Colorado Eviction Notice Requirements

Colorado's forcible entry and detainer law, C.R.S. § 13-40-104, requires a written 10-day demand before filing for unpaid rent; the tenant can stay by paying in full within that time. A material lease violation also calls for a 10-day notice to comply, while a substantial violation, such as certain violent or drug-related crimes on or near the premises, allows a three-day notice to quit. A five-day period applies instead under an exempt residential agreement, which is a lease of a single-family home from a landlord with five or fewer such rentals that says so in the lease.

Since April 2024, Colorado's for-cause eviction law, House Bill 24-1098, requires most residential landlords to have a listed reason to end a tenancy once the tenant has lived there 12 months. No-fault reasons, such as the owner moving in or major renovation, generally require 90 days' written notice, so month-to-month notice periods depend on the tenancy. Every demand must describe the premises and the violation, give the date and time to move out, and be signed by the landlord or an agent.

If the tenant does not pay, cure or move out, the landlord files an eviction case in county or district court. Colorado prohibits self-help: under C.R.S. § 38-12-510, a landlord may not remove or exclude a tenant without court process, including by shutting off utilities or removing doors, windows or locks. A tenant who is unlawfully removed can recover actual damages plus the greater of three months' rent or $5,000. Only a writ of restitution, carried out by the sheriff, can remove a tenant.