Beaver Creek's Transfer Assessment Pays for the Village. Who Pays It Is a Negotiation.

When a Beaver Creek property closes, the Beaver Creek Resort Company collects a Real Estate Transfer Assessment of 2.375% of fair market value. On a $5 million sale that comes to $118,750, owed on closing day. Under the Resort Company's bylaws, the buyer owes it.

Many resort communities have a transfer fee. Beaver Creek's matters more than most because so much of the village's budget depends on it. Beaver Creek is not a town. It sits in unincorporated Eagle County, and the Resort Company handles transportation, village maintenance, security, events, marketing and community quality. Its general property-based assessment is set at zero mills. That means real estate turnover, along with sales and lodging activity, pays for the village. For anyone writing an offer, the practical result is a large closing cost with a fixed legal payer and an allocation that can be negotiated.

The Bylaws Name the Buyer

The bylaw text is direct:

"The Real Estate Transfer Assessment shall be due and payable by the transferee to the Resort Company at the time of the transfer giving rise to such Real Estate Transfer Assessment."

The buyer also files a written report with the payment. It describes the transfer, the full consideration, the parties and the legal description of the property. If more than one party takes title, each is jointly and severally liable for the obligation.

Those rules decide who owes the Resort Company. They do not decide who ends up paying between buyer and seller. A 2018 fiscal analysis commissioned by the Town of Avon describes splitting transfer fees between buyer and seller as customary in the Eagle County market. That describes a local custom, not a Beaver Creek rule, and the source is several years old. In practice, the purchase contract decides who pays and in what share. Put that term in writing at the offer stage instead of finding it on a settlement statement.

On a 50/50 split of that $5 million example, each side pays $59,375. Moving from a split to buyer-pays, or the reverse, is worth about as much as many of the inspection credits buyers and sellers argue over.

Selling the LLC Is Still a Transfer

Second-home buyers often hold title in an entity, and some sellers assume they can transfer the entity instead of the deed and skip the assessment. The bylaws define "transfer" to rule that out. Along with a conveyance of fee simple title, the definition covers:

• A transfer of more than 50% of the voting stock of a corporation that directly or indirectly owns a Beaver Creek property
• A transfer of more than 50% of the interest in net profits or net losses of a partnership, joint venture or other entity that directly or indirectly owns one
• A series of related transactions that together accomplish the same result

When a transfer is not a bona fide sale, as with many entity transfers, the Resort Company sets the fair market value. The new owner has 15 days after notice to object in writing. An objection leads to an appraisal by an appraiser the Resort Company selects, paid for by the transferee and binding on both sides. If the transferee does not file a full report within 15 days of the deadline, it loses the right to object and the Resort Company's value stands.

For owners of a single-asset LLC, this matters well beyond a sale. A buyout among partners, a recapitalization or an estate plan that moves majority control may each count as a transfer. Bring that question to your attorney before restructuring.

What the Assessment Actually Funds

The Resort Company's 2026 budget document shows how much the village depends on property sales. Figures are in thousands of dollars:

In fiscal 2025, the transfer assessment brought in about 26% of total revenue. That nearly matches everything collected from lift tickets, on-mountain dining, golf, tennis and ski lessons combined. Working backward from the rate, $7.146 million in assessments implies roughly $300 million of assessed transfers within the gates in one year. The fiscal 2026 budget forecast $376,000 less, a 5% drop.

The expense side of the budget covers activities and events, the Vilar Center, transportation, property maintenance and public safety. The current documents do not tie transfer revenue to any single line. It goes into general operations. A 2007 Town of Avon record describes part of an earlier, higher rate as earmarked for Vilar Center debt service. Today's published rate and budget reflect a different arrangement.

One Hotel Sale Shows the Dependence

Fiscal 2026 shows how much rides on property sales. In January 2026 minutes, the Resort Company's board heard that every non-transfer assessment was below budget after a slow start to the year, while the transfer assessment was strong for the month. In March, the board learned that non-transfer assessments were down 20% from the prior year, and that transfer collections had beaten preliminary expectations because of one large condominium sale.

Then the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa sold. Braemar Hotels & Resorts announced the sale of the 193-room resort at $176 million, and Sixth Street completed the purchase in partnership with Riller Capital in late May 2026. Hotel Dive reported the same price and the completed acquisition.

At the Resort Company's June 25, 2026 meeting, the finance report forecast full-year revenue about $3 million under budget, with summer occupancy and attendance soft and civic and lodging assessments down about 14% year to date. The forecast expected roughly $3.3 million from the Hyatt sale assessment to cover most of that gap. The minutes record the sale as closing at $140.6 million against the $176 million publicly advertised, with the figure to be "updated with Eagle County." The minutes don't explain the difference between the two figures. The $3.3 million matches 2.375% of $140.6 million.

The board expected a single transaction to offset most of a soft season for the village's other revenue. That is why the transfer assessment funds core operations for the Resort Company. The same minutes describe current real estate and pending transaction activity as "steady."

Exemptions Require Paperwork, Even at Zero Dollars

The bylaws exclude a defined list of transfers, including:

1. Transfers to specified government bodies
2. Qualifying nominal-consideration transfers for the benefit of the transferor or specified relatives
3. Transfers on death
4. Certain terminations and partitions of joint tenancy
5. Qualifying entity reorganizations
6. Corrective deeds, boundary changes and easements
7. Certain court-ordered transfers
8. Leases shorter than 30 years
9. Mineral-only transfers
10. Transfers made to secure or release a debt

A transfer to a 501(c)(3) is not automatically exempt. The board has to approve each one, and certain exemptions for consecutive transfers depend on the assessment having been paid on the first transfer in the chain. In May 2025, for example, the board approved an exemption for the donation of 380 Offerson Road, Unit K2, to The Nature Conservancy, on the condition that the seller receive no reimbursement.

Even a quitclaim or special warranty deed for zero consideration must be submitted with the Resort Company's exemption form. The application asks for supporting documents, and the Resort Company responds with a formal written approval or denial. An owner moving a property into a family trust or a new entity should plan for that review on the timeline.

Next Door, a Different Fee and a Different Collector

The 2.375% rate applies within Beaver Creek. The neighboring enclaves have their own transfer arrangements, collected by different organizations:

• Bachelor Gulch: The Bachelor Gulch Village Association's audited statements for fiscal 2022 cite a 2% real estate transfer assessment set by its organizational documents.
• Arrowhead: Town of Avon summaries from 2018 and 2021 list a 1.5% fee. Arrowhead's 2026 operations plan lists transfer fees as a funding source for Arrowhead Association services but does not give a percentage.

Those published figures are a few years old, so confirm the current rate and collector with the association before modeling closing costs. A buyer comparing a Bachelor Gulch home with one in Beaver Creek Village is comparing closing costs set by different organizations as well as different properties.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as the Town of Avon's transfer tax? No. Beaver Creek is in unincorporated Eagle County, and the Resort Company's assessment is separate from Avon's municipal tax.

Has the rate changed for 2026? The 2026 board minutes posted through June show no proposed rate change. The September 24, 2026 agenda lists an interim fiscal 2027 budget and a capital plan discussion, with no separate item on the transfer assessment rate.

Does a long-term lease trigger it? Leases shorter than 30 years are excluded. A lease of 30 years or longer falls within the definition of a transfer.

Should I treat this as tax or legal guidance? No. The bylaws, exemption form and contract terms should be reviewed with your attorney and title company for your specific transaction.

The allocation of this assessment is one of the most expensive terms in a Beaver Creek purchase contract, and it is settled when the offer is written. If you are buying, selling or restructuring ownership inside the gates, Led Gardner can walk you through how the assessment applies to your property and how to address it in your offer. Contact Led for a private, no-pressure property consultation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.