Summit County, Colorado Homes: Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Dillon, Keystone

How do the five Summit County towns compare?

• Silverthorne. 86 minutes without traffic; 8,747 feet; Zillow typical value $830,000; 4,402 people in 2020.
• Dillon. 88 minutes; 9,127 feet; Zillow typical value $828,000; 1,064 people.
• Frisco. 91 minutes; 9,062 feet; Zillow typical value $978,000; 2,913 people.
• Keystone. 98 minutes; 9,169 feet; ZIP 80435 typical value $822,000 (shared with Dillon); 1,369 people.
• Breckenridge. 106 minutes; 9,735 feet; Zillow typical value $1,187,000; 5,078 people.

Drive: OSRM route to downtown Denver without traffic, Sept. 24, 2026. Values: Zillow ZHVI, August 2026. Population: 2020 Census.

What are the short-term rental rules in each town?

• Breckenridge. License required; the town caps non-exempt licenses at 2,200 across its zones, with waitlists where a zone is full.
• Frisco. License required; cap of 25% of housing stock, reached in February 2023, with a waitlist.
• Silverthorne. License required; capped at 10% of units in most neighborhoods (Area 1) and 50% in the Town Core and Riverfront (Area 2); none in deed-restricted neighborhoods.
• Dillon. License required; licenses expire May 31 each year.
• Keystone. Town license required, with no caps at this time; addresses outside town limits fall under Summit County's basin caps.

Confirm the license status of a specific unit with the town before you write an offer that depends on rental income.

What are the rules in unincorporated Summit County?

• Two license types. In the Neighborhood Overlay Zone, Type II licenses count under basin caps; Type I exception licenses do not.
• Basin caps. Lower Blue 550 (508 issued), Upper Blue 590 (563), Snake River 130 (137), Ten Mile 20 (24), as of January 2026 (Summit County).
• Waitlists. Lower Blue, Upper Blue and Snake River basins have waitlists for Type II licenses.

Who covers fire, water and winter roads?

• Fire. Summit Fire & EMS covers Copper Mountain, Dillon, Frisco, Keystone and Silverthorne; Red, White & Blue Fire covers Breckenridge.
• Dillon Reservoir. Denver Water's largest storage reservoir: 3,233 surface acres and 26.8 miles of shoreline, with marinas in Frisco and Dillon.
• Traction Law. CDOT's Traction Law is in effect every Sept. 1 through May 31 on I-70 from Dotsero to Morrison: 3/16-inch tread on winter, all-weather or M+S tires, or chains, or 4WD/AWD (CDOT, 2025).
• Water service. This site found no official source on wells in Summit County. Confirm water and sewer by address.

What should I check before buying in Summit County?

• STR license on the unit. Ask whether the seller's license transfers and whether the zone or basin has a waitlist.
• HOA rental rules. Condo and HOA covenants can ban or limit rentals on top of town rules. Read them before the objection deadline.
• Insurance quote first. Get a homeowners quote before the inspection deadline. The Colorado FAIR Plan covers homes that three standard insurers declined (Colorado FAIR Plan).
• Town or county. Confirm which jurisdiction licenses the address: the five towns and the county each run their own program.

Call or text the Kenna Real Estate Group at 303-955-4220 to ask what is for sale in Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Dillon and Keystone now.