How much notice does a landlord have to give before filing an eviction for unpaid rent in Colorado?

10 days. Those are calendar days, and the demand must offer the alternative of paying the rent or giving up possession. The count drops to 5 days for a single-family home let by a landlord who owns five or fewer of them and says so in the lease, and to 3 days for nonresidential or employer-provided housing.

How much notice is required to evict for a lease violation in Colorado?

10 days. For a first material breach this is a cure-or-quit notice: the tenant may either comply or give up possession. The period drops to 5 days for an exempt residential agreement and 3 days for nonresidential or employer-provided housing, and other grounds run on their own clocks.

How long does an eviction take in Colorado?

About 28 days from service of the demand to the earliest lawful lockout in the most common case -- a residential nonpayment eviction, a landlord not covered by any small-landlord or benefits exception, and a tenant who never answers. That is a statutory floor, not a promise.

How long does a tenant have to appeal an eviction judgment in Colorado?

No eviction-specific deadline — the standard civil appeal window applies (see notes).

Can a landlord change the locks or shut off utilities instead of going to court in Colorado?

No — Colorado bars self-help eviction by statute; a landlord must go through the court process. Locking a tenant out, shutting off essential utilities, or pulling doors, windows, or locks is unlawful without a court order. The tenant recovers actual damages plus the greater of three times the monthly rent or $5,000, plus attorney fees and costs, and the court may order possession restored.

What is the eviction process and timeline in Colorado?

Verified July 24, 2026 All Colorado topics →

Legislative changes ahead — not yet in force. The rules on this page reflect the law in force today. The following measure would change it:

SB26-054 (2026) — Already CHAPTERED: on and after January 1, 2027, post-closing occupancy agreements (home-seller rent-backs) become exempt from the two-month security deposit cap of § 38-12-102.5. No other change to the cap.Status: Signed 2026-04-20; the act took effect August 12, 2026, and the exemption itself operates on and after January 1, 2027 per the amended statute's own text. The figures shown do not yet reflect it. (checked 2026-08-12).

In Colorado, a landlord who wants to evict a residential tenant for unpaid rent must first serve a written 10-day demand, and since April 2024 must also have a legal reason ("cause") to evict or to refuse to renew most leases.

Cited to C.R.S. § 13-40-104 — Unlawful detention defined (nonpayment, material lease violation, repeat violation, nuisance, no-fault, victim-survivor defense, definitions) 2025 C.R.S. Title 13 PDF, pp. 482–486: 13-40-104(1)(d), (1)(d.5), (1)(e), (1)(e.5)(II), (1)(e.8), (1)(j), (4), (5)(c), (5)(d) and 11 more Colorado statutes · Verified July 24, 2026

The 10-day clock is the default; it drops to 5 days if the landlord owns five or fewer single-family rental homes and said so in the lease, and to 3 days for employer-provided housing or commercial space. The same 10 days applies to a first material lease violation (a cure-or-quit notice), to a repeat violation of the same lease term (which ends the tenancy with no cure), and to nuisance or negligent damage; a dangerous or violent "substantial violation" needs only 3 days. If the landlord has no fault-based reason, the only lawful exits are the six no-fault grounds -- demolition or conversion, major renovations, the landlord or a family member moving in, selling the home, the tenant refusing reasonable new lease terms, or a history of late rent -- and each requires at least 90 days' written notice. After the notice period runs out the landlord files an eviction complaint in county court; the summons sets an appearance date 7 to 14 days out, must be served at least 7 days before that date, and the tenant's written answer is due by then. A tenant who owes rent can stop the eviction by paying everything owed at any time up until the judge actually enters a judgment for possession, and the case is then dismissed for good. Even after the landlord wins, the court cannot issue the writ of restitution for 48 hours and the sheriff cannot carry out a residential lockout until at least 10 days after judgment -- 30 days if the tenant receives SSI, SSDI, or Colorado Works cash assistance, or is a documented survivor of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual abuse. Landlords may never do it themselves: changing locks, pulling doors or windows, or shutting off utilities exposes a landlord to the tenant's actual damages plus the greater of three months' rent or $5,000, plus attorney fees, and a court order putting the tenant back in.

Colorado eviction process at a glance

Nonpayment notice (pay-or-quit)	10 days
Nonpayment notice rules (day counting, cure rights, service)	Those are calendar days, and the demand must offer the alternative of paying the rent or giving up possession. The count drops to 5 days for a single-family home let by a landlord who owns five or fewer of them and says so in the lease, and to 3 days for nonresidential or employer-provided housing. For a residential agreement, C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(d) requires that the tenant hold over after a default in rent and that "ten days' notice in writing has been duly served upon the tenant or lessee holding over, requiring in the alternative the payment of the rent or the possession of the premises." The same subsection sets two statutory splits: three days for a nonresidential agreement or an employer-provided housing agreement, and five days for an "exempt residential agreement," defined in 13-40-104(5)(d) as a lease of a single-family home by a landlord who owns five or fewer single-family rental homes AND who states in the agreement that the ten-day period does not apply. 13-40-104(1)(d) also voids any lease waiver of the notice requirement and provides that demand need not be made on the day rent falls due. Days are calendar days: no business-day rule applies to the demand period (13-40-112(4) defines "business days" only for service of the summons), so the general computation statute governs -- C.R.S. 2-4-108(1) excludes the first day and includes the last, and 2-4-108(2) extends the period if the last day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. The Judicial Branch's official demand form JDF 99 A (rev. 9/4/2025) runs the clock from the "date served." Content is governed by 13-40-106: the demand must be written, must specify the grounds and a specific description of the alleged violation, describe the premises, state the date and time possession must be delivered, be signed by the landlord, agent, or attorney (subsec. (1)); must state that a tenant receiving SSI, SSDI, or Colorado Works cash assistance has a right to mediation before an eviction complaint is filed (subsec. (2)); must be in English, Spanish, or any other language the landlord knows or has reason to know is the tenant's primary language (subsec. (3)); and, where unpaid rent is demanded, must tell the tenant that a victim-survivor of unlawful sexual behavior, stalking, domestic violence, or domestic abuse may be entitled to a repayment plan of up to nine months (subsec. (4), added by HB 25-1168, effective August 6, 2025). Service is under 13-40-108(1): personal delivery to a known tenant occupying the premises, or leaving a copy with a person or family member older than fifteen residing on or in charge of the premises, or -- only after attempts at personal service on two separate days with no one on the premises -- posting in a conspicuous place; 13-40-108(2) requires reasonable efforts at personal service, then posting plus certified mail or a commercial courier with proof of delivery, where the tenant has given notice of victim-survivor status. Cure is unusually generous and extends well past the notice period: under 13-40-115(4) a landlord who gave proper nonpayment notice must accept the tenant's full payment of all amounts lawfully due under the notice plus any rent that has since come due, paid to either the landlord or the court, "at any time until a judge issues a judgment for possession"; on confirmation of timely full payment the court must vacate any judgments and dismiss the action with prejudice, and 13-40-115(5) makes that right non-waivable. Two pre-filing overlays can add time: mandatory mediation under 13-40-110(1) for tenants receiving SSI, SSDI, or Colorado Works cash assistance, and the mandatory repayment-plan offer under 13-40-104(4)(e) (offer within three business days, plan of at least $25/month, not exceeding nine months, no fees or interest) where a tenant documents victim-survivor status.
Lease-violation notice period	10 days
Lease-violation notice rules (cure vs. termination)	For a first material breach this is a cure-or-quit notice: the tenant may either comply or give up possession. The period drops to 5 days for an exempt residential agreement and 3 days for nonresidential or employer-provided housing, and other grounds run on their own clocks. Colorado splits lease-breach evictions across four separate grounds. (1) First material breach -- 13-40-104(1)(e) applies "when a tenant or lessee holds over without permission, contrary to any material condition or covenant of the agreement under which the tenant or lessee holds, and ten days' notice in writing has been duly served upon the tenant or lessee requiring either compliance with the condition or covenant or the delivery of the possession of the premises," with the same splits as nonpayment: three days for a nonresidential or employer-provided housing agreement, five days for an exempt residential agreement. This is a cure-or-quit notice: the statute expressly offers compliance as the alternative to surrender, and the breach must be of a "material" condition or covenant (the word "material" was added by HB 24-1098, effective April 19, 2024). (2) Repeat violation -- 13-40-104(1)(e.5)(I) applies where the tenant was previously served an (1)(e) notice and afterward holds over contrary to the same condition or covenant; (1)(e.5)(II) provides that a residential tenancy "may be terminated at any time" on that basis and "[t]he termination of a residential tenancy is effective ten days after service of written notice to terminate tenancy" (three days for nonresidential and employer-provided housing, five days for an exempt residential agreement). This is unconditional -- it terminates rather than offering a cure. (3) Nuisance and negligent damage -- 13-40-104(1)(j)(I) covers conduct disturbing others or causing a nuisance that interferes with the quiet enjoyment of the landlord (if the landlord lives in the same or an immediately adjacent property), of residents of an immediately adjacent property, or of other tenants or occupants of the same property, and covers damage to the housing accommodation by the tenant's negligence; ten days' notice is required (three nonresidential/employer-provided, five exempt residential) and the notice must contain "a description of the specific conduct that disturbed others or caused a nuisance." 13-40-104(1)(j)(II) provides that a tenant's lawful exercise of rights under any occupancy law or rule is not a ground under (1)(j). (4) Substantial violation -- see the unconditional-quit ground below; three days under 13-40-107.5(4)(a). All notices must satisfy the 13-40-106 content, language, mediation-statement, and signature requirements and be served under 13-40-108. Day counting follows C.R.S. 2-4-108 (calendar days; first day excluded, last included; last day extended past a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday). Under 13-40-104(4), conduct that was caused by, contributed to, or resulted from unlawful sexual behavior, stalking, domestic violence, or domestic abuse against the tenant is not an unlawful detention under (1)(d), (1)(d.5), (1)(e), (1)(e.5), or (1)(j) where documented by a police report, a protection or restraining order, a self-attestation affidavit, or a qualified third-party letter; that protection cannot be waived by agreement (13-40-104(4)(c)).
Unconditional-quit grounds	Substantial violation -- C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(d.5) and 13-40-107.5. A tenancy "may be terminated at any time on the basis of a substantial violation" and "[t]he termination is effective three days after service of written notice to terminate tenancy" (13-40-107.5(4)(a)); no cure is offered. "Substantial violation" is defined in 13-40-107.5(3) as any act or series of acts by the tenant or the tenant's guest or invitee that (a) occurs on or near the premises and endangers a person or willfully and substantially endangers the property of the landlord, a co-tenant, or a person living on or near the premises; (b) occurs on or near the premises and constitutes a violent or drug-related felony under article 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, or 18 of title 18; or (c) occurs on the leased premises or the common areas, hallway, grounds, parking lot, or other area in the same building or complex and constitutes a criminal act under federal or state law or local ordinance that carries a potential sentence of 180 days or more and has been declared a public nuisance under state law or a local ordinance based on a state statute. The notice must describe the property, the date the tenancy terminates, and the grounds, and be signed by the landlord, agent, or attorney (13-40-107.5(4)(b)). The landlord bears the burden of proving the substantial violation by a preponderance (13-40-107.5(5)(a)); defenses include lack of knowledge of a guest's or invitee's act coupled with immediate notification of law enforcement (13-40-107.5(5)(b)(II)) and documented victim-survivor status (13-40-107.5(5)(c)). Repeat violation of the same covenant -- 13-40-104(1)(e.5)(II) terminates a residential tenancy ten days after service of written notice, with no cure right. No-fault eviction -- 13-40-104(1)(e.8) and C.R.S. 38-12-1303(3): demolition or conversion to nonresidential or short-term rental use; substantial repairs or renovations; landlord or landlord's family member assuming occupancy; withdrawal from the rental market to sell a single-family home, townhome, duplex, triplex, or individual condominium unit; the tenant's refusal to sign a new rental agreement with reasonable terms; or a history of nonpayment (rent submitted late more than twice during the term, "late" meaning more than ten calendar days after the due date with proper 13-40-104(1)(d) notice served, and not applicable if payment came within the cure period). Every no-fault ground requires proper service of a written notice giving the tenant at least ninety days to vacate, during which the tenant may remain on the existing lease terms; the only reduction is forty-five days where the landlord (or the landlord's spouse) is on active military duty and is taking occupancy (38-12-1303(3)(c)(II)). Holdover after term expiration or termination of a periodic tenancy -- 13-40-104(1)(c) with the 13-40-107 notice ladder, but only for nonresidential property and for residential premises exempt from the for-cause statute under 38-12-1302(1)(a), (b), (d), (e), or (f); notice must be served before the end of the period or fixed term and is at least ninety-one days for a tenancy of one year or longer, twenty-eight days for six months or longer but less than a year, twenty-one days for one month or longer but less than six months, three days for one week or longer but less than one month or a tenancy at will, and one day for a tenancy of less than one week (13-40-107(2)); no notice is required from a tenant whose fixed-term tenancy ends at a time certain (13-40-107(4)). Post-sale and post-foreclosure grounds -- 13-40-104(1)(f) through (1)(i) require a demand for possession but set no statutory day count.
Court and action	The action is a forcible entry and detainer (FED) for unlawful detention under C.R.S. Title 13, Article 40; the standard Judicial Branch caption is "Eviction Complaint" (form JDF 101) with an "Eviction Summons" (JDF 102). C.R.S. 13-40-109 gives district courts in their respective districts and county courts in their respective counties jurisdiction over all forcible entry, forcible detainer, and unlawful detainer cases; virtually all residential evictions are filed in the county court for the county where the property sits. County court money jurisdiction is capped at $25,000 in favor of either party, exclusive of costs and attorney fees, and a county court must suspend proceedings and certify the case to the district court of the same county in actions under 13-40-104(1)(f) to (1)(i) where a verified answer puts the complaint's allegations in issue, and in any action where the verified answer alleges a monthly rental value over $25,000 (13-40-109). The complaint must be filed on the judicial department's standard residential eviction complaint and affidavit form (a different form is accepted if it meets the statutory requirements, 13-40-110(1)(f)) and must describe the property, give the street address and zip code separately, state the grounds, name the person in possession, pray for possession, indicate residential or commercial tenancy, state whether the plaintiff will appear in person or remotely, and attach a signed affidavit addressing mandatory mediation (13-40-110(1) and (3)). Procedure is governed by the Colorado Rules of County Court Civil Procedure (C.R.C.P. Chapter 25) and the general rules of civil practice, because 13-40-119 provides that FED proceedings "shall be governed by the rules of practice and the provisions of law concerning civil actions in such court, except as may be otherwise provided in this article." For residential county court actions, 13-40-113.5 guarantees either party and any witness the choice of appearing in person or remotely, allows pro se defendants to e-file, bars any filing or service fee for defendant filings, and bars default judgment where a party is cut off by a technology failure. Court records are automatically suppressed on filing and become public only when an order granting the plaintiff possession is entered, unless the parties agree otherwise or a victim-survivor moves to keep them suppressed (13-40-110.5).
Filing to hearing	On filing, the clerk or the plaintiff's attorney issues a summons commanding the defendant to appear "at a time and on a day not less than seven days but not more than fourteen days after the day of issuing the same to answer the complaint of plaintiff" (C.R.S. 13-40-111(1)); that appearance or "return" date is the answer deadline. Service must be made "at least seven days before the day for appearance specified in such summons," by personal service as in any civil action, or -- after diligent effort -- by posting conspicuously on the premises plus first-class mailing to the premises no later than the next business day after the complaint is filed (13-40-112(1) to (3)); where the defendant has given notice of victim-survivor status, only personal service will do (13-40-112(1)). "Business days" for this section excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays (13-40-112(4)). The defendant must file a written answer "at or before the day specified for the defendant's appearance in the summons," setting out every defense (13-40-113(1)(a)), and the court "shall not enter a default judgment for possession before the close of business on the date upon which an appearance is due" (13-40-111(1)). If an answer is filed, the court "shall set a date for trial no sooner than seven days, but not more than ten days, after the answer is filed," unless the defendant waives it, either party shows good cause, the court finds other justification, or a remote party was disconnected; that scheduling rule does not apply to a petition alleging a substantial violation under 13-40-107.5(3) or a mobile home park termination under 38-12-203(1)(f) unless the allegation stems from unlawful sexual behavior, stalking, domestic violence, or domestic abuse (13-40-113(4)(a)). Between answer and trial the court must order the exchange of any documents either side requested with the summons (13-40-113(4)(b)). A delay in trial longer than five days may be conditioned on a bond (13-40-114). One pre-filing gate can precede all of this: under 13-40-110(1)(a) a residential complaint must carry a signed affidavit stating either that the tenant receives SSI, SSDI, or Colorado Works cash assistance and mandatory mediation was held and failed, or that mediation did not occur because the tenant does not receive (or declined to disclose receipt of) those benefits, or because the plaintiff is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering mediation or a landlord with five or fewer single-family rental homes and no more than five total rental units. Mediation is free to the tenant, conducted by a trained neutral, and the office of dispute resolution must schedule it "at the first available date, but no later than fourteen calendar days after the landlord requests the mediation" (13-40-110(1)(b), (c)); non-compliance is an affirmative defense and, if unrebutted, requires dismissal without prejudice (13-40-110(1)(d)).
Writ of possession and lockout	The possession order is a "writ of restitution." On finding unlawful detainer the court enters judgment for restitution of the premises and issues the writ (C.R.S. 13-40-115(1), (2)). Issuance is time-locked: "a court shall not issue a writ of restitution upon any judgment entered in any action pursuant to this article 40 until forty-eight hours after the time of the entry of the judgment" (13-40-122(1)(a)). Execution is separately and more heavily time-locked: "[a] writ of restitution must be executed by the officer having the same only in the daytime and between sunrise and sunset, and the officer shall not execute a writ of restitution concerning a residential tenancy until at least ten days after entry of the judgment; except that the officer shall not execute a writ of restitution concerning a residential tenancy until at least thirty days after entry of judgment if the residential tenant receives supplemental security income, social security disability insurance ... or cash assistance through the Colorado works program ... as specified in the writ" (13-40-122(1)(b)). The thirty-day hold does not apply where the judgment for possession rests on a substantial violation under 13-40-107.5, or where the landlord has five or fewer single-family rental homes and no more than five total rental units (13-40-122(1)(b)(I), (II)). A separate thirty-day hold applies where the tenant asserted a documented victim-survivor defense: the plaintiff's request for a writ must identify the defendant as a victim-survivor and state that the writ is not executable for thirty days after entry, and the writ itself must so provide (13-40-122(1)(a.5), added by HB 25-1168, effective May 22, 2025). A writ "shall remain in effect for forty-nine days after issuance and shall automatically expire thereafter" (13-40-115(3)). Execution is by the county sheriff's office where the property is located, by a sheriff, undersheriff, or deputy on or off duty at the employing office's rates (13-40-122(1)(c)); the Judicial Branch's practice guidance is that after the judge signs the writ (form JDF 109) the plaintiff contacts the sheriff to schedule removal. Before removing anything the executing officer must immediately inspect the premises for pet animals, hand any pets to a tenant who is present, and otherwise contact the local animal control authority; no pet may be removed and left unattended (13-40-122(2.5)). The landlord has no duty to store, maintain, inventory, or determine ownership of removed personal property and is immune from liability for loss or damage, though the landlord may elect to store it and charge reasonable storage costs (13-40-122(3), (4)); the executing officer and the employing agency are immune for property damage during execution (13-40-122(2)).
Appeal window	No eviction-specific deadline — the standard civil appeal window applies (see notes)
Best-case uncontested timeline (derived from statutory minimums — contested cases run longer)	About 28 days from service of the demand to the earliest lawful lockout in the most common case -- a residential nonpayment eviction, a landlord not covered by any small-landlord or benefits exception, and a tenant who never answers. That is a statutory floor, not a promise. The arithmetic runs off the statutory minimums. Day 0 is service of the ten-day demand under 13-40-104(1)(d) and 13-40-108; counting under C.R.S. 2-4-108 excludes the day of service, includes the tenth day, and pushes the deadline forward if the tenth day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. The complaint can be filed on about day 11 (13-40-110). The summons must set an appearance date not less than seven nor more than fourteen days after issuance and must be served at least seven days before it, so the earliest realistic return date is about day 18 (13-40-111(1), 13-40-112(3)); default judgment cannot enter before the close of business that day (13-40-111(1)). The writ of restitution cannot issue until 48 hours after judgment, so about day 20 (13-40-122(1)(a)), and the sheriff cannot execute it on a residential tenancy until at least ten days after entry of judgment, so about day 28 (13-40-122(1)(b)). Sheriff scheduling, court calendars, and the sunrise-to-sunset execution rule push the real date later, and the writ expires 49 days after issuance (13-40-115(3)). Variants lengthen this materially: if the tenant answers, trial is set seven to ten days after the answer (13-40-113(4)(a)), moving judgment to roughly day 25-28 and lockout to roughly day 35-38 or later with any good-cause continuance. If the tenant receives SSI, SSDI, or Colorado Works cash assistance, mandatory mediation must precede filing (scheduled within fourteen calendar days of the landlord's request, 13-40-110(1)(c)) and the writ is not executable for thirty days after judgment (13-40-122(1)(b)), pushing the earliest lockout past roughly 60 days. A no-fault eviction under 38-12-1303(3) starts with a ninety-day notice, so its floor is roughly 90 days plus the court steps above. A substantial-violation case is the fastest path: a three-day notice under 13-40-107.5(4)(a), no seven-to-ten-day trial-setting requirement, and no thirty-day writ hold. Any appeal, bankruptcy stay, repayment plan under 13-40-104(4)(e), or cure payment under 13-40-115(4) resets or ends the case entirely.
Self-help eviction (lockout, utility shutoff) barred	Yes
Self-help scope and tenant remedies	Locking a tenant out, shutting off essential utilities, or pulling doors, windows, or locks is unlawful without a court order. The tenant recovers actual damages plus the greater of three times the monthly rent or $5,000, plus attorney fees and costs, and the court may order possession restored. C.R.S. 38-12-510(1): "It is unlawful for a landlord to remove or exclude a tenant from a dwelling unit without resorting to court process," subject to three exceptions -- removal or exclusion consistent with article 18.5 of title 25 and the state board of health's rules for cleanup of an illegal drug laboratory; removal or exclusion by mutual consent of landlord and tenant; and abandonment, evidenced by return of keys, substantial removal of the tenant's personal property, notice by the tenant, or extended absence while rent remains unpaid, any of which would lead a reasonable person to believe the tenant permanently surrendered possession. The statute expressly reaches constructive lockouts: "[u]nlawful removal or exclusion includes the willful termination of utilities or the willful removal of doors, windows, or locks to the premises other than as required for repair or maintenance," and a landlord who willfully and unlawfully removes the tenant or willfully and unlawfully causes termination of heat, running water, hot water, electric, gas, or other essential services exposes itself to any remedy available under law, including the warranty-of-habitability remedies in part 5 of article 12 of title 38. Remedies under 38-12-510(2): the tenant may sue in county or district court to restrain further violations and recover damages, costs, and reasonable attorney fees, and on a violation "the tenant must be awarded statutory damages equal to the tenant's actual damages and the higher amount of either three times the monthly rent or five thousand dollars, as well as any other damages, attorney fees, and costs that may be owed." Under 38-12-510(3) the court may also order possession restored to the tenant. C.R.S. 38-12-1304 routes violations of the for-cause statute to the same remedy: if a landlord proceeds with an eviction in violation of part 13 and the tenant loses possession without a court order, the tenant may seek relief under 38-12-510. Part 5 does not reach certain arrangements listed in 38-12-511(1), including transient hotel or motel occupancy under thirty days, occupancy conditioned on performance of services for an employer, occupancy primarily for agricultural purposes, and the relationship between a mobile home park owner and a mobile home owner in the park.

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Colorado Eviction Process Laws (verified July 24, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/eviction-process/colorado/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Every figure above is cited to the Colorado statute in the citations section below.

Notes and caveats

A for-cause state — the splits are by tenancy and landlord type, not geography — Colorado's eviction scheme is uniform statewide: Article 40 governs in every county court, with no population-threshold or local-adoption variation in notice periods, return dates, writ timing, or self-help rules. The splits that actually matter: (a) the for-cause regime of Title 38, Article 12, Part 13 does not apply at all to short-term rentals, owner-occupied or owner-adjacent single-family/duplex/triplex properties, mobile home spaces, employer-provided housing, tenants of fewer than twelve months, or tenants unknown to the landlord (38-12-1302(1)); (b) landlords with five or fewer single-family rental homes and no more than five total rental units are exempt from mandatory mediation (13-40-110(1)(a)(III)(B)) and from the thirty-day writ hold (13-40-122(1)(b)(II)); (c) an 'exempt residential agreement' under 13-40-104(5)(d) gets five-day notices instead of ten.
10 days is the default tier, not the only number — The headline 10-day figures come from the default residential rules of 13-40-104(1)(d) (nonpayment) and (1)(e) (lease violation); the five-day and three-day tiers are statutory splits by agreement type, not geography. The repeat-violation ground, (1)(e.5)(II), is also ten days for residential tenancies but is unconditional — no cure — which is why it appears under both the lease-violation and unconditional-quit fields.
Blank appeal window isn't zero — the operative figure is 14 days — Article 40 sets no appeal deadline of its own: 13-40-117(1) routes county court FED appeals to the district court 'as in other cases tried before the county court,' i.e., the general county-court civil window. That figure is fourteen days — C.R.S. 13-6-311(1)(a) requires the notice of appeal and appeal bond 'within fourteen days after the date of entry of judgment,' and the Judicial Branch's JDF 126 instructions (rev. 2024) agree, with docketing in district court within 35 days of the notice and the record transcript within 42 days. Two Article 40 specifics ride on top: 13-40-118 makes a nonpayment appeal unperfected unless the defendant deposits the rent found due at filing and keeps depositing rent as it comes due, on pain of affirmance; and 13-40-117(2) stays all further proceedings once the appeal is taken.
Appeal-deadline caveats: an ambiguous redline and a second, longer route — The Colorado Supreme Court's Rule Change 2013(13) redline of C.R.C.P. 411(a) renders as '2114 days,' which cannot be resolved from the PDF alone; the statute and the Judicial Branch's current instructions both say fourteen, but the current clean text of C.R.C.P. 411(a) should be confirmed against a published rulebook before relying on a number. Separately, FED actions tried in district court (certified under 13-40-109 or filed there originally) are reviewed under the Colorado Appellate Rules per 13-40-120 — a different and longer window — so no single appeal deadline is universal.
Check your city — No Colorado municipality is known to impose its own just-cause standard beyond HB 24-1098, and no Colorado city or county has rent control. But Denver and some other cities run right-to-counsel programs and rental-licensing regimes that can add practical prerequisites or defenses, and the local layer is not exhaustively covered here — treat 'no local rules' as unconfirmed rather than established.
Mobile home parks, employer housing, and farm housing are out of scope — Mobile home parks and spaces are governed by the Mobile Home Park Act (C.R.S. 38-12-200.1 to 38-12-224), with its own termination grounds (38-12-203), notice periods (38-12-202, -204, -204.3), and remedies (38-12-208) — that scheme is not covered by the figures on this page, and 38-12-1302(1)(c) expressly carves mobile home spaces out of the for-cause statute. Employer-provided housing is a 3-day-notice category (13-40-104(5)(c)) and fully exempt from the for-cause statute (38-12-1302(1)(d)). Agricultural and employment-conditioned occupancy fall outside part 5 of Title 38, Article 12 (38-12-511(1)(e), (h)), which removes the self-help remedies for those arrangements.
Federal overlays not covered — handle the CARES Act 30-day figure with care — Subsidized and federally backed properties may require a 30-day nonpayment notice under the CARES Act, and Colorado's own JDF 99 A demand form carries a 'CARES Act Property: 30 days' checkbox. That figure comes from the official Colorado form rather than from the federal statute itself, 15 U.S.C. 9058 — confirm it against federal law before relying on it.
Two money rules sit outside the possession scheme — County court money jurisdiction is capped at $25,000 (13-40-109), and attorney fees are recoverable by a residential party only if the lease provides for them (13-40-123). Both are stated from the statute but are damages rules, not possession rules.
Four legislative waves built today's rules — HB 19-1118 (eff. 5/20/2019) lengthened the nonpayment and lease-violation notices from three to ten days and created the exempt-residential five-day tier. HB 21-1121 (eff. 6/25/2021) and SB 21-173 (eff. 10/1/2021) added the writ-execution holds and the pay-through-judgment cure right (13-40-115(4)-(5)). HB 23-1120 (eff. 6/6/2023) added mandatory pre-filing mediation for SSI/SSDI/Colorado Works tenants and their thirty-day writ hold. HB 24-1098 (eff. 4/19/2024) created the for-cause regime, added the word 'material' to 13-40-104(1)(e), added the nuisance ground (1)(j) and the no-fault ground (1)(e.8), and rewrote 13-40-107 so the old no-cause termination ladder now reaches only nonresidential property and exempt residential premises. HB 25-1168 (eff. 5/22/2025 and 8/6/2025 in parts) added the victim-survivor defense architecture, the repayment-plan mandate, the thirty-day writ hold for documented victim-survivors, and the demand-content requirement in 13-40-106(4).
Current through August 2025 — and the 2026 session changed no timelines — The 2025 CRS is current through the Seventy-fifth General Assembly, First Extraordinary Session (August 2025). No enactment of the 2026 regular session changes any notice period, court deadline, writ timing, or appeal deadline in Title 13, Article 40 or Title 38, Article 12, Part 13, per the General Assembly's Summary of 2026 Housing Legislation and its bill pages. HB 26-1047 (demand-content and complaint-documentation requirements) was postponed indefinitely on February 24, 2026. HB 26-1196 was signed June 2, 2026 but takes effect January 1, 2027 and concerns tenant-screening disclosures and redaction of personal identifying information in eviction filings, not timelines. HB 26-1224 changes mobile home park rules only. One spent provision: 13-40-104(6), the HB 25-1168 forms-transition subsection, is self-repealing effective July 1, 2026 — it still appears in the 2025 CRS but affects nothing shown here.
The self-help ban is statutory, not case law — The prohibition on removing or excluding a tenant without court process comes straight from C.R.S. 38-12-510(1), not from case-law inference.
Sourced from the official statute books only — Every figure shown here rests on the official Colorado Revised Statutes as published by the General Assembly's Office of Legislative Legal Services (the 2025 per-title PDF volumes for Titles 13, 38, and 2), plus the Judicial Branch's official JDF 99 A form. No unofficial mirror (Justia, LII, public.law) supplies any of them. The law is stated as it stood on 2026-07-24.

Common questions: Colorado eviction process

Each answer is the verified value from the table above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before filing an eviction for unpaid rent in Colorado?: 10 days. Those are calendar days, and the demand must offer the alternative of paying the rent or giving up possession. The count drops to 5 days for a single-family home let by a landlord who owns five or fewer of them and says so in the lease, and to 3 days for nonresidential or employer-provided housing.
How much notice is required to evict for a lease violation in Colorado?: 10 days. For a first material breach this is a cure-or-quit notice: the tenant may either comply or give up possession. The period drops to 5 days for an exempt residential agreement and 3 days for nonresidential or employer-provided housing, and other grounds run on their own clocks.
How long does an eviction take in Colorado?: About 28 days from service of the demand to the earliest lawful lockout in the most common case -- a residential nonpayment eviction, a landlord not covered by any small-landlord or benefits exception, and a tenant who never answers. That is a statutory floor, not a promise.
How long does a tenant have to appeal an eviction judgment in Colorado?: No eviction-specific deadline — the standard civil appeal window applies (see notes).
Can a landlord change the locks or shut off utilities instead of going to court in Colorado?: No — Colorado bars self-help eviction by statute; a landlord must go through the court process. Locking a tenant out, shutting off essential utilities, or pulling doors, windows, or locks is unlawful without a court order. The tenant recovers actual damages plus the greater of three times the monthly rent or $5,000, plus attorney fees and costs, and the court may order possession restored.

Statute citations

C.R.S. § 13-40-104 — Unlawful detention defined (nonpayment, material lease violation, repeat violation, nuisance, no-fault, victim-survivor defense, definitions) 2025 C.R.S. Title 13 PDF, pp. 482–486: 13-40-104(1)(d), (1)(d.5), (1)(e), (1)(e.5)(II), (1)(e.8), (1)(j), (4), (5)(c), (5)(d) (verified 2026) Official source
C.R.S. § 13-40-106 — Written demand; § 13-40-107 — Notice to terminate tenancy; § 13-40-107.5 — Termination for substantial violation; § 13-40-108 — Service of notice to vacate or demand 2025 C.R.S. Title 13 PDF, pp. 486–490: 13-40-106(1)–(4); 13-40-107(1)–(4); 13-40-107.5(3), (4)(a), (4)(b), (5); 13-40-108(1), (2) (verified 2026) Official source
C.R.S. §§ 13-40-109 to 13-40-115 — Jurisdiction, commencement and mandatory mediation, record suppression, summons and return date, service, answer and trial setting, remote participation, judgment, writ, and cure period 2025 C.R.S. Title 13 PDF, pp. 490–500: 13-40-109; 13-40-110(1), (3); 13-40-110.5; 13-40-111(1); 13-40-112(1)–(4); 13-40-113(1)(a), (4)(a), (4)(b); 13-40-113.5; 13-40-114; 13-40-115(1)–(5) (verified 2026) Official source
C.R.S. §§ 13-40-117, 13-40-118, 13-40-119, 13-40-120, 13-40-122 — Appeals, deposit of rent on appeal, rules of practice, appellate review, and writ of restitution after judgment 2025 C.R.S. Title 13 PDF, pp. 500–503: 13-40-117(1)–(3); 13-40-118; 13-40-119; 13-40-120; 13-40-122(1)(a), (1)(a.5), (1)(b), (1)(c), (2), (2.5), (3), (4) (verified 2026) Official source
C.R.S. § 13-6-311 — Appeals from county court, simplified procedure (general civil appeal window imported by 13-40-117) 2025 C.R.S. Title 13 PDF, p. 147: 13-6-311(1)(a) — notice of appeal and appeal bond within fourteen days after entry of judgment (verified 2026) Official source
C.R.S. §§ 38-12-1301 to 38-12-1307 — Cause required for eviction of a residential tenant; no-fault eviction grounds and 90-day notice; applicability and exemptions; affirmative defense 2025 C.R.S. Title 38 PDF, pp. 195–201: 38-12-1301(6), (12), (13), (15); 38-12-1302(1)(a)–(f); 38-12-1303(1)–(5); 38-12-1304; 38-12-1305; 38-12-1306 (verified 2026) Official source
C.R.S. § 38-12-510 — Unlawful removal or exclusion (self-help prohibition and tenant remedies); § 38-12-511 — Application of part 5 2025 C.R.S. Title 38 PDF, pp. 157–159: 38-12-510(1), (2), (3); 38-12-511(1) (verified 2026) Official source
C.R.S. § 2-4-108 — Computation of time (calendar-day counting rule applied to all Article 40 notice periods) 2025 C.R.S. Title 2 PDF, p. 165: 2-4-108(1), (2) (verified 2026) Official source
Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services — 2026 C.R.S. Titles for Download (official publication page and currency statement) 2026 C.R.S. current through the Seventy-fifth General Assembly, Second Regular Session, 2026; Title 13 and Title 38 HTM/PDF/DOCX download links (the 2025 page now returns 404) (verified 2026) Official source
Colorado Judicial Branch — JDF 99 A, Demand for Compliance (Residential Eviction Notice), rev. September 4, 2025 (official form implementing C.R.S. 13-40-104 and 13-40-106) Section 1, Time to Comply: Residential Agreement 10 days; Exempt Residential Agreement 5 days; Employer-provided Housing Agreement 3 days; CARES Act Property 30 days — time runs from the date served (verified 2026) Official source
Colorado Judicial Branch — Residential Evictions self-help page (official procedural guidance: JDF 99 A/B/C notices, JDF 101 complaint, JDF 102 summons, JDF 109 writ, 7-day service rule) "Service must be made at least 7 days before your hearing date (also called a 'return' date)"; no-fault notice period "must be at least 90 days" (verified 2026) Official source
Colorado Supreme Court — Rule Change 2013(13), C.R.C.P. Chapter 25, Rule 411 (Appeals from county court); Colorado Judicial Branch JDF 126 instructions for a County Civil or Small Claims appeal C.R.C.P. 411(a) notice of appeal and appeal bond deadline; see notes — JDF 126 states the notice of appeal is due "within 14 days of entry of the judgment by the County or Small Claims Court" (verified 2026) Official source

How this record was verified: Colorado's official CRS text is published via LexisNexis without stable deep links (GA-class sourcing situation), so verification pairs official session-law sources with current code mirrors: the HB25-1249 enrolled act read verbatim from the official leg.colorado.gov PDF (full text extracted) and re-confirmed against the official bill-page summary (independent reads matched on the 30-day return deadline, wrongful-retention standard, 125% presumption, walk-through, and carpet/paint rules, and confirmed NO deposit-cap change); official bill pages read for SB23-184 (deposit cap), SB21-173 (late fees), HB21-1121 (rent-increase notice/frequency), HB23-1068 (pet deposits), HB23-1115 (rent-control repeal — died), HB25-1092 and HB26-1047 (died), and SB26-054 (PCOA exemption; dates corrected 2026-08-12 against the chaptered session law: act effective 2026-08-12, exemption operative on and after 2027-01-01). Statute text quoted from the colorado.public.law and FindLaw mirrors (official: false), with §§ 38-12-105 and 38-12-701 each read twice on the mirror, with both reads matching. Checked 2026-07-09. Supplement 2026-08-23: C.R.S. § 6-1-737 read in full on the official 2026 C.R.S. Title 6 HTML edition published by the Office of Legislative Legal Services (olls.info), cross-checked against the HB25-1090 signed act (leg.colorado.gov PDF, § 2 and § 4 read) — the § 6-1-737(4) fee prohibitions added to late_fees; the eviction citation now references the 2026 C.R.S. download page, the 2025 page having been withdrawn.