to heaven.”
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
(anything else that doesn’t fit cleanly above)
RADON INFORMATION
About Radon and Radon Mitigation Info in Aspen and Snowmass – Newspaper Insert
High radon levels detected in half of Aspen’s locally tested homes, Article, Jan 3, 2020 ADN
SMUGGLER SUPERFUND SITE ASPEN Superfund Site Aspen
City of Aspen: Smuggler-Superfund-Site
Pitkin County: Smuggler-Superfund-Site
Aspen Times: Smuggler officially off superfund list
Map view: Smuggler superfund site
11.25.91 New Yorker: Report from Aspen – superfund site
Smuggler Mobile Home Park
MARKET & PROPERTY REFERENCE
• Flip / Before-After Projects
• Notable Property Case Studies
ZIPCODES ASPEN TO GLENWOOD SPRINGS – ROARING FOR VALLEY – Zip Code PDF
APCHA RESIDENT OCCUPIED (RO) LOCATIONS LIST & PET INFO
LOCAL HIGHWAY MILE MARKERS: US INTERSTATE 70 AND Colorado HIGHWAY 82
