Colorado Lease Agreement: What to Include

A Colorado residential lease needs to reflect this state's actual rules on security deposits, entry notice, late fees, and required disclosures — not a generic template written for a different state. The figures below come from Colorado's residential landlord-tenant statute; where the state sets no fixed number, that's stated plainly rather than glossed over, since "the state doesn't specify" is itself something you need to know.

Security deposit

Security deposit limit: No statewide statutory limit. Colorado does not require interest on held deposits. Return deadline after move-out: 30 Days unless lease specifies up to 60 Days.

Entry notice, late fees, and rent increases

Entry notice: No statewide statute; reasonable notice recommended. Late fees: Greater of $50 or 5% of past-due rent; restrictions apply, with a grace period of 7. Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies: 60 days. (Entry notice citation: No statewide statute.)

Required disclosures

A Colorado lease should include or accompany:

• • Federal lead-based paint
• • radon disclosure
• • portable tenant screening report notice
• • habitability disclosures where applicable

Eviction notice for nonpayment

For nonpayment of rent, Colorado's standard notice period is 10 days. This is the minimum notice before you can move to the next step in the eviction process — actual court timelines run longer once a case is filed. (Eviction notice citation: Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-40-104 (10 days).)

What actually distinguishes Colorado

Colorado sets no statewide statutory cap on the security deposit amount — the lease itself is what controls how much you can charge, so put the amount and any pet/move-in fees in writing.

There's no statewide statutory notice period for landlord entry in Colorado, which means the lease is the only thing establishing that expectation — silence in the lease leaves it genuinely undefined.

Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies in Colorado is 60 days — different from the 30-day default most other states use, so don't assume the general rule applies here.

Sources and the bottom line

The figures above reflect Colorado's residential landlord-tenant statute as summarized on LeasePilot HQ's Colorado landlord-tenant law page, which lists the specific sources behind each number. Security deposit rules specifically are codified at C.R.S. § 38-12-103, with the return deadline set by C.R.S. § 38-12-103 (1 month, up to 60 days if lease specifies). Primary and cross-reference sources used in compiling this page:

• • https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/security-deposits
• • https://www.justia.com/real-estate/landlord-tenant/information-for-landlords/right-of-entry/
• • https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/state-landlord-tenant-laws

State landlord-tenant law changes through legislative sessions and court decisions — treat the numbers above as a starting point, verify against Colorado's current statute (linked above) before relying on them for an actual lease, and see LeasePilot HQ's full Colorado landlord-tenant law summary for the complete breakdown, or generate a lease with Colorado-specific clauses built in automatically.