Facing Eviction in Colorado: What Can I Do?
This page explains what happens after you get an eviction notice or court papers in Colorado. It covers the notice your landlord must give, how to answer the case, and what happens at each step in court. Use it to understand your rights and deadlines.
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If you fall behind on rent, Colorado law requires 10 days' written notice before an eviction case starts. The notice must offer the choice to pay the full rent owed or move out. A business rental or employer-provided housing gets 3 days' notice instead. You get 5 days' notice instead if you rent a single-family home from a small landlord. That landlord must own 5 or fewer single-family rental homes and say in your lease that the 10-day notice does not apply. Otherwise, your lease cannot take away your right to this notice.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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If your landlord says you broke a material part of your lease (something important you agreed to), you get a written notice first. Colorado law requires 10 days' notice before an eviction case starts, for most home rentals. The notice must offer the choice to fix the problem or move out. A business rental or employer-provided housing gets 3 days instead, and some other agreements get 5.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Colorado law says your landlord needs a legal reason (cause) to evict you. Your landlord must have cause before telling you to move out or filing an eviction case. This rule leaves out a short-term rental, employer-provided housing, and some mobile home lots. It also leaves out a renter who has lived there less than 12 months. It leaves out a renter the landlord does not know is a renter.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Cause protection leaves out a single-family home, a duplex (2 homes in one building), or a triplex (3 homes in one building). This applies if the owner or main tenant lives there, or if the owner lives right next door instead. But cause protection still applies in a building of 4 or more homes.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Colorado law protects you if you are a survivor of domestic violence or abuse, stalking, or unlawful sexual behavior. Say that is why you fell behind on rent. Or say it is why you broke a lease rule. It can also be why you bothered others or hurt the home by accident. Your landlord cannot evict you for that. You need proof. It can be a court order to protect you or your own signed statement.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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You must show proof of what happened. You can choose a police report if you feel safe using one. You can also use a protective order. You can also use your own signed statement. Name who was responsible only if you know and it feels safe to say. You can also use a letter from a professional you told, like a victim-services worker, lawyer, social worker, doctor, faith leader, or counselor.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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After your landlord files an eviction case, the court sends you a summons (a paper telling you when to appear in court). It must set your court date 7 to 14 days after it is issued. The summons also warns you of what happens if you do nothing. If you do not file a written answer or show up, the judge may rule against you without a hearing. This is called a default judgment (a decision made without hearing your side). It can mean you must move out. It can also mean you owe your landlord money.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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You must file a written answer with the court by the date in your summons. Say why you believe you have the right to stay. Say whether you agree or disagree with your landlord's complaint. List every defense you plan to use. A defense about bad notice is not lost by answering. But raise it in your answer, or before the hearing. Do not wait to raise it for the first time at the hearing.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Your landlord must follow the 2024 just-cause eviction law. This means having a legal reason and giving the required notice. If your landlord did not, you can raise this in your answer. This is called an affirmative defense (a reason the case should not go forward). The court will check if your landlord more likely than not followed the law. If not, the court must dismiss your case.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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After you file your answer, the court sets your trial date. It must be at least 7 days, but no more than 10 days, after you file. You can ask the court to drop this time limit. The court can also allow more time for a good reason. The time limit does not cover a case that claims a substantial violation (a serious lease breach the law defines). It also does not cover one other kind of case the law names. It still covers you if that case results from domestic violence, domestic abuse, stalking, or unlawful sexual behavior. The court must also have been told you are a victim-survivor.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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If you are behind on rent, you can stop the case. Pay everything you owe under the notice, plus any rent due since. You can do this any time before the judge decides who gets the home. Pay your landlord or pay the court. Once the court sees you paid in full, it must cancel any judgment (the court's decision) already made. It must also dismiss the case for good. Your lease cannot take away this right.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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If the court decides you stayed after you should have left, it enters a judgment (the court's final decision in your case). This judgment lets your landlord get the home back. It also lists any rent you owe and damage to the property. The court can add your landlord's reasonable lawyer fees and court costs too.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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After a judgment (the court's final decision), the court must wait 48 hours before it can order an officer to remove you. The county sheriff carries this out. It can only happen in daylight hours. For a home rental, the sheriff must also wait at least 10 more days after the judgment. This order to remove you ends on its own after 49 days.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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If you get SSI, SSDI, or Colorado Works cash assistance, the sheriff must wait longer to remove you. The wait is at least 30 days after the judgment (the court's decision), not just 10 days. This longer wait does not apply to a judgment for a substantial violation (a serious act, like a violent crime or a drug crime). It also does not apply if your landlord owns 5 or fewer single-family rental homes and no more than 5 rental units in total.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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If you disagree with the county court's decision, you can ask a higher court (the district court) to review it. This is called an appeal. Filing an appeal pauses (stays) the case once the appeal is perfected (completed the right way). For a case about unpaid rent, this means depositing the rent the judgment (the court's decision) says you owe. You deposit it with the court when you file. Once your appeal is perfected, your landlord cannot make you leave while the court reviews it.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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If your case was about unpaid rent and you want to appeal, you must pay the court the rent amount owed. This amount comes from the judgment (the court's decision). You must pay it when you file the appeal. If you do not pay, the appeal does not count. While the appeal continues, keep paying rent to the court as it comes due. If you miss a payment, the court must uphold the eviction against you once your landlord asks the court to do this.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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When an eviction case is filed, the court record is kept private (suppressed) at first. Only the judge, court staff, and the people in the case with their lawyers can see it. Certain authorized court staff, and a person with a valid court order, can see it too. If your landlord wins, the record usually becomes public. This does not happen if you both agree to keep it private.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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You may be a survivor of domestic violence or abuse, stalking, or unlawful sexual behavior. Is a public record a risk to you? Then ask the court to keep it private. You must give the court proof. The law lists the papers that count. They include a court order to protect you. They include your own signed statement. They also include a letter from a professional you told, like a victim-services worker, lawyer, social worker, doctor, faith leader, or counselor. This works even after the court decides your case.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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