Colorado Rent Increase Law
Colorado requires at least 60 days' notice before a rent increase takes effect, and longer notice in some cases. Colorado has no rent control and bars cities and counties from adopting it.
Last verified: · Researched and cited by MakeLease · not yet attorney-reviewed
Colorado rent increase rules at a glance
| Notice of a rent increase | 60 days (60 days' written notice applies to residential tenancies with no written agreement. With a written lease, follow the lease (no statutory minimum). Rent may rise only once in any 12-month period of consecutive occupancy for all residential tenancies. Mobile home parks have separate rules)C.R.S. § 38-12-701(2), C.R.S. § 38-12-702(1) |
|---|---|
| Rent control | None; cities barred from adopting itC.R.S. § 38-12-301 |
| Ending a month-to-month tenancy | 21 days (either side)C.R.S. § 13-40-107(1)-(2), C.R.S. §§ 38-12-1302, 38-12-1303 (for-cause eviction, HB 24-1098) |
Notice of a rent increase
- In effect since .
- Before : 21 days' notice for tenancies of one month to under six months with no written agreement (SB 17-245); no limit on how often rent could rise.
Rent control
- In effect since .
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
- In effect since .
- Before : 21 days' notice ended a month-to-month tenancy for any reason; HB 24-1098 added the for-cause requirement for tenants of 12+ months.
What Colorado law says
How much notice is required for a rent increase in Colorado?
Rent may be raised only once every 12 months, and a tenant with no written lease must get at least 60 days' written notice of an increase (C.R.S. §§ 38-12-701(2)(a), 38-12-702) (C.R.S. § 38-12-701(2)).
Does Colorado have rent control?
Colorado has no statewide rent control and bars cities and counties from adopting it, except voluntary affordable-housing agreements and deed restrictions (C.R.S. § 38-12-301).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Colorado?
Either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice served at least 21 days before the end of the period, but a landlord whose tenant has lived there 12 months or more also needs a legal cause or a no-fault ground, usually with 90 days' notice (C.R.S. §§ 13-40-107, 38-12-1303) (C.R.S. § 13-40-107(1)-(2)).
How Colorado compares
3 of 51 verified jurisdictions require more than 60 days.
None of Colorado's 6 neighbors follows the same rule.
Local rules in Colorado
State law bars local rent control (C.R.S. § 38-12-301), but cities add licensing and procedural rules: Denver requires a residential rental license (with a private inspection) for rentals of 30 days or more and requires a signed lease copy (D.R.M.C. § 27-240); Boulder requires a rental license for all rental properties unless exempt. Check the city code before renting in Denver, Boulder or other home-rule cities.
Recent changes in Colorado
- Rent price-gouging cap after disasters (effective ): For one year after a declared disaster that materially reduces housing in a designated area, raising a unit's rent there by more than the greater of 10% or its prior-year increase (or pricing a newly listed unit that much above comparable units) is an unfair and unconscionable practice enforceable by the AG, district attorneys and affected tenants (C.R.S. § 6-1-735). HB 24-1259 session law (ch. 415), C.R.S. § 6-1-735, HB 24-1259 bill page (signed and effective June 5, 2024)
Other Colorado rules
| Security deposit limit | 2 months' rentC.R.S. § 38-12-102.5, C.R.S. § 38-12-106 (pet deposit and pet rent) |
|---|---|
| Deposit return deadline | 30 days after the triggering eventC.R.S. § 38-12-103(1)(a), as amended by HB 25-1249 (2025 Colo. Sess. Laws ch. 401), C.R.S. § 38-12-103 (pre-2026 text) |
| Late-fee cap | Greater of $50 or 5% of the past-due rent paymentC.R.S. § 38-12-105(1)(b) |
| Entry notice | No state ruleC.R.S. § 38-12-503(6)(a)(III), (6)(b), C.R.S. § 38-12-1004(1) |
| Notice for unpaid rent | 10 days (10-day demand for payment or possession (JDF 99 A Demand for Compliance))C.R.S. § 13-40-104(1)(d), (5), C.R.S. § 38-12-1502 (HB 25-1240) - CARES Act notice for covered dwellings |
Read the Colorado law
- Colorado Revised Statutes (official access page, Colorado General Assembly)
- C.R.S. Title 38 (2024 uncertified printout, Office of Legislative Legal Services)
- Office of Legislative Legal Services, Colorado Law Summary: Renters' Rights (Nov. 2024)
- Colorado Judicial Branch form JDF 99 A, Demand for Compliance (residential eviction, rev. Sept. 4, 2025)