Security deposit return deadline in Colorado
A Colorado landlord has 30 days after the tenancy ends to return a security deposit, or up to 60 days if the lease allows it.
- Deadline
- 30 days (up to 60 if the lease says so)
- What the landlord must send
- The landlord must give a written statement listing the exact reasons for keeping any part of the deposit.
- If the landlord gets it wrong
- Failing to give the statement forfeits the right to keep any of it; wrongful retention makes the landlord liable for three times the amount wrongfully withheld, after the tenant gives 7 days’ notice of intent to sue.
- Deposit limit
- 2 months’ rent
Since January 1, 2026 either side can ask for a walk-through before the lease ends. The landlord has the burden of proving the withholding was not wrongful.
The law
Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 38-12-102.5, 38-12-103. Read the statute or the state agency’s page.
Checked against the statute in October 2026. Laws change, so confirm the current rule before you rely on it.
What to do next
If the deadline has passed, or the landlord kept money without a proper list, put your request in writing. Ask for the deposit back by a specific date, and keep a copy. The free first letter in the Deposit Demand Letters kit does this for Colorado, and the deadline calculator works out your exact date from your move-out day.
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
General information about Colorado law, not legal advice, and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Deposit Demand Letters is a self-help template kit from Kits For That.