Simplified Short Term Rental, Liquor and Tobacco Licensing

A Local Government Success Story

Challenge

As a newly-formed town, Keystone, Colorado was looking for a modern digital government services platform that could be implemented quickly and cost-effectively to manage short-term rental (STR), tobacco, and liquor licensing. Keystone wanted to take advantage of the fact that they were not restricted by legacy processes and methodologies, to build a modern system that was both citizen-friendly and town-efficient. 

Solution

Keystone's new digital solution, provides dedicated portals for citizens and town employees, streamlining licensing and regulatory compliance. Automated workflows manage the creation and renewal of STR, liquor, and tobacco licenses with a custom integration to the state’s payment system enabling a seamless, one-stop payment experience. Built to Colorado’s WCAG 2.1 AA standards and securely integrated with Google Cloud, this platform provides a secure, scalable, and accessible licensing solution. BlueVector AI also migrated data from the County licensing systems, positioning Keystone to efficiently meet current needs and future growth independently.

Results

Keystone's innovative digital solution has transformed short-term rental licensing, significantly enhancing the town's ability to track and regulate STRs, thereby improving community standards and homeowner satisfaction. The user-friendly platform, featuring an intuitive interface and streamlined workflows, has driven up STR registration rates while dramatically improving compliance with regulations. In addition to simplifying the registration process and eliminating unnecessary costs for the community, the solution identified discrepancies in location information that impacted tax allocations and emergency response accuracy. This flexible system has enhanced the citizen experience and contributed to an improved ski town experience for both homeowners and guests.

The same solution was leveraged to manage the application, renewal, and management of tobacco and liquor licensing. Both solutions, provide a streamlined application process to expedite submission and approval. It also has a full admin portal to manage license applications, complaints, correspondence, and dashboard analytics to monitor the status of these licenses.

About Town of Keystone

The Town of Keystone is a Colorado mountain town based in Summit County that serves the Keystone Mountain and surrounding areas. The Town oversees critical services such as business and short-term rental property licensing, building permits, trails and open space, road maintenance, law enforcement, and public complaint tracking. By adopting the new digital platform, the office has greatly enhanced its ability to serve both residents and local businesses with improved efficiency, transparency, and safety.