Straight answers about the proposed amendment, the voting rules, and what's actually allowed today.
Yes. The Declaration requires owners who rent or lease to do so under a written lease, and the board may set rules for those leases. There is currently no covenant provision that specifically bans rentals under 30 days — that is exactly what the proposed Article IV amendment would add.
Article IV is the proposed covenant amendment that would prohibit short-term rentals in BME. Article XX, passed in August 2025 with 77.7% approval, changed how votes are counted toward the approval threshold — non-votes no longer count as "no." That makes the STR vote easier to pass without broad participation, which is why returning your ballot matters so much.
Under the old rules, a non-vote effectively counted as a "no." Since Article XX passed, that protection is gone — not voting simply removes your voice from the count. A documented, counted vote is also harder to challenge or revisit later, and Colorado law allows a board that falls just short of the threshold to petition a court to ratify an amendment under certain conditions. Whichever way you lean: return your ballot.
No. Colorado courts have held that generic "residential use only" language does not, by itself, ban short-term rentals — which is why a specific declaration amendment is required rather than a board rule or reinterpretation.
Amending the declaration requires a 67% affirmative supermajority of the Association's votes — a deliberately high bar, because covenant amendments permanently bind every current and future owner.
No. The Town of South Fork already requires an STR permit ($1,500, with a life-safety inspection), caps permits at roughly 13% of housing units in most zones, collects a 2.0% lodging tax, and requires a local on-call contact for every stay. See The Facts for details and sources.
They're legitimate — and they're exactly what a registration-and-rules system addresses: quiet hours, occupancy caps tied to bedroom count, parking limits, a required local contact, and an enforcement deposit. BME's own 2020 STR Committee proposed this approach. See Ban vs. Regulate.
The research is genuinely mixed, and we won't pretend otherwise. Some studies associate STR activity with higher property values; others found a ban lowered rents in one market and had no effect in another. What's clear: no study shows bans reliably helping values, and in a seasonal, tourism-dependent market the risk of a ban suppressing value is real. See the honest breakdown on The Facts.
No vote has been officially noticed yet. The board's annual meeting took place July 4, 2026, with a Covenant Committee update on the agenda — we don't yet have confirmed details on what was reported there, and that meeting was a progress update, not the vote itself. The board has previously indicated a possible vote around December 2026; confirm the exact date against the board's formal notice once issued. See the Timeline.
No. This site is prepared by a group of concerned BME owners to share factual background ahead of the board's vote. It is not legal advice — consult a Colorado HOA/CIC attorney with specific questions. Questions about the official process can be directed to the BMEPOA board at P.O. Box 713, South Fork, CO 81154.
Ask us directly, or raise it at the next meeting — the more owners engaging with the details, the better the outcome.
Sources: BMEPOA board and annual meeting minutes (Feb 2025–May 2026) and 2020 STR Committee findings; Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act, C.R.S. § 38-33.3-217; Town of South Fork short-term rental land use regulations. Verify current dates and amendment text against the board's official notice.