Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting Information and Resources Guide for Sundance Film Festival 2027
The Sundance Film Festival will take place in Boulder, Colorado on Jan. 21-31, 2027. Property owners, businesses, event organizers, and visitors in unincorporated Boulder County may need permits, licenses, or approvals depending on their activities planned during the festival.
This guide provides links to Boulder County resources that can help you determine what requirements may apply to your situation.
Please note: Requirements within the municipalities of Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, Erie, Ward, Nederland, and Superior may differ from those in unincorporated Boulder County. Please contact the applicable municipality directly for information within town or city limits. View the City of Boulder 2027 Sundance Film Festival information page.
Short-Term and Vacation Rentals
If you are planning to rent your home for any duration of less than 30 days per booking, you will need to obtain a short-term or vacation rental license. There is not a festival license for unincorporated Boulder County; however, the short-term and vacation rental licenses are valid for a two-year period. Please visit the Short-Term Rental Licensing webpage for details on:
- Eligibility requirements
- Occupancy and Septic system limits
- Application procedure
- Required documents
- License renewals
- Common Questions and Answers
The processing time for a license can take several weeks, so you must have a complete application submitted by Nov. 1, 2026, to have the best chance of obtaining approval in time for the 2027 festival.
Events and Gatherings
If you are planning a party, watch party, group gathering, or special event on your property, you may need a permit or a special authorization.
Group Gathering Permit may be required if:
- Duration of the event is longer than 8 hours in a single day or extends over a maximum of three consecutive days (not including set up/break down)
- The event will have 50 or more attendees
- The property owner is receiving compensation for hosting the event
- The event is reoccurring or has the potential to become reoccurring
- View the Group Gathering section of the Special Events webpage for additional details.
Farm Events are a secondary use on a commercial farm where between 26 and 150* people gather for activities such as:
- Farm-to-table dinners
- Weddings or wedding receptions
- Community gatherings
- Educational or marketing events
- Seasonal celebrations connected to agriculture
- The majority of the food service at a Farm Event must be made with ingredients grown or raised in Boulder County or by the host farmer(s).
*Farm events with more than 99 attendees require Special Authorization from the Zoning Administrator.
Please email agplanner@bouldercounty.gov or call the planner on-call at 303-441-3930 for additional information on Farm Events.
Home Events
Home Events are a use accessory to a principal residential use hosted by one or more of the individuals who reside on the property. These events consist of any group between 26 and 99 individuals, and are assembled for participating in an event where:
- The group is assembled for live music, broadcast music, or other commercial entertainment on a property where a fee or financial donation is requested from attendees to pay for the event; or
- The group is assembled for product sales or a product sales party where a purchase is expected from the attendees
Please email planner@bouldercounty.gov for additional information on Home Events.
Temporary Structures and Building Requirements
If you are planning to install tents, stages, temporary structures, or convert a building for event use, you may need a building permit and/or fire district approval.
Contact staff and apply for any required permits well in advance of your event. Permit review can take 8-12 weeks after a complete application is submitted. If your project requires a planning review and approval, that review must be completed before a permit application can be submitted. Once a permit is issued, required inspections must be completed and approved before the temporary structure, building, or permitted installation can be used. Be sure to allow sufficient time for both permit review and inspection scheduling prior to your event.
Please visit the Building Permits webpage to learn more about building permits and requirements.
Liquor Licensing
If you are planning to sell or serve alcohol on the property during the festival, you must comply with local and state laws. You may need to obtain a liquor permit from Boulder County and/or the State of Colorado.
- A Special Event Liquor Permit is available to a registered non-profit corporation who is hosting an event to raise funds for their non-profit organization. A permit is required to be issued by Boulder County.
- A Sales Room Liquor Permit is available to alcohol manufacturers (breweries, wineries, and distilleries) to allow them to sell and serve their products to consumers for on-premise or off-premise consumption by applying with the State Liquor Enforcement Division (LED).
Please visit the Liquor Licensing webpage to learn more about liquor permits and requirements.
Food Safety and Special Event Process for Public Health
If you plan to serve, sell, or provide food to the public during the Sundance Film Festival—including at any gathering or watch party open to the public—Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) licensing requirements apply.
- A Retail Food License is required when:
- Food is sold to the public
- Food is provided as part of a ticketed event
- Food is offered at any event open to the public
- Multiple food vendors operate under a single event
- Applications must be submitted by September 2026
- High application volume is expected during the festival period
- Incomplete or late applications may not be approved prior to the event
- Coordinator applications will be required for multi-vendor events
- Submit questions to healthcp@bouldercounty.gov
Local Minimum Wage
Boulder County’s local minimum wage applies to unincorporated Boulder County. For businesses not based in unincorporated Boulder County, the local minimum wage applies to employees performing, or expected to perform, four or more hours of work in unincorporated Boulder County in any given week. Visit the county’s local minimum wage webpage for details.
Code Compliance and Complaints
Violations during the festival may include:
- Unauthorized short-term and vacation rentals
- Unpermitted structures or gatherings
- Illegal alcohol sales
- Noise or nuisance concerns
To report a violation, please email codecompliance@bouldercounty.gov.
Waste, Recycling and Sustainability
Help the community stay clean during the festival and follow county guidelines for trash, recycling, and composting. Please visit the Resource Conservation webpage to learn more about waste, recycling, and sustainability.
Travel Impacts and Getting Around
The Sundance Film Festival is expected to increase travel demand and temporarily impact transportation throughout Boulder County and the surrounding region, particularly near festival venues and along regional corridors (US 36, CO 7, CO 93, CO 119).
Boulder County is actively coordinating with regional partners and festival organizers to minimize impacts and support safe and efficient travel for residents and visitors. Everyone is encouraged to travel car-free by using transit, shuttles, biking, walking, and other shared mobility options whenever possible.
Additional festival transportation information, travel resources, and updates are available on the City of Boulder’s Sundance Information Page.
Need Assistance?
If you are unsure which requirements apply to your situation, please contact us at 303-441-3930 or planner@bouldercounty.gov and we can help guide you to the correct program.