Colorado Landlord-Tenant Laws: Key Rental Rules (2026)
Security deposits, notice periods, landlord entry, and other key rental rules in Colorado, each linked to the state law it comes from.
By the ListMyHomes.com™ Editorial TeamPublished Last reviewed
This page summarizes the main landlord-tenant rules in Colorado. Each rule in the table below links to the law it comes from.
Key rules at a glance
| Rule | Colorado |
|---|---|
| Where these laws apply | Colorado's habitability law (Part 5 of C.R.S. Title 38, Article 12) applies to all residential premises occupied by a tenant, however the arrangement is named, except listed arrangements such as residence in an institution incidental to detention or care, occupancy by a buyer or seller under a contract of sale (but not a lease-to-own tenant), housing run by a fraternal or social organization, hotel or motel stays of less than 30 days, occupancy that depends on performing services for an employer or contractor, condominium owners and cooperative proprietary lessees, certain recreational cabins in unincorporated areas, premises used mainly for agriculture, and the relationship between a mobile home park owner and a mobile home owner in the park. The for-cause eviction law (Part 13) applies to every residential premises in the state except short-term rentals; a unit in, or next door to, the owner's or master tenant's own primary residence when the property is a single-family home (with or without an accessory dwelling unit), duplex or triplex and not a multifamily property of four or more units; a mobile home space leased to a home owner; employer-provided housing; and tenants who have been tenants for less than twelve months or are not known to the landlord. Part 2 of Article 12, the Mobile Home Park Act, is a separate part that applies only to manufactured homes. C.R.S. §§ 38-12-511(1), (3); 38-12-1302(1); 38-12-200.1; 38-12-201(1) |
| Security deposit limit | Two months' rent. From January 1, 2027, this limit does not apply to a post-closing occupancy agreement under a purchase contract in which the landlord bought the home from the tenant (SB 26-054, effective August 12, 2026). A separate pet deposit may not exceed $300 and must be refundable; pet rent may not exceed $35 a month or 1.5% of the monthly rent, whichever is greater. C.R.S. §§ 38-12-102.5, 38-12-106(1), (2) |
| Where deposits are held | No rule on where or how a residential tenant's deposit is held in C.R.S. Title 38, Article 12. For mobile home park lots, the landlord must keep each security deposit in a separate trust account, without mixing it with other money, and may keep the interest earned as pay for administering the account. C.R.S. Title 38, Art. 12 (no provision); C.R.S. § 38-12-207 |
| Returning the deposit | Within 30 days after the lease ends or the tenant surrenders the premises, whichever is later; the lease may set a longer period, up to 60 days. If any part is kept, the landlord must give the tenant a written statement listing the exact reasons and, with it, the balance of the deposit. The refund may be mailed to the tenant's last-known address or, with the tenant's consent, sent by secured electronic transfer. A landlord who does not comply or wrongfully withholds the deposit loses the right to keep any part of it, and wrongful retention makes the landlord liable for three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs; the tenant must first notify the landlord of the demand and of the intent to sue at least 7 days before filing. These rules were rewritten by HB 25-1249, effective January 1, 2026. C.R.S. § 38-12-103(1)(a), (2), (3), (10) |
| Deposit deductions | Reasonable amounts only for unpaid rent, unpaid utility charges, other unpaid lawful charges listed in the lease, and necessary repairs of damage or defective conditions that exceed normal wear and tear and did not exist before the tenancy. Nothing may be kept for normal wear and tear or for damage or conditions that existed before the tenancy, and a lease clause charging the tenant for them is void. Normal wear and tear does not include uncleanliness that leaves the unit substantially less clean than when the lease began. If either side asks and it is reasonable and practicable, the landlord and tenant must hold a walk-through inspection to identify in writing damage beyond normal wear and tear that did not exist before the tenancy; at the tenant's request it is held before the lease ends or the premises are surrendered, after the tenant has had the chance to remove furniture (this does not apply to mobile homes in a mobile home park). An amount kept that is 125% or more of the actual damages is presumed to unreasonably exceed them. Replacing carpet throughout the unit or repainting the whole interior may be charged only for damage throughout that exceeds normal wear and tear and did not exist before the tenancy, and carpet not replaced within the ten years before the move-out cannot be treated as substantially and irreparably damaged (this does not apply to mobile homes in a mobile home park). C.R.S. §§ 38-12-103(1), (1.5), (3.5)(b), (7)(b), (11), (12); 38-12-102(4) |
| Interest on deposits | |
| Landlord entry notice | No general notice period for landlord entry in C.R.S. Title 38, Article 12. To enter for repairs of a condition that makes the home uninhabitable or materially interferes with the tenant's life, health or safety, the landlord must give at least 24 hours' written notice, with the date and time and an estimate of how long the entry will take; no advance notice is needed when the condition imminently threatens life, health or safety or is actively causing substantial and material damage; the tenant may reasonably deny a proposed time and may allow shorter notice. To enter for bed-bug inspection or treatment, the landlord must give at least 48 hours' written or electronic notice, unless the lease sets a different minimum; the tenant may waive the notice. For mobile home park lots, management must make a reasonable effort to notify the resident at least 72 hours before entering the mobile home space, with the date and approximate time. C.R.S. §§ 38-12-503(6), 38-12-1004(1), 38-12-222(3) |
| Notice to end a month-to-month lease | A periodic tenancy ends at the end of a tenancy period by written notice served before the end of the period: at least 91 days for a tenancy of one year or longer, 28 days for six months to under a year, 21 days for one month to under six months, 3 days for one week to under a month or a tenancy at will, and 1 day for under a week. The notice must describe the property and the date the tenancy ends, and be signed by the party giving it or that party's agent or attorney. A tenant may always use this notice; a landlord may use it only for premises outside the for-cause eviction law, such as short-term rentals, certain owner-occupied single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes, employer-provided housing, and tenants of less than twelve months or not known to the landlord. Otherwise a landlord may serve a notice to terminate only for cause; the no-fault grounds (demolition or conversion, substantial repairs or renovations, the landlord or a family member moving in, sale of a single-family home, townhome, duplex, triplex or condominium unit, the tenant refusing to sign a new lease with reasonable terms, and more than two late rent payments during the lease) require written notice and at least 90 days to move out, or 45 days' notice when a landlord on active military duty, or the spouse of one, moves in. C.R.S. § 13-40-107(1)-(3); §§ 38-12-1302(1), 38-12-1303(1), (3) |
| Rent-increase notice | With no written rental agreement, at least 60 days' written notice; the landlord may not end such a tenancy mainly to raise the rent in a way inconsistent with this rule. With a written rental agreement, no notice period in C.R.S. Title 38, Article 12 (outside mobile home park lots). Rent may be raised no more than once in any twelve-month period of consecutive occupancy, whether or not there is a written lease and whatever its length or type. A landlord may not raise rent in retaliation for a good-faith complaint about a habitability condition, joining a tenants' association, or using habitability remedies, or in a discriminatory, retaliatory or unconscionable way to get around the for-cause eviction law. C.R.S. §§ 38-12-701(2), 38-12-702(1), 38-12-509(1), 38-12-1307 |
| Late fees | No late fee until rent is at least 7 calendar days late. The fee may not exceed $50 or 5% of the past-due rent payment, whichever is greater, and must be disclosed in the rental agreement. A late fee may be imposed more than once for one late payment only if the total stays within that limit. A landlord may not evict or start an eviction because the tenant has not paid late fees, and must give written notice of a late fee within 180 days after the rent was due. C.R.S. § 38-12-105(1) |
| Notice for unpaid rent | 10 days' written notice demanding either payment of the rent or possession of the premises. 5 days for an "exempt residential agreement" (a single-family home leased by a landlord who owns five or fewer single-family rental homes and states in the lease that the 10-day period does not apply), and 3 days for employer-provided housing. A lease may not waive this notice. The demand must be in writing, state the grounds with a specific description of the violation, describe the premises, give the date and time to deliver possession, and be signed by the person claiming possession or that person's agent or attorney; it must be in English, Spanish or another language the landlord knows or has reason to know is the tenant's primary language. C.R.S. § 13-40-104(1)(d), (5)(c), (5)(d); § 13-40-106(1), (3) |
| Rent control | Not allowed. No county or municipality may enact an ordinance or resolution that would control rent on private residential property or a private residential housing unit. This does not cover a voluntary agreement between a county or municipality and a permit applicant or property owner to limit rent or provide affordable housing, or a deed restriction placed under such an agreement. C.R.S. § 38-12-301(1), (2) |
| Required landlord disclosures | With a written lease, the landlord must give the tenant a copy signed by both no later than the seventh day after the tenant signs (electronic unless the tenant asks for paper). A written lease must state the name and address of the landlord or the landlord's authorized agent; after a change, the new landlord or agent must notify each tenant or post the change on the premises within one business day. A written lease must include a statement that Colorado law prohibits source-of-income discrimination and requires a non-exempt landlord to accept any lawful and verifiable source of money; this does not apply to a landlord with five or fewer single-family rental homes and no more than five rental units in total. Since January 1, 2025, every rental agreement must include, in at least 12-point bold type, a statement of the tenant's right to safe and healthy housing and that retaliation is prohibited, and, in English and Spanish, an address and an email address or online portal where the tenant can deliver written notice of an uninhabitable condition. Before the lease is signed, the landlord must give a written radon disclosure that the tenant signs: a bold warning statement in substantially the form set by law, any radon tests, records, concentrations, mitigation or mitigation system the landlord knows of, and the state health department's radon brochure. On request, the landlord must tell a prospective tenant whether, to the landlord's knowledge, the unit had bed bugs in the previous eight months, and tell a tenant or prospective tenant the last date it was inspected and found free of bed bugs. C.R.S. §§ 38-12-801(1), (2), (2.5); 38-12-505(3)(c), (d); 38-12-803(2); 38-12-1005 Federal law: For housing built before 1978 (with limited exceptions): before the tenant is bound by the lease, the landlord must give the EPA lead-hazard pamphlet and disclose any known lead-based paint or hazards and any available reports. 42 U.S.C. § 4852d; 40 CFR 745.107 |
| Fair housing protected classes | Disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, familial status, veteran or military status, religion, national origin and ancestry. For rentals, also source of income (any lawful and verifiable source of money, including income from any lawful profession or occupation and from government or private assistance); landlords with three or fewer rental units are exempt from the source-of-income rules, and a landlord with five or fewer single-family rental homes and no more than five rental units in total need not accept federal housing choice vouchers for those homes. Creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, veteran or military status, ancestry and source of income appear in Colorado's law but not in the federal list. C.R.S. § 24-34-502(1)(a)(I), (1)(l), (1.5)(a), (1.7); § 24-34-501; 42 U.S.C. § 3604 |
What this means for renters
Before you sign, compare the lease's deposit amount, rent due date, and late-fee terms with the rules above. At move-in, record the unit's condition with dated photos. When you move out, give the written notice your lease and the rules above call for, leave a forwarding address, and keep copies of everything you send and receive.
What this means for landlords who manage their own rental
List the unit with its rent, deposit, and lease terms. Screen every applicant by the same written criteria, within fair-housing law. Collect the deposit and give notices following the rules above, and keep records of the unit's condition at move-in and move-out.
List your rental on ListMyHomes.com for one flat fee, or browse rentals in Colorado listed directly by owners.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Colorado?
Two months' rent. From January 1, 2027, this limit does not apply to a post-closing occupancy agreement under a purchase contract in which the landlord bought the home from the tenant (SB 26-054, effective August 12, 2026). A separate pet deposit may not exceed $300 and must be refundable; pet rent may not exceed $35 a month or 1.5% of the monthly rent, whichever is greater. See the source in the table above.
How long does a Colorado landlord have to return a security deposit?
Within 30 days after the lease ends or the tenant surrenders the premises, whichever is later; the lease may set a longer period, up to 60 days. If any part is kept, the landlord must give the tenant a written statement listing the exact reasons and, with it, the balance of the deposit. The refund may be mailed to the tenant's last-known address or, with the tenant's consent, sent by secured electronic transfer. A landlord who does not comply or wrongfully withholds the deposit loses the right to keep any part of it, and wrongful retention makes the landlord liable for three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs; the tenant must first notify the landlord of the demand and of the intent to sue at least 7 days before filing. These rules were rewritten by HB 25-1249, effective January 1, 2026. See the source in the table above.
How much notice must a Colorado landlord give before entering?
No general notice period for landlord entry in C.R.S. Title 38, Article 12. To enter for repairs of a condition that makes the home uninhabitable or materially interferes with the tenant's life, health or safety, the landlord must give at least 24 hours' written notice, with the date and time and an estimate of how long the entry will take; no advance notice is needed when the condition imminently threatens life, health or safety or is actively causing substantial and material damage; the tenant may reasonably deny a proposed time and may allow shorter notice. To enter for bed-bug inspection or treatment, the landlord must give at least 48 hours' written or electronic notice, unless the lease sets a different minimum; the tenant may waive the notice. For mobile home park lots, management must make a reasonable effort to notify the resident at least 72 hours before entering the mobile home space, with the date and approximate time. See the source in the table above.
How much notice ends a month-to-month lease in Colorado?
A periodic tenancy ends at the end of a tenancy period by written notice served before the end of the period: at least 91 days for a tenancy of one year or longer, 28 days for six months to under a year, 21 days for one month to under six months, 3 days for one week to under a month or a tenancy at will, and 1 day for under a week. The notice must describe the property and the date the tenancy ends, and be signed by the party giving it or that party's agent or attorney. A tenant may always use this notice; a landlord may use it only for premises outside the for-cause eviction law, such as short-term rentals, certain owner-occupied single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes, employer-provided housing, and tenants of less than twelve months or not known to the landlord. Otherwise a landlord may serve a notice to terminate only for cause; the no-fault grounds (demolition or conversion, substantial repairs or renovations, the landlord or a family member moving in, sale of a single-family home, townhome, duplex, triplex or condominium unit, the tenant refusing to sign a new lease with reasonable terms, and more than two late rent payments during the lease) require written notice and at least 90 days to move out, or 45 days' notice when a landlord on active military duty, or the spouse of one, moves in. See the source in the table above.
How much notice is required for a rent increase in Colorado?
With no written rental agreement, at least 60 days' written notice; the landlord may not end such a tenancy mainly to raise the rent in a way inconsistent with this rule. With a written rental agreement, no notice period in C.R.S. Title 38, Article 12 (outside mobile home park lots). Rent may be raised no more than once in any twelve-month period of consecutive occupancy, whether or not there is a written lease and whatever its length or type. A landlord may not raise rent in retaliation for a good-faith complaint about a habitability condition, joining a tenants' association, or using habitability remedies, or in a discriminatory, retaliatory or unconscionable way to get around the for-cause eviction law. See the source in the table above.
How much can a Colorado landlord charge for late rent?
No late fee until rent is at least 7 calendar days late. The fee may not exceed $50 or 5% of the past-due rent payment, whichever is greater, and must be disclosed in the rental agreement. A late fee may be imposed more than once for one late payment only if the total stays within that limit. A landlord may not evict or start an eviction because the tenant has not paid late fees, and must give written notice of a late fee within 180 days after the rent was due. See the source in the table above.
How much notice must a Colorado landlord give when rent is unpaid?
10 days' written notice demanding either payment of the rent or possession of the premises. 5 days for an "exempt residential agreement" (a single-family home leased by a landlord who owns five or fewer single-family rental homes and states in the lease that the 10-day period does not apply), and 3 days for employer-provided housing. A lease may not waive this notice. The demand must be in writing, state the grounds with a specific description of the violation, describe the premises, give the date and time to deliver possession, and be signed by the person claiming possession or that person's agent or attorney; it must be in English, Spanish or another language the landlord knows or has reason to know is the tenant's primary language. See the source in the table above.
Does Colorado have rent control?
Not allowed. No county or municipality may enact an ordinance or resolution that would control rent on private residential property or a private residential housing unit. This does not cover a voluntary agreement between a county or municipality and a permit applicant or property owner to limit rent or provide affordable housing, or a deed restriction placed under such an agreement. See the source in the table above.
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