What must a Colorado landlord disclose to a tenant, and what must the lease say?

No statute requires a residential lease to be in writing beyond the statute of frauds, so an oral tenancy is lawful. The landlord must give the tenant a copy of the signed lease within 7 calendar days.

No statute requires a residential lease to be in writing; section 38-12-801 opens with the words if there is a written rental agreement, and an oral tenancy is lawful. A lease for more than one year must be written and signed to be enforceable. Where the agreement is written, the landlord must give the tenant a copy signed by both parties no later than the seventh day after the tenant signs, electronically unless the tenant asks for paper. No statute requires a lease or notice in a language other than English (the English-and-Spanish rule in section 38-12-212.9 reaches only the mobile home park parts of the article), and Colorado has no plain-language act or general type-size rule for leases; the only typography rules are duty-specific (the radon warning in bold-faced type; the total price more prominently than any other pricing information).

Statute of frauds: A lease for a term longer than one year is void unless the contract, or a note or memorandum of it expressing the consideration, is in writing and signed by the party making the lease (section 38-10-108).

Electronic leases and signatures: Colorado's electronic-transactions act (article 71.3 of Title 24) makes an electronic record satisfy a writing requirement and an electronic signature satisfy a signature requirement, so a lease and the disclosures on this page may be signed and delivered electronically. The act does not apply to a notice of default, acceleration, repossession, foreclosure or eviction, or of the right to cure, under a rental agreement for an individual's primary residence, and the habitability part's own definition of a writing (which includes electronic and digital records) expressly does not reach the written notice and demand requirements of the eviction statute. The lease copy, the payment receipt and an owner-change notice may each be electronic; for the first two the tenant may demand paper.

Yes — a statute requires the landlord to disclose the owner's or managing agent's identity to the tenant, in the lease.

A written rental agreement must include a statement telling the tenant the name and address of the landlord or the landlord's authorized agent (section 38-12-801, subsection 2). No telephone number is required, and there is no posting alternative at signing. If the identity of the landlord or agent changes, the new landlord or agent must, no later than one business day after the change, give each tenant written or electronic notice or post the new identity in a conspicuous place on the premises. The section states no penalty for omitting the statement: the void-and-unenforceable sanction in subsection 3 is tied to the prohibited-clause roster, and the attorney general's enforcement powers reach part 5 of the article, not part 8. Because the duty is a lease-content rule, an oral tenancy carries no identity-disclosure duty at all. Colorado has no statewide landlord or rental registration for ordinary residential rentals; mobile home parks register with the Division of Housing, and some cities license rentals (Denver, see the local-authority row).

If the landlord fails to comply: the section states no consequence.

No — no state document or statement of tenant rights must be handed over; what the state prescribes is text the lease itself must carry.

Colorado prescribes general lease text and no general tenant-rights document: the lease must name the landlord or agent and must carry the source-of-income statement, and the statute fixes the substance of that statement rather than its words. No statute requires a state summary of rights, a code summary or an agency form to be handed over or attached. The radon package that must be signed before a lease is signed is a hazard-specific document and is described in the hazard table, where it carries the health department's brochure. Denver requires a city tenant-rights document under its own ordinance (see the local-authority row).

Required items:

Source-of-income statement — words or content the lease itself must carry. Every written rental agreement must include a statement that section 24-34-502, subsection 1 prohibits source-of-income discrimination and requires a non-exempt landlord to accept any lawful and verifiable source of money paid directly, indirectly or on behalf of a person, including income from any lawful profession or occupation and income or rental payments from any government or private assistance, grant or loan program. The statute prescribes the substance, not the exact words. A landlord with five or fewer single-family rental homes and no more than five total rental units is exempt. The section states no penalty for omitting the statement. In force since June 6, 2023. Given at signing and on renewal, inside the lease itself. The statute fixes the substance, not the words. Threshold: Does not apply to a landlord with five or fewer single-family rental homes and no more than five total rental units, including any single-family homes. (§ 38-12-801(2.5)(a)–(b))

Landlord or authorized agent name and address — words or content the lease itself must carry. Every written rental agreement must include a statement of the name and address of the person who is the landlord or the landlord's authorized agent (see the owner and agent row). No words are prescribed, no threshold applies, and the section states no penalty. Given at signing, inside the lease itself. The statute fixes the substance, not the words. (§ 38-12-801(2))

Listed, but not a general duty counted above:

Utility allocation method where ratio utility billing is used — words or content the lease itself must carry. A landlord who allocates utility costs among tenants by a ratio utility billing system may do so only if, among other conditions, the landlord clearly and conspicuously discloses the method of allocation for the dwelling unit in the tenant's rental agreement or an addendum to it. The text is required only where the landlord elects that billing practice, so it is listed here and not counted; the fee and utility rules are described in the utility, fee and payment row. In force since March 26, 2026. Given at signing. The statute fixes the substance, not the words. Typography: Clearly and conspicuously, as defined in section 6-1-737, subsection 1, paragraph a. (§ 6-1-737(4.5)(a)(IV))

Lease contents the statutes or rules address, each in the circumstance it names:

• The name and address of the landlord or the landlord's authorized agent (section 38-12-801, subsection 2).

• A statement that section 24-34-502, subsection 1 prohibits source-of-income discrimination and requires a non-exempt landlord to accept any lawful and verifiable source of money (section 38-12-801, subsection 2.5; landlords with five or fewer single-family rental homes and no more than five total units are exempt).

• Any late fee, which may be charged only if it is disclosed in the rental agreement (section 38-12-105, subsection 1, paragraph c; the amounts and limits are on the late-fee page).

• Where utilities are allocated by a ratio utility billing system, the allocation method for the dwelling unit, in the agreement or an addendum (section 6-1-737, subsection 4.5).

No.

No Colorado statute requires a move-in condition report, checklist or inventory. The security-deposit statute does the work at the other end: a landlord may not retain the deposit for any damage or defective condition that pre-existed the tenancy, and either party may request a walk-through inspection, in person or by an interactive telecommunication, before the lease ends or the premises are surrendered and after the tenant has had the chance to remove furniture. That walk-through is a move-out mechanism, not a move-in report.

Two in-force state hazard disclosures: bed bugs (on request) and radon (before signing). Also on the books: methamphetamine — the state bars renting the affected property instead of requiring disclosure; no state duty exists for lead, mold, asbestos, or any other hazard.

Every state duty and every stated absence, hazard by hazard:

Lead (state add-on to the federal rule) — no state duty. Colorado adds nothing to the federal lead-paint disclosure rule for landlords: no state form, registration, certificate or renewal re-disclosure. The state lead program in Title 25 directs the health department to publish educational materials for owners and tenants of pre-1978 dwellings, and Regulation Number 19 (5 CCR 1001-23) places pamphlet and acknowledgment duties on renovation firms before a renovation, not on landlords at signing.

Mold — no state duty. Mold is a repair subject in Colorado, not a disclosure. The habitability part defines mold and requires a landlord who is notified of mold associated with dampness to contain it, stop the water source and install high-efficiency air filtration within seventy-two hours, then remediate and test (section 38-12-505, subsection 12). Nothing must be disclosed at signing.

Bed bugs — in force — a state duty, on request (a statute). On request from a prospective tenant, a landlord must disclose whether, to the landlord's knowledge, the unit offered for rent contained bed bugs within the previous eight months; on request from a tenant or prospective tenant, the landlord must disclose the last date, if any, on which the unit was inspected for and found free of bed bugs (section 38-12-1005). Neither disclosure is owed unprompted, no form or deadline is prescribed, and no unit threshold applies. Separately and unconditionally, a landlord may not offer for rent a unit the landlord knows or reasonably suspects to contain bed bugs. A landlord who complies with the bed-bug part is deemed to have met the habitability duties as to bed bugs. Knowledge standard: To the landlord's knowledge. In force since January 1, 2020. If the duty is not met: A landlord who fails to comply with the bed-bug part is liable to the tenant for the tenant's actual damages (section 38-12-1006, subsection 1); the remedies are in addition to any other remedy at law or in equity, and state and local housing and health code enforcement is preserved.

Radon — in force — a state duty, before signing, in a signed acknowledgment (a statute). Before a lease is signed, the landlord must disclose and provide in writing, in a document the tenant signs to acknowledge receipt, three things: a warning statement in bold-faced, clearly legible type in substantially the form the statute sets out (that the health department strongly recommends a radon test before leasing and mitigation if levels are elevated; that radon is a Class A carcinogen and the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers; that the landlord must provide any known radon test results); any knowledge the landlord has of the property's radon concentrations, including whether it has been tested, the most current records and reports, any concentrations detected or mitigation performed, and any mitigation system installed; and a copy of the most recent brochure the health department publishes on radon in real estate transactions. The tenant acknowledges receipt by signing the disclosure. The statute names no brochure title or edition, so the required document is whatever the department currently publishes; the department's landing page describes it as the required brochure for real estate transactions and rental agreements and offers a Spanish version. Knowledge standard: Any knowledge the landlord has of the property's radon concentrations, including whether a test has been conducted, the most current records and reports, any concentrations detected or mitigation performed, and any mitigation system installed. Threshold: Reaches a single-family home, manufactured home, mobile home, condominium, apartment, townhome or duplex; applies to lease agreements entered into on or after August 7, 2023. No unit floor and no owner-occupancy carve-out. Document: Radon and real estate transactions in Colorado (the health department's brochure for real estate transactions and rental agreements), issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Revision: No revision date is printed on the department's landing page, and the statute names no title, edition or publication cycle; the brochure is whatever the department currently publishes under its radon education program. The landing page, read September 13, 2026, lists the brochure in English and Spanish and is the page checked weekly. Agency page. If the duty is not met: A tenant may void the lease and vacate under section 38-12-507 if the landlord fails to give the written disclosures or fails to make a reasonable effort to mitigate within 180 days after a radon measurement professional finds four picocuries per liter or more; since January 1, 2026 that remedy does not reach a lease of one year or less in duration. Compliance with the radon section is also an element of the warranty of habitability (section 38-12-505, subsection 1, paragraph b, subparagraph XV).

Methamphetamine — the state bars renting the affected property instead of requiring disclosure (a statute and an administrative rule). Colorado does not require a landlord to disclose a former methamphetamine laboratory to a tenant. The disclosure statute runs from a seller to a buyer (section 38-35.7-103). What the state requires of an owner instead is remediation to the state clean-up standards, or demolition, and a bar on letting any person have access to a contaminated structure until certificates of compliance issue. One tenant-facing notice exists in the rules rather than the statutes, and it fires on an event rather than at signing: where contamination above the standard is found in a multi-unit building and access to a shared attic, crawl space or common ventilation cannot be obtained for sampling, the owner of the contaminated unit must notify the owners and tenants of the adjoining units that methamphetamine contamination may be present (6 CCR 1014-3, sections 4.11.1, 4.11.2 and 4.12). If the property is rented in breach of the bar: The owner of contaminated property must meet the state clean-up standards or demolish it and may not let anyone into the structure until certificates of compliance issue (sections 25-18.5-103 and 25-18.5-104); remediation of a former methamphetamine laboratory is an element of the warranty of habitability (section 38-12-505, subsection 1, paragraph b, subparagraph XIV).

Asbestos — no state duty. No Colorado statute or rule requires an asbestos disclosure to a tenant. The state's asbestos provisions in Title 25 and the Code of Colorado Regulations are abatement, air-quality permitting, certification and waste rules, none of which imposes a lease disclosure.

Other hazard notices (pesticide, ordnance, pool, pest control, utility history) — no state duty. No Colorado statute or rule requires a pesticide-application notice, a military-ordnance or noise-zone notice, a pool-safety notice, a pest-control-contract disclosure or a utility-shutoff-history disclosure to tenants. The carbon-monoxide article of Title 38 is an installation duty (a habitability subject), not a notice.

No.

Colorado has no flood disclosure to buyers or to tenants. The conveyance-disclosure article (Title 38, article 35.7) reaches only every contract for the purchase and sale of residential real property, and none of its twelve sections concerns flooding; the landlord-tenant article's only flood reference is inside the habitability part's definition of an environmental public health event, which is a repair trigger, not a disclosure; no rule in the Code of Colorado Regulations requires one.

Yes — of the facts the rule names, some need not be disclosed and no cause of action arises from not disclosing some, each as stated here.

Facts or suspicions that could psychologically impact or stigmatize a property, including that an occupant has or was suspected to have HIV or AIDS or another disease medically unlikely to be transmitted through occupancy, and that the property was the site of a homicide, another felony or a suicide, are not material facts subject to a disclosure requirement in a real estate transaction, and no cause of action arises against a real estate broker or salesperson for failing to disclose them (section 38-35.5-101). The statute names neither landlords nor leases: the no-duty rule speaks of a real estate transaction without defining the term, and the immunity runs to brokers and salespersons only.

Yes — the statute lists the lease provisions that are void or prohibited.

The roster is distributed across three places: the main list in section 38-12-801, subsection 3, paragraph a (eight items, several with sub-items); the death-termination block in subsection 3.5, added in 2025; and the late-fee rule in section 38-12-105, subsection 2. The roster is framed as provisions a written rental agreement must not include and, apart from the fee-shifting item, reaches clauses that burden the tenant. Two carve-outs narrow it: seven items do not apply to a mobile home lot in a mobile home park, and five items do not apply to an owner-occupied duplex or triplex or to an accessory dwelling unit on the owner's lot. The eviction-penalty ban, the fee-shifting rule and the mediation-cost item are outside both carve-outs and reach every written residential lease in the state. Colorado has no general unconscionability provision in the article; the sanction for a prohibited clause is that the clause is void.

Sanction as the statute states it: Any provision included in a written rental agreement in violation of the roster is void and unenforceable (section 38-12-801, subsection 3, paragraph b); the death-termination block and the late-fee rule carry their own void-and-unenforceable wording. No damages figure, no rent multiple, no cure window and no fee award beyond the prevailing-party conversion of a fee-shifting clause.

The listed provisions:

• A clause assigning a penalty to a party for an eviction notice or eviction action that results from a violation of the rental agreement.

• A one-way fee-shifting clause awarding attorney fees and court costs to only one party; any fee-shifting clause must award attorney fees to the prevailing party after the court finds the party prevailed and the fee is reasonable.

• A waiver of the right to a jury trial, except that the parties may agree to waive a jury in a hearing to determine possession of a dwelling unit.

• A waiver of the ability to pursue, bring, join, litigate or support any joint, class or collective claim arising from the tenancy.

• A waiver of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

• A waiver of the implied covenant of quiet enjoyment, except that the agreement may say the landlord is not responsible for a violation committed by a third party acting beyond the landlord's reasonable control.

• A waiver of the mandatory mediation required by section 13-40-110, subsection 1.

• A provision affixing any fee, damages or penalty for a tenant's failure to give notice of nonrenewal before the end of the agreement, except the landlord's actual losses from that failure.

• A provision characterizing any amount or fee other than the set monthly payment for occupancy as rent for which the remedies to collect rent, including eviction, are available.

• A provision requiring the tenant to pay a markup or fee for a service the landlord is billed for by a third party, beyond either two percent of the billed amount or ten dollars a month, but not both.

• A provision requiring the tenant to pay any fee, charge or amount that violates section 6-1-737.

• A provision letting a provider under a local, state or federal voucher or subsidy program bring a possession action based solely on nonpayment of utilities.

• A clause letting the landlord recoup the costs of mandatory mediation under section 13-40-110, subsection 1.

• Where the agreement ends early because a tenant has died: a clause requiring liquidated damages, the acceleration of rent beyond the end of the month or ten business days after the unit is vacated (whichever is later), repayment of concessions or move-in discounts, or any other early-termination fee, damages or penalty (section 38-12-801, subsection 3.5).

• Any lease provision that does not comply with the late-fee rules of section 38-12-105, subsection 1 (section 38-12-105, subsection 2).

By statute a one-way landlord attorney-fee clause is read as reciprocal, so the tenant has the same right on prevailing. The conversion does not save a fee clause the same statute voids, as stated here.

A one-way fee-shifting clause that awards attorney fees and court costs to only one party is a prohibited provision, and any fee-shifting clause in a rental agreement must award attorney fees to the prevailing party in a court dispute concerning the agreement, the premises or the unit, after the court finds that the party prevailed and that the fee is reasonable (section 38-12-801, subsection 3, paragraph a, subparagraph II). The conversion works only where the lease contains a fee-shifting clause; a lease silent on fees leaves each side to bear its own, so no statute awards fees to a prevailing party on its own force. The third-party-service markup item does not stop a prevailing party from recovering a court-awarded fee.