Colorado Rent Increase Laws (2026): Notice, Limits and Your Rights
Colorado has no rent control, so there's no limit on how much your landlord can raise the rent. The limits are on timing: one increase per 12 months, 60 days' written notice if you have no written lease, and no mid-lease increases unless your lease allows them.
Reviewed 10/22/26 by Dan. This article is general information, not legal advice.
Colorado rent increase rules at a glance
Rule | What the law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
Cap on the amount | None. Cities and counties can't pass rent control. | |
How often | Once in any 12 months of continuous occupancy, any lease type | |
Notice, no written lease | At least 60 days, in writing | |
Notice, written lease | What your lease says | |
Mid-lease increases | Only if your lease provides for one | Your lease |
Retaliation | Illegal to raise rent for complaining about conditions, joining a tenant group or using repair rights | |
For-cause eviction | After 12 months, no discriminatory, retaliatory or unconscionable increases to get around the law | |
Fees | Since Jan. 1, 2026, advertised price must include required fees; fees can't rise more than 2% during a lease of a year or less | |
Disaster areas | For a year after a qualifying disaster, increases above 10% (or the prior year's increase, if higher) are price gouging | |
Mobile home lots | 60 days' written notice, once per 12 months | |
Security deposit | Two months' rent at most |
How much can a landlord raise rent in Colorado?
There's no limit on the amount. State law bars any city or county from controlling rent on private housing (C.R.S. 38-12-301). A 2023 bill to lift that ban (HB23-1115) died in the state Senate, and the ban still stands in 2026.
The exceptions are rent-restricted units. Cities can still use voluntary agreements or deed restrictions to keep certain units affordable. If you live in subsidized housing, such as a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit property, public housing or a unit rented with a Section 8 voucher, the program's rules can limit or set your rent.
How often can rent go up in Colorado?
Once in any 12-month period of your continuous occupancy. That applies whether or not you have a written lease, however long you've lived there, and whether you're on a fixed-term, month-to-month or open-ended lease (C.R.S. 38-12-702). If your rent went up in March, it can't go up again until the next March, even if you sign a new short lease in between.
How much notice does a Colorado landlord have to give?
It depends on whether you have a written lease.
- No written lease: at least 60 days' written notice (C.R.S. 38-12-701). Your landlord also can't end your tenancy with a termination notice mainly to get around that rule.
- Written lease: the lease controls, and state law sets no separate minimum. A lease that schedules an increase on a set date can count as the notice itself (Colorado Legal Services).
You may see "21 days" quoted online. In the rent-increase statute, that number applies to certain nonresidential tenancies, not homes.
In Denver, a new occupancy of more than 30 days can't begin without a written lease signed by both sides, according to the city's Eviction Help page. So most Denver renters should look to their lease for the notice period.
Can my landlord raise the rent in the middle of a lease?
Not unless your lease allows it. The rent in a fixed-term lease is the rent for the whole term, so increases usually come at renewal. A lease with an escalation clause can set a future increase, but the once-per-12-months limit still applies.
Watch the fees too. Since January 1, 2026, a landlord can't require you to pay a fee or charge that rises more than 2% over a lease of one year or less, except the actual cost of utilities. Fees for common-area maintenance or property taxes are banned, and the advertised price must include required fees (HB25-1090, now C.R.S. 6-1-737).
What does Colorado's for-cause eviction law mean for rent increases?
Since April 2024, once you've been a tenant for at least 12 months, most landlords need a legal reason to evict you or to refuse to renew your lease (HB24-1098, C.R.S. 38-12-1301 to 38-12-1307). Two parts matter for rent:
- Refusing a new lease. If you refuse to sign a new lease with reasonable terms, your landlord can end the tenancy. They must give you written notice and at least 90 days to move, and you stay on your current terms meanwhile.
- No end-runs. A landlord can't raise your rent in a discriminatory, retaliatory or unconscionable way to get around the for-cause rules.
The law doesn't define "reasonable terms" or "unconscionable." A 2025 bill that would have treated any market-rate increase as reasonable (HB25-1092) didn't pass. If a huge increase looks aimed at pushing you out, talk to a lawyer.
The law excludes tenants of less than 12 months, short-term rentals, employer-provided housing, and some owner-occupied single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes.
When is a rent increase illegal in Colorado?
Even without a cap, an increase breaks the law if it:
- Comes too soon. It's the second increase in 12 months.
- Skips the notice. You have no written lease and got less than 60 days' written notice, or your landlord ignored your lease's notice terms.
- Lands mid-lease. Your fixed-term lease doesn't allow it.
- Is retaliation. Your landlord can't raise rent because you made a good-faith complaint about conditions to them, a nonprofit or a government agency, joined a tenants' association, or used your repair rights. You only need to show this was a motivating factor. A court can award up to three months' rent or three times your actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees, and you can end the lease (C.R.S. 38-12-509).
- Is discrimination. Colorado bans housing discrimination based on disability, race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation (including transgender status), marital status, familial status, national origin, ancestry, source of income, and veteran or military status. You can file a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Division.
- Is price gouging after a disaster. From a qualifying disaster declaration until one year after the disaster, raising rent in the disaster area by more than 10%, or by more than the prior year's increase if that was higher, is an unfair practice (HB24-1259, C.R.S. 6-1-735).
Mobile home parks have extra rules. If you own your home and rent the lot, the park must give you 60 days' written notice with the owner's contact details, can raise lot rent only once in 12 months, and can't raise it at all while the park isn't registered with the state Division of Housing or owes unpaid penalties (C.R.S. 38-12-204).
Do Denver, Boulder or other cities have their own rules?
No Colorado city can cap rents, so Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Aurora and Fort Collins all follow the state rules above. Some add help:
- Denver requires a written lease for new occupancies over 30 days and a tenant rights notice from landlords, and funds free eviction legal help for lower-income households (Eviction Help).
- Boulder offers free landlord-tenant mediation and an eviction prevention program, and requires landlords to pay interest on security deposits (City of Boulder).
What to do if you get a rent increase
Check when your rent last went up and what your lease says about notice. Put any objection in writing and keep copies. If the increase follows a repair complaint, or you think it's discriminatory, note the dates and contact Colorado Legal Services or Colorado Housing Connects.
If you decide to move, your deposit can't be more than two months' rent, and our guide to unfair security deposit deductions explains how to get it back. It's also a good time to check your renters insurance. Your landlord's policy covers the building, not your belongings or your liability if someone is hurt in your home, and many leases require liability coverage. Read more about renters insurance in Colorado.
Frequently asked questions
Is there rent control in Colorado?
No. State law bars cities and counties from controlling rent on private housing. Subsidized and deed-restricted units can have their own rent limits.
How much notice does a landlord need to give for a rent increase in Colorado?
If you have no written lease, at least 60 days' written notice. If you have a written lease, its notice terms apply.
Can a landlord raise rent twice in one year in Colorado?
No. Rent can go up only once in any 12-month period of your continuous occupancy, whatever type of lease you have.
Can my landlord refuse to renew my lease if I won't accept a rent increase?
If you've been a tenant for at least 12 months and the for-cause law covers your home, your landlord needs a legal reason not to renew. Refusing a new lease with reasonable terms is one such reason, and the landlord must then give you at least 90 days' written notice. A discriminatory, retaliatory or unconscionable increase used to push you out is illegal.
Is there a limit on rent increases after a disaster in Colorado?
Sometimes. After a governor's or presidential disaster declaration that finds a material loss of housing, and until one year after the disaster, increases in the disaster area above 10%, or the prior year's increase if higher, count as price gouging.
Colorado lets landlords set the price but sets real rules on timing, notice and motive. Know which ones apply to you before you sign a renewal.
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This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and local rules may add protections. Check the current law or talk to a local legal-aid office or attorney about your situation.