DENVER (KDVR) — The first of the month means it’s time to pay rent for many residents, but in Colorado, renters legally have a small grace period.
Rent in Colorado is not cheap. At the end of 2024, rent in Denver will cost $1,700 for a one-bedroom unit, higher than the national average of $1,538. For those making Denver’s minimum wage, which is $18.81 in 2025, that takes a big chunk out of the paycheck. However, if you are late paying your rent, there should not be any penalties initially.
Although rent may be due on the first of the month, Colorado landlords cannot legally charge tenants late fees until rent is late by at least seven calendar days or more, based on Colorado Revised Statutes.
according to CRS 38-12-105landlords and landlord agents cannot charge late fees until at least seven days or more, and cannot charge renters or homeowners late fees that exceed $50 or 5% of the rent amount due. The law also states that late fees can only be charged if they are disclosed in the lease.
Landlords also cannot require renters 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 fees do not exceed more than $50 or 5% of the amount of the last rent due. Among several other parts of this law, renters and homeowners also cannot be charged late fees unless they get written notice of the late fees within 180 days after the rent is due.
If a landlord violates these rules, they have seven days to fix the violation after receiving written or electronic notice, or the law states that the landlord needs to pay a $50 fine for each violation. If they don’t fix it, the law states that renters or homeowners can file a civil suit.
The complete statute and other laws surrounding leasing are available on the Colorado Revised Statutes website.