Rental Property Rules in Colorado (2026)
36 rules on the books across Colorado, 17 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Rent Control
Local limits on how much landlords can raise rent each year, including which properties are covered and exemptions for newer buildings.
Colorado: statewide
StatewideFew RestrictionsColorado prohibits rent control statewide. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-301 declares rent control a matter of statewide…
Read full rule →Arapahoe County
Few RestrictionsArapahoe County cannot enact rent control. Colorado Revised Statute 38-12-301 preempts local rent control ordinances on…
Read full rule →Just Cause Eviction
Protections requiring landlords to have a valid reason to evict tenants, such as nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or owner move-in.
Colorado: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsColorado HB23-1171 created a statewide for-cause eviction standard requiring landlords to cite specific statutory…
Read full rule →Aurora
Heavy RestrictionsColorado HB 24-1098 requires just cause for most residential evictions and lease non-renewals effective April 2024…
Read full rule →Arapahoe County
Some RestrictionsColorado HB 24-1098 established statewide just-cause eviction protections for most residential tenants. Arapahoe County…
Read full rule →Arvada
Some RestrictionsArvada follows state landlord-tenant law for evictions. Landlords must follow proper notice procedures but may not need…
Read full rule →El Paso County
Some RestrictionsEl Paso County follows Colorado HB 24-1098 which requires just cause for most evictions and lease non-renewals…
Read full rule →Colorado Springs
Few RestrictionsColorado Springs does not have a just-cause eviction ordinance. Landlords may terminate tenancies for any lawful reason…
Read full rule →Rental Registration
Requirements for landlords to register rental properties with the city, including inspection programs, fees, and occupancy standards.
Aurora
Significant RestrictionsAurora requires a general business license and a lodger's license before anyone may advertise a short-term rental, plus…
Read full rule →Boulder
Significant RestrictionsBoulder requires every rental property to hold a valid rental license from the city manager before anyone occupies it…
Read full rule →Westminster
Significant RestrictionsWestminster requires every rental property owner to either hold a rental property license or register the dwelling with…
Read full rule →Denver
Some RestrictionsDenver requires every residential rental property, from single-family homes to apartment complexes, to hold a license…
Read full rule →Fort Collins
Some RestrictionsFort Collins requires every owner of a long-term residential rental dwelling unit to register it with the City before…
Read full rule →Littleton
Some RestrictionsOwners of multi-family rental property in the City of Littleton must register annually with the Department of Community…
Read full rule →Security Deposit Rules
Caps on how much landlords may collect as security deposits, return deadlines, itemized-deduction requirements, and tenant remedies for wrongfully withheld deposits.
Rent Increase Notice
How much advance written notice a landlord must give before raising the rent on a month-to-month or expiring lease, and how state notice rules differ from any local rent-control caps.
Repairs & Habitability
The implied warranty of habitability, how long a landlord has to fix essential services (heat, water, plumbing, mold), and tenant remedies such as repair-and-deduct, rent withholding, or breaking the lease.
Colorado: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsColorado law implies a warranty of habitability in every residential lease. A landlord must respond within 24 hours to…
Read full rule →Arvada
Some RestrictionsArvada's property maintenance code requires rental dwellings to maintain at least 68°F in every habitable room…
Read full rule →Aurora
Some RestrictionsAurora's Health and Housing Code (City Code Article XV) lets code officials declare any residential structure 'unfit…
Read full rule →Boulder
Some RestrictionsBoulder's Property Maintenance Code, B.R.C. 1981 Chapter 10-2, requires landlords to keep rentals heated to at least…
Read full rule →Colorado Springs
Some RestrictionsColorado Springs requires every rental dwelling to stay structurally habitable under City Code § 6.12.305: foundations…
Read full rule →Denver
Some RestrictionsDenver's Housing Code makes it unlawful to occupy or rent out any dwelling unit that isn't maintained in a safe and…
Read full rule →Fort Collins
Some RestrictionsFort Collins rental housing must meet the minimum standards of its amended Property Maintenance Code, including a…
Read full rule →Fountain
Some RestrictionsFountain's Property Maintenance Code, Chapter 8.12 of the Municipal Code, applies to every non-owner occupied dwelling…
Read full rule →Greeley
Some RestrictionsLandlords in Greeley must heat rented dwelling units to at least 68°F under Sec. 22-205's amendment to the Property…
Read full rule →Lakewood
Some RestrictionsLakewood landlords must supply heat to rented dwelling and sleeping units from October 31 through May 31, keeping…
Read full rule →Littleton
Some RestrictionsLittleton's Building Division enforces the 2025 International Property Maintenance Code as locally amended, and Section…
Read full rule →Longmont
Some RestrictionsLandlords in Longmont must supply heat to every rented unit from September 1 through May 1 under the city's amended…
Read full rule →Loveland
Some RestrictionsLoveland landlords who furnish heat to tenants must maintain at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit in every habitable room…
Read full rule →Manitou Springs
Some RestrictionsManitou Springs' Housing Habitability Code sets minimum conditions every rental dwelling unit must meet, from a working…
Read full rule →Mesa County
Some RestrictionsMesa County's Infestation and Rodent Harborage Code requires every dwelling and its premises to be kept rodent- and…
Read full rule →Westminster
Some RestrictionsWestminster's Rental Property Maintenance Code sets minimum health and safety standards for every rental unit in the…
Read full rule →Late Fees & Grace Periods
Whether late rent fees are capped, any required grace period before a fee can be charged, and limits on bounced-check (NSF) and other add-on charges under state law.
Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate
Notice required to end a month-to-month tenancy, the rules and penalties for breaking a fixed-term lease early, and early-termination protections for active-duty military, domestic-violence survivors, and medical hardships.
Eviction Notice & Process
The notice a landlord must give before filing to evict, pay-or-quit and cure-or-quit periods, no-cause termination notice, how long the court eviction process takes in this state, and the tenant's options to respond or cure.
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
When an occupant without a lease gains legal protections, the line between a trespasser and a squatter, how many years of continuous possession adverse possession requires in this state, and how an owner lawfully removes a squatter.