Denver / Jurisdiction guide

Which rules protect you in Denver? Colorado and city law explained

By Homzora Team · September 26, 2026

Colorado has changed its landlord and tenant law more than most states in recent years. Renters now have limits on how often rent can rise, protection from eviction without cause after a year in the home, faster repair deadlines and stronger remedies. Denver adds licensing and legal help of its own. This guide explains the layers, with a source for every rule.

Step one: is the home in Denver?

The Denver metro area includes many separate cities, such as Aurora, Lakewood, Englewood and Westminster. Colorado law applies to all of them, but Denver's rental licensing, tenant notice and legal defense programs apply to homes in the City and County of Denver. Check the exact address before you rely on any local program, because a mailing address alone is not a reliable guide to which city a home is in.

Rent: no cap, but limits on timing

Colorado prohibits counties and cities from enacting any ordinance that would control rent^[1], so there is no percentage cap on increases. Two timing rules apply instead. A landlord may raise the rent no more than once in any 12 month period of consecutive occupancy.^[2] For a residential tenancy without a written agreement, the landlord must give at least 60 days' written notice of an increase, and may not end the tenancy mainly to raise the rent in a way that gets around that rule.^[3] If you have a written lease, its terms govern notice of a new rent at renewal.

Protection from eviction without cause

Since April 19, 2024, Colorado has required a reason to evict most tenants who have lived in a home for at least 12 months. The law does not apply to short term rentals, owner occupied single family homes, duplexes and triplexes, or certain employer provided housing.^[4][5]

For covered tenants, a landlord may end the tenancy without fault only at the end of the lease term and only for specific reasons: demolition or conversion of the home, substantial repairs, the owner or a family member moving in, a sale of a single family home, condominium or duplex, the tenant's refusal to sign a new lease with reasonable terms, or rent paid late more than twice. The landlord must give at least 90 days' notice, or 45 days for a landlord on active military duty.^[6] The statute does not require relocation payments for these terminations.^[6]

Habitability and repairs

Colorado lists conditions that make a home uninhabitable, including a lack of running water or enough hot water, a lack of working heat from October through April, a roof or walls that are not waterproofed, broken windows or doors, unsafe electrical systems, pests, and mold or dampness that materially interferes with health or safety.^[7]

After notice, the landlord must respond within 24 hours. Repairs must begin within 24 hours for conditions that materially interfere with life, health or safety, and within 72 hours for other conditions. If a life, health or safety condition remains seven days after notice, or another uninhabitable condition remains 14 days after notice, the law presumes the landlord has breached the warranty of habitability. For life, health or safety conditions, the landlord must, on request, provide a comparable unit or a hotel room at no cost to the tenant, although the tenant still owes rent.^[8] For mold, the landlord must contain the affected area and stop any active water source within 72 hours.^[8]

Retaliation and lockouts

A landlord may not retaliate against a tenant for good faith complaints, joining a tenant association or using legal remedies, whether by raising rent, cutting services, ending the lease, harassment or new fees. A tenant needs to show only that the protected activity was a motivating factor. Damages are the greater of three months' rent or three times actual damages, plus attorney fees.^[9] A landlord that locks a tenant out or shuts off utilities to force them out can owe the greater of three months' rent or $5,000, plus actual damages and attorney fees.^[10]

Notices and eviction timelines

If rent is unpaid, the landlord must give 10 days' written notice to pay or leave for a standard residential lease. The lease cannot waive this notice, and paying in full within the notice period stops the eviction.^[11] If the landlord then files in court, the summons sets an appearance date 7 to 14 days after it is issued and must include a blank answer form and information about legal aid.^[12] Only a sheriff may carry out an eviction.^[13]

Read every notice the day it arrives and seek help immediately. Denver offers a free eviction clinic and funds free legal representation for eligible households.^[13]

Who enforces the law

Since August 6, 2025, the Colorado Attorney General and local governments can enforce landlord and tenant law, and a court can appoint a receiver to take over a neglected multifamily building.^[14] That means a pattern of violations can now draw attention from public authorities as well as from individual tenants.

For tenants, the practical lesson is that written records matter more than ever. A dated repair request, a copy of every notice and photographs of conditions are what allow a tenant, a lawyer or a public agency to show that the law was not followed. The evidence guide explains what to keep and how to organize it, so that the protections described here can be used when they are needed.

Layer two: Denver's own programs

Rental licensing: Denver requires residential rentals to be licensed, with a third party inspection of basics such as heat, running water, pests and black mold.^[15]
Tenant notice: A Tenant Rights and Resources Notice must be provided at lease signing.^[13]
Legal help: The Department of Housing Stability funds free eviction representation for households at or below 80 percent of area median income and runs a free eviction clinic on weekday mornings at the City and County Building.^[13]
Rental assistance: Denver offers rental assistance of up to 15 months for eligible households facing eviction.^[16]

Fair housing and source of income

Colorado prohibits housing discrimination based on source of income, including housing assistance, disability, unemployment and veterans' benefits, a protection that took effect on January 1, 2021.^[17] The Colorado Civil Rights Division handles housing discrimination complaints.^[17]

Deposits, fees and screening

Colorado caps security deposits at two months' rent.^[18] A landlord must return the deposit, or a written statement of the exact reasons for keeping any part of it, within 30 days after the tenancy ends or the tenant surrenders the home, extendable by the lease to no more than 60 days. For tenancies ending on or after January 1, 2026, the statement must include supporting documentation, and willful wrongful retention can cost the landlord three times the amount withheld plus attorney fees.^[19] From the same date, the law also broadened the definition of normal wear and tear and limited deductions for carpet and paint.^[20]

Late fees may not be charged until rent is seven days late and are capped at the greater of $50 or 5 percent of the past due rent.^[21] Application fees are limited to the landlord's actual cost, and applicants with a recent portable screening report pay none.^[22] Screening is limited too: landlords may not require income above twice the annual rent, may look back only seven years for rental and credit history, and must give written reasons for a denial within 20 days.^[23]

Radon and your right to leave

Before a lease is signed, a Colorado landlord must disclose a written radon warning, any known test results and any mitigation system, and provide the state's radon brochure. If the landlord fails to make these disclosures, or fails to make a reasonable effort to mitigate within 180 days after being told of radon levels of 4 picocuries per liter or higher, the tenant may end the lease. From January 1, 2026, that right to end the lease does not apply to leases of one year or less.^[24] The state health department offers information on testing and a mitigation assistance program for households with low incomes.^[25]

Common misunderstandings

"Denver has rent control." It does not, and state law forbids it.^[1]
"My landlord can raise the rent twice this year." Not if you have lived there continuously; one increase per 12 months is the limit.^[2]
"My landlord can simply decline to renew after years in the home." Covered tenants of 12 months or more can be removed only for listed reasons, with 90 days' notice for no fault reasons.^[4][6]
"Air conditioning is required." Denver's housing code does not require it, although working heat is required.^[26][7]

Working out your own situation

Confirm that the home is in the City and County of Denver, and ask for the rental license number.
Note when your tenancy began, since for cause protection starts after 12 months.
Check whether the building type is exempt from for cause protection.
Record the date of the last rent increase, so you know when another is allowed.
Keep every notice you receive with the date and method of delivery.

Where to get help

Denver's Department of Housing Stability answers tenant questions at tenantlegalservices@denvergov.org, and Colorado Housing Connects can be reached at 1 844 926 6632.^[13] If you receive an eviction notice or court papers, contact the city's eviction clinic or a legal aid organization at once.

Your completion record

Address in Denver confirmed
Rental license number
Tenancy start date
Date of last rent increase
Tenant rights notice received
Contact for legal help

Keep this record with your lease. See the budget guide to plan for renewals, and the Denver data page for local figures.

Sources and official resources

Use the planning tools · All Denver guides