Colorado notice to vacate: notice periods and mailing rules

For a month-to-month tenancy, the base notice to end a month-to-month tenancy is 21 days before the end of the period (C.R.S. § 13-40-107(1)(c)), but under the 2024 for-cause eviction law (HB 24-1098) a landlord generally needs statutory cause to terminate or non-renew once a tenant has occupied 12 or more months, and the listed no-fault grounds require 90 days' notice. Exemptions include owner-occupied premises and tenancies under 12 months. (C.R.S. § 13-40-104(1)(d), C.R.S. § 13-40-107, C.R.S. §§ 38-12-1301 to 38-12-1307)

If your lease requires more notice than the statute, the lease controls. Count days from the date notice is properly served, not the date you write it. Statutes change — verify the current text before serving, and treat this as a starting point, not a substitute for the statute.

10-day written demand for rent or possession before filing (C.R.S. § 13-40-104(1)(d)); only 5 days for an exempt residential agreement (a single-family home where the landlord owns 5 or fewer such rentals and the lease discloses the shorter period). A 2025 law adds a 30-day pre-filing notice for nonpayment in CARES Act-covered or subsidized housing.

Nonpayment notices are the strictest documents in landlord-tenant law: the wording, the cure period, and the service method often come straight from the statute, and a defective notice restarts the whole clock. Where your state publishes required form language, use it verbatim.

the statute addresses service but not mail: C.R.S. § 13-40-108 requires personal delivery, leaving the notice with a family member age 15 or older residing on the premises, or (after attempted personal service on two separate days) conspicuous posting — ordinary mail is not an authorized method.

Whichever method you use, keep dated proof. Certified Mail gives you a USPS record of when the notice was mailed and delivered — the fact an eviction case usually turns on.

Colorado's for-cause eviction law (HB 24-1098, codified at C.R.S. §§ 38-12-1301 to 1307) bars no-cause evictions and non-renewals for covered tenants of 12 or more months and requires 90-day notice for no-fault grounds. There is no statewide rent control, and local rent control on private housing remains prohibited.

Local ordinances can add further requirements on top of state law — check the rules for the property's city and county before serving.

This sample notice works for a Colorado tenancy once you confirm the notice period above and any wording your statute or lease requires. Replace the bracketed fields, count the days carefully, and keep a copy of everything.

[Date]

[Tenant Name(s)]
[Property Address, Unit]
[City, CO ZIP]

Re: Notice to vacate — [Property Address, Unit]

Dear [Tenant Name(s)],

This letter is your written notice that your tenancy at [Property Address, Unit] will end on [Termination Date], in accordance with your rental agreement and Colorado law. Please vacate and return all keys by that date.

[If month-to-month: This notice is given at least [Notice Period] days before the termination date, as required for a month-to-month tenancy in Colorado.]

Please leave the unit in the condition required by your lease, and provide a forwarding address for the return of your security deposit and any required documentation.

If you have questions about this notice, contact me at [Phone / Email].

This notice is delivered by [first-class / certified] mail.

Sincerely,

[Landlord / Property Manager Name]
[Signature]
[Company, if any]
[Mailing Address]
[Phone / Email]

Fill it in, sign it, and PostalForm prints and mails it — you see the exact PDF and the exact price before anything sends, and Certified Mail adds a dated USPS delivery record.

• HB24-1098 Cause Required for Eviction (CO General Assembly)
• C.R.S. tit. 38, art. 12, pt. 13 for-cause eviction (Justia)
• C.R.S. § 13-40-108 service of notice (Colorado Public Law)

Statutes change. Verify the current text of the statute and any local ordinance before serving a notice, and talk to a Colorado landlord-tenant attorney when the stakes are high. This page is general information, not legal advice.