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Rental Application Fee Laws in Colorado

Colorado limits a rental application fee to the landlord's actual screening costs, requires the unused amount to be returned within 20 days, and requires landlords to accept a recent portable screening report without charging a fee.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Colorado at a glance

Fee limit
Actual or average processing cost only
The fee must be the same for every applicant for the same unit, and the landlord must give a receipt.
Refund required
Yes, unused amount within 20 days
The landlord must make a good-faith effort to remit the remaining amount within 20 calendar days.
Portable screening report rule
Yes, landlord must accept; no fee
The landlord may require that the report was completed within the previous 30 days. Landlords that take one fee at a time and refund it within 20 days are exempt.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Colorado

How much can a landlord charge for a rental application in Colorado?

Fee limit in Colorado: Actual or average processing cost only. The fee must be the same for every applicant for the same unit, and the landlord must give a receipt.

Does a landlord in Colorado have to refund an unused application fee?

Yes, unused amount within 20 days. Refund required in Colorado: yes, unused amount within 20 days. The landlord must make a good-faith effort to remit the remaining amount within 20 calendar days.

Does Colorado law address reusable (portable) tenant screening reports?

Yes, landlord must accept; no fee. Portable screening report rule in Colorado: yes, landlord must accept; no fee. The landlord may require that the report was completed within the previous 30 days. Landlords that take one fee at a time and refund it within 20 days are exempt.

Where do the Colorado rental application fee laws come from?

The rules above come from Colo. Rev. Stat. 38-12-903 and Colo. Rev. Stat. 38-12-904. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

HB25-1236, effective Jan. 1, 2026, lets applicants using a housing subsidy omit credit history from a portable report and repealed the landlord's right to require delivery through a consumer reporting agency or website.

What this means in practice

Before collecting a fee, landlords can tell applicants in writing how much it is, what it pays for, and the screening criteria that will be used. Several statutes require some of this disclosure, and it also reduces disputes when an application is denied.

Keep a copy of the invoice or receipt from the screening company. Where the law ties the fee to actual cost or requires an itemized receipt, that record shows the fee was lawful.

Check local law as well as state law. In many states a city or county ordinance can set a lower limit or add refund and notice rules, and the stricter rule usually applies. A few states bar local rules on application fees.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.