DENVER (KDVR) — The first of the month means it’s time to pay rent for many residents, but in Colorado, renters legally have a little bit of a grace period.
Rent in Colorado isn’t cheap. At the end of 2024, rent in Denver cost $1,700 for a one-bedroom unit, higher than the national average of $1,538. For those making minimum wage in Denver, which is $18.81 in 2025, that takes out a good chunk of the paycheck. However, if you’re running late on paying rent, there shouldn’t be any penalties initially.
While rent may be due on the first of the month, landlords in Colorado can’t legally charge renters late fees until rent is late by at least seven or more calendar days, based on Colorado Revised Statutes.
According to C.R.S. 38-12-105, landlords and agents of landlords can’t charge late fees until at least seven or more days, and they can’t charge tenants or homeowners a late fee of more than $50 or 5% of the amount of the past due rent. The law also states that late fees can’t be charged unless it was disclosed in the rental agreement.
Landlords also can’t require tenants and homeowners to pay interest on late fees or add late fees more than once for each late payment, that is, unless the total late fee doesn’t exceed more than $50 or 5% of the amount of the past due rent. Among several other pieces of this law, tenants and homeowners also can’t be charged a late fee unless they get a written notice of the late fee within 180 days after rent was due.
If a landlord violates these rules, they have seven days to fix the violation after receiving a written or electronic notice, or the law says landlords need to pay a $50 penalty for each violation. If they don’t fix it, the law says tenants or homeowners can bring civil action.
The full law and other laws surrounding renting are available on the Colorado Revised Statutes’ website.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
