Can my landlord enter without permission in Colorado?

Colorado sets no statutory limit on when a landlord may enter, so what your landlord may do is governed by your lease rather than by statute.

Colorado landlord entry laws

Q: How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering in Colorado?

No general rule — 48 hours for bed bugs only. Colorado has no general landlord entry statute. The only notice rule concerns bed bugs: before entering to inspect for or treat bed bugs, the landlord must give reasonable written or electronic notice at least 48 hours in advance — except that a rental agreement may set a different minimum, and the tenant may waive it.

How much notice your landlord owes you before coming in, when they may enter without it, and what Colorado law lets you do about it.

Notice required

No general rule — 48 hours for bed bugs only

Colorado has no general landlord entry statute. The only notice rule concerns bed bugs: before entering to inspect for or treat bed bugs, the landlord must give reasonable written or electronic notice at least 48 hours in advance — except that a rental agreement may set a different minimum, and the tenant may waive it.

C.R.S. § 38-12-1004(1)(a)

What you can do about a violation

A landlord who fails to comply with the bed bug provisions is liable to the tenant for actual damages.

C.R.S. § 38-12-1006(1)

Before you rely on this

Colorado law depends on facts only you can confirm. Check these first.

Was the entry for a bed bug inspection or treatment?
This is Colorado's only entry-notice rule. For any other purpose the state sets no notice requirement at all.
Does your lease set a different notice period, and did you waive notice?
§ 38-12-1004(1)(a) lets the rental agreement change the period and § 38-12-1004(1)(b) lets a tenant waive it outright.

What to do right now

If your landlord locked you out or shut off your heat, water, gas or electricity, that is a different and much stronger claim: C.R.S. § 38-12-510(2) requires an award of your actual damages PLUS the greater of three times the monthly rent or $5,000, plus attorney fees and costs, and a court may restore your possession.

Your city may give you more

Some Colorado municipalities regulate rental housing more closely than the state does. Check your city's code as well.

Put it in writing

We'll write a letter citing C.R.S. § 38-12-1004(1)(a), listing each entry with its date and time, and stating what the statute provides. Free to generate and download.

Write my Colorado entry letter

Other Colorado tenant rights

Landlords who get one of these wrong often get another wrong too.

Colorado security deposit lawHow long your landlord has to return it, and what they owe if they don't.Colorado rent late fee lawsWhat a landlord may charge for late rent, and when they may charge it.Colorado landlord repair lawsWhat your landlord must fix, how long they get, and your options if they don't.

How this page was checked

Read from the source. Every deadline, cap and penalty here was taken from Colorado's published text — the statute, session law or administrative code itself.
No legal-information websites. Commercial summaries were used only to find a provision, never as authority for it. An automated check fails our build if any state we serve cites a secondary source.
Locked against drift. The verified figures are pinned by regression tests, so a later edit cannot quietly change a deadline or a penalty.
Last verified August 21, 2026. Laws change — confirm the current text before relying on it.

General information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm.

Compare all 51 jurisdictions — notice periods range from 12 hours to 72, and thirteen states have no rule at all.