Manitou Springs, CO Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Housing Habitability Code, Municipal Code Ch. 15.08
- Minimum heat
- 68°F under ordinary winter conditions
- Hot water minimum
- at least 120°F at every unit
- Occupancy floor
- 100 sq ft for 1 person, capped at 850 sq ft
- Enforcement
- neighborhood services officer, warrant-based inspections
- Max penalty
- $500 fine or 90 days jail, or both
Summary
Manitou Springs' Housing Habitability Code sets minimum conditions every rental dwelling unit must meet, from a working kitchen and bathroom to heat of at least sixty-eight degrees, under Municipal Code Chapter 15.08. The neighborhood services officer enforces the code, and the most restrictive standard controls whenever it conflicts with another city rule.
I.Heating Requirements. Every dwelling unit must have heating facilities, which are properly installed, vented, and maintained in good and safe working condition that can heat all rooms to at least sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit under ordinary winter conditions. Heating facilities, other than UL-approved heating for individual rooms, may not be in sleeping areas. Filters must be changed pursuant to manufacturer's specifications.
Full Breakdown
040. 080 spells out the specifics: a kitchen with a connected sink, storage, safe food-prep surface, and a stove and refrigerator that keeps food between thirty-two and fifty degrees Fahrenheit; a private bathroom with a connected toilet, tub or shower, and sink; a water heater capable of at least one hundred twenty degrees at every unit; windows or skylights providing at least five foot-candles of daylight and four air changes per hour; and heating facilities able to hold every room at sixty-eight degrees under ordinary winter conditions.
120 caps occupancy on a sliding scale from one hundred square feet for one person up to eight hundred fifty square feet for any single family regardless of size. 140, giving owners five to sixty working days to start the fix. 200.
Violations & Fines
Under section 15.08.210, violating the Housing Habitability Code is punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars, imprisonment of not more than ninety calendar days, or both, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. The City Attorney may also seek injunction or abatement, and the city administrator can placard a unit found unfit for human habitation as 'DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE TO OCCUPY' under section 15.08.160 until repairs are complete and the placard is formally removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What minimum temperature must my rented apartment reach in winter?
Can my landlord shut off my hot water or electricity?
How does the city inspect a rental unit for habitability problems?
What can the city do if my unit is condemned as unfit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manitou Springs
Compare Manitou Springs to another location·View the Colorado rental property rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Repairs & Habitability in Nearby Cities
How other cities in El Paso County handle repairs & habitability.