Rental Application in Colorado

A rental application that collects what landlords commonly ask for. Follow your state's limits on application fees and fair-housing rules: ask every applicant the same questions.

What Colorado law says

Application / screening fees	No fixed dollar cap. Under the Rental Application Fairness Act, a landlord may charge an application fee only to cover its actual or average costs of processing applications. The fee must be the same for every applicant for the unit, or for all units the landlord is offering at the same time. The landlord must disclose anticipated expenses or itemize actual expenses, explaining how any average-cost fee is calculated. The landlord must give a receipt (electronic unless the applicant asks for paper) and make a good-faith effort to refund any unused portion within 20 calendar days. Landlords must accept a portable tenant screening report and may not charge an application fee or any fee to access it. The landlord may require that the report is no more than 30 days old, is free to access, and comes with the applicant's statement that nothing material has changed. Applicants must be told of this right in ads, on the landlord's website, in the application, or orally. Landlords who accept only one application fee at a time and refund it within 20 days of a decline are exempt from the portable-report rules. A denial must be in writing with reasons, sent within 20 days. Violations: $2,500 plus costs and attorney fees after 7 days' notice, or $50 if the landlord cures within 7 days. Starting January 1, 2027, every rental application must also include a notice of the information and data the landlord will try to access when screening, a general description of the factors the landlord will consider (including credit history, rental history, income and, if applicable, criminal background), and whether the landlord uses a third-party tenant screening service and, if so, its name. The landlord does not have to adopt or disclose fixed disqualifying criteria. Portable-report and fee-equality rules added by HB 23-1099. Screening limits: no rental or credit history older than 7 years. No arrest records, and no convictions older than 5 years except listed serious offenses. Income may not be required above 2x the annual rent, or above 2x the tenant's share for voucher holders (§ 38-12-904(1)). Base text is from the CRS 2024 printout; 2025 and 2026 session laws were checked for amendments to this part. Application-notice rule: HB 26-1196 (2026 Sess. Laws ch. 326, signed June 2, 2026, effective January 1, 2027), https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116533/download (bill page https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb26-1196). Source: C.R.S. §§ 38-12-901 to 38-12-905; § 38-12-904(1.7) (added by HB 26-1196, effective Jan. 1, 2027)
Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income	Yes. Colorado's fair housing law bars refusing to rent, setting different terms, using discriminatory ads, or falsely saying a unit is unavailable because of a person's source of income. Source of income means any lawful, verifiable source of money, including wages and any government or private assistance, grant, or loan program such as housing vouchers. Landlords may still check credit if they check every applicant. Exemptions: landlords with three or fewer rental units are exempt from the source-of-income provisions. A landlord with five or fewer single-family rental homes (and no more than five total units) need not accept federal housing choice vouchers for those homes. Applying the income-screening limits in § 38-12-904(1)(c)-(d) is also a source-of-income violation. Since May 29, 2025, it is also an unfair housing practice for a landlord to fail to make reasonable efforts to respond on time to requests for information and documents needed for a tenant's rental-assistance application, or to fail to cooperate in good faith with a tenant applying for rental assistance. If a court finds discrimination based on a tenant's use of a housing subsidy, it must award at least $5,000 in damages, and actual damages must account for a subsidy the tenant lost because of the discrimination. Added by HB 20-1332. Complaints go to the Colorado Civil Rights Division (Title 24, Article 34, Parts 3 and 5). Text is from the CRS 2024 printout. Rental-assistance cooperation duty and $5,000 minimum award: HB 25-1240 (2025 Sess. Laws ch. 291, effective May 29, 2025), https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/84209/download. Source: C.R.S. §§ 24-34-501(4.5), 24-34-502(1)(l)-(q), (1.5), (1.7); § 24-34-502(1)(r), § 24-34-505.6(6)(a), (8) (added by HB 25-1240)

Application / screening fees

No fixed dollar cap. Under the Rental Application Fairness Act, a landlord may charge an application fee only to cover its actual or average costs of processing applications. The fee must be the same for every applicant for the unit, or for all units the landlord is offering at the same time. The landlord must disclose anticipated expenses or itemize actual expenses, explaining how any average-cost fee is calculated. The landlord must give a receipt (electronic unless the applicant asks for paper) and make a good-faith effort to refund any unused portion within 20 calendar days. Landlords must accept a portable tenant screening report and may not charge an application fee or any fee to access it. The landlord may require that the report is no more than 30 days old, is free to access, and comes with the applicant's statement that nothing material has changed. Applicants must be told of this right in ads, on the landlord's website, in the application, or orally. Landlords who accept only one application fee at a time and refund it within 20 days of a decline are exempt from the portable-report rules. A denial must be in writing with reasons, sent within 20 days. Violations: $2,500 plus costs and attorney fees after 7 days' notice, or $50 if the landlord cures within 7 days. Starting January 1, 2027, every rental application must also include a notice of the information and data the landlord will try to access when screening, a general description of the factors the landlord will consider (including credit history, rental history, income and, if applicable, criminal background), and whether the landlord uses a third-party tenant screening service and, if so, its name. The landlord does not have to adopt or disclose fixed disqualifying criteria.

Portable-report and fee-equality rules added by HB 23-1099. Screening limits: no rental or credit history older than 7 years. No arrest records, and no convictions older than 5 years except listed serious offenses. Income may not be required above 2x the annual rent, or above 2x the tenant's share for voucher holders (§ 38-12-904(1)). Base text is from the CRS 2024 printout; 2025 and 2026 session laws were checked for amendments to this part. Application-notice rule: HB 26-1196 (2026 Sess. Laws ch. 326, signed June 2, 2026, effective January 1, 2027), https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116533/download (bill page https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb26-1196).

Source: C.R.S. §§ 38-12-901 to 38-12-905; § 38-12-904(1.7) (added by HB 26-1196, effective Jan. 1, 2027)

Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income

Yes. Colorado's fair housing law bars refusing to rent, setting different terms, using discriminatory ads, or falsely saying a unit is unavailable because of a person's source of income. Source of income means any lawful, verifiable source of money, including wages and any government or private assistance, grant, or loan program such as housing vouchers. Landlords may still check credit if they check every applicant. Exemptions: landlords with three or fewer rental units are exempt from the source-of-income provisions. A landlord with five or fewer single-family rental homes (and no more than five total units) need not accept federal housing choice vouchers for those homes. Applying the income-screening limits in § 38-12-904(1)(c)-(d) is also a source-of-income violation. Since May 29, 2025, it is also an unfair housing practice for a landlord to fail to make reasonable efforts to respond on time to requests for information and documents needed for a tenant's rental-assistance application, or to fail to cooperate in good faith with a tenant applying for rental assistance. If a court finds discrimination based on a tenant's use of a housing subsidy, it must award at least $5,000 in damages, and actual damages must account for a subsidy the tenant lost because of the discrimination.

Added by HB 20-1332. Complaints go to the Colorado Civil Rights Division (Title 24, Article 34, Parts 3 and 5). Text is from the CRS 2024 printout. Rental-assistance cooperation duty and $5,000 minimum award: HB 25-1240 (2025 Sess. Laws ch. 291, effective May 29, 2025), https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/84209/download.

Source: C.R.S. §§ 24-34-501(4.5), 24-34-502(1)(l)-(q), (1.5), (1.7); § 24-34-502(1)(r), § 24-34-505.6(6)(a), (8) (added by HB 25-1240)

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RENTAL APPLICATION — [rental address]

Applicant name: [applicant name] Phone: [phone] Email: [email]

Current address: [current address] How long: [time at current address] Current rent: $[current rent]

Current landlord: [current landlord name and phone]

Previous address and landlord: [previous address and landlord]

Employer: [employer] Position: [position] Monthly income: $[monthly income] Other income (including housing vouchers or benefits): [other income]

Other adults who will live in the unit: [other adult occupants] Number of minors: [number of minors]

Pets or assistance animals: [pets] Vehicles: [vehicles]

Application fee: $[application fee] (see your state's rule above). Screening company used: [screening company name and contact]

I authorize the landlord to verify this information and obtain a tenant screening or credit report. Signature: ____________ Date: [date signed]

Rental Application for other states · Colorado tenant rights

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.