Renter rights by state

Colorado renter rights: the basics for first-time renters

Last reviewed: October 2026 · First Apartment Kit

Colorado has rewritten much of its renter law since 2019, adding deposit caps, late-fee limits, a stronger warranty of habitability, and "for cause" eviction protections. These are the rules first-time renters run into most, based on the Colorado General Assembly's own summaries and the Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S.).

Quick facts

Quick facts are simplified. Read the sections below for exceptions, and check your city or county too.

Security deposits

• Cap: a landlord can't require more than two months' rent as a security deposit. A separate pet deposit is capped at $300 and must be refundable, and monthly "pet rent" is limited to the greater of $50 or 1.5% of rent.
• Return: within one month after the lease ends or you surrender the keys (whichever is later). A lease can extend this, but never past 60 days.
• Deductions: no deductions for normal wear and tear. If anything is kept, you get a written statement listing the exact reasons, with the balance. A landlord who misses the deadline loses the right to keep any of it.
• If it's wrongly kept: send written notice that you plan to sue at least 7 days before filing. A landlord who willfully withholds can owe three times the amount withheld plus court costs and attorney fees. You can't waive these rights in a lease.

Rent increases and late fees

Colorado limits rent increases to once in any 12-month period. If there's no written lease, the landlord must give at least 60 days' written notice before raising rent. Late fees can be charged only if they're disclosed in the lease and rent is at least seven days late, and the fee can't exceed $50 or 5% of the past-due rent, whichever is greater. Colorado law also caps application fees at the landlord's actual screening costs.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

Notice to end a periodic tenancy depends on its length: 21 days for month-to-month (1 month to under 6 months), 28 days for 6 months to under a year, and 91 days for a year or more. Week-to-week needs 3 days. Note that under Colorado's newer "for cause" rules, many landlords also need a legal reason to end or not renew a tenancy — see Eviction basics below.

When the landlord can come in

Colorado doesn't have a general statewide rule on how much notice a landlord must give before entering, so read your lease and check local rules. When a landlord needs to enter to fix a habitability problem, the law requires at least 24 hours' notice except when the condition imminently threatens your life, health, or safety.

Repairs and living conditions

Under Colorado's warranty of habitability (updated in 2024), the landlord must keep your home fit to live in. Examples of problems: mold, no heat or hot water, broken plumbing or gas, unsafe wiring, missing door or window locks, and pest infestations.

• Repair timeline: after notice, the landlord must start fixing a condition that threatens life, health, or safety within 24 hours, and other uninhabitable conditions within 72 hours. If the condition still exists after 7 days (serious) or 14 days (other), the law presumes the landlord failed.
• Temporary housing: for serious conditions, if you ask, the landlord must provide a comparable unit or hotel room at no cost within 24 hours while repairs are made.
• Repair and deduct: you may deduct repair costs from rent after giving written notice (10 days, or 48 hours for serious conditions), using a licensed or qualified professional.
• Ending the lease: if the problem isn't fixed in a reasonable time, you can end the lease with 10 to 60 days' written notice.

Eviction basics

Since 2024 most Colorado landlords need cause to evict, such as unpaid rent, a substantial lease violation, or certain "no-fault" reasons like the owner moving in or selling, which can require relocation help. For unpaid rent the landlord must give a written demand and time to pay before filing in county court. Only a court can order you out; changing locks, removing your things, or shutting off utilities to force you out is not allowed. If you lose the case, you generally have 10 days to move.

Retaliation and discrimination

Landlords can't retaliate against you for a good-faith habitability complaint or for using your legal rights — for example by raising rent, cutting services, refusing to renew, or threatening eviction. Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act goes beyond federal law, adding protected classes such as source of income, marital status, ancestry, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, and citizenship status. File complaints with the Colorado Civil Rights Division.

City and county rules

Cities can add rules. Denver, for example, requires landlords to give tenants its rights-and-resources notice. Check your city's housing office.

Move-in checklist for Colorado renters

• ☐ Get a written lease and read all of it before signing
• ☐ Get a receipt for the deposit and any move-in money
• ☐ Photograph every room, dated, before you unpack
• ☐ Fill out (or write your own) move-in condition list and keep a copy
• ☐ Note the rent due date, grace period, and late fee
• ☐ Write down how to request repairs, and do it in writing
• ☐ Save the landlord's legal name and address for notices
• ☐ Put your notice deadline for moving out in your calendar

Still apartment hunting? Our list of questions to ask a landlord before signing a lease covers deposits, fees, repairs, and move-out rules you will want answered in writing.

Where to get help in Colorado

• Colorado Civil Rights Division — housing discrimination — file a fair-housing complaint.
• Colorado Judicial Branch — Residential evictions self-help — eviction forms and court information.
• Colorado Judicial Branch — Unlawful evictions — what to do if you are locked out or your utilities are shut off.
• Find free legal aid near you — the federal Legal Services Corporation's directory of local legal aid offices.
• File a housing discrimination complaint with HUD — the federal fair housing agency.

Official sources

These are the official state law and government pages we checked for every fact on this page. The law itself controls if anything here differs.

• Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Law Summary: Renters' Rights (Nov. 2024)
• Colorado Legislative Council Staff, Landlord-Tenant Law memo (Oct. 2024)
• Colorado Revised Statutes Title 38 (C.R.S. 38-12-102.5, 38-12-103, 38-12-105, 38-12-106, 38-12-503 to 38-12-507, 38-12-701), official PDF
• Colorado Revised Statutes Title 13 (C.R.S. 13-40-104, 13-40-107, forcible entry and detainer), official PDF

Not legal advice; laws change and cities may add rules. Check the official sources below or a local legal aid office. This page is a plain-language summary written by First Apartment Kit, not the law itself. Last reviewed: October 2026.

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