Colorado security deposit deadline & deductions
It depends on what you are doing — within one month, or up to 60 days if the lease allows
- Deadline
- 30 days if by default — one month; 60 days if the lease expressly allows a longer period, up to 60 days
- Itemized statement
- Required by statute
- Receipts
- No threshold verified
- Statute
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-103
Its shortest count, 30 days, sits mid-range: 8 of the 26 states verified here are shorter, 5 are longer.
Itemized statement and refund due within one month, or up to 60 days if the lease expressly allows.
When the Colorado clock runs out
The deadline runs from the end of the tenancy, not from when you get around to inspecting. Colorado sets more than one count, so every one of them is worked out below — which applies depends on the condition beside it:
| Tenant moves out | 30 days — if by default — one month | 60 days — if the lease expressly allows a longer period, up to 60 days |
|---|---|---|
| January 31, 2026 | March 2, 2026 | April 1, 2026 |
| April 15, 2026 | May 15, 2026 | June 14, 2026 |
| July 31, 2026 | August 30, 2026 | September 29, 2026 |
| November 30, 2026 | December 30, 2026 | January 29, 2027 |
Does Colorado require an itemized statement?
Yes — Colorado requires an itemized written statement of any deductions rather than a lump sum, under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-103. Each charge needs to stand on its own: what was damaged, and what it cost to put right.
What you can actually charge for
Colorado statute sets the deadline and the paperwork; it does not publish a table of what a worn carpet is worth. The defensible method — charging only the useful life the tenant used up early, and excluding normal wear — is the same in every state, and is explained on the calculator, which builds the itemized statement and puts the Colorado deadline on it.
Next: Colorado deposit return letter · move-in report · every state’s deadline
Colorado rule last checked 2026-07-23 against Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-103. General information, not legal advice — confirm the current statute before sending a deduction statement.
Everything else we’ve researched about Colorado
Same state, the problems either side of this one. Each carries its own statute and the date we last checked it.
Questions people ask
- How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Colorado?
- Colorado: Itemized statement and refund due within one month, or up to 60 days if the lease expressly allows. (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-103). Its shortest count, 30 days, sits mid-range: 8 of the 26 states verified here are shorter, 5 are longer.
- Does Colorado require an itemized statement of deductions?
- Yes. Colorado requires an itemized written statement of any deductions rather than a lump sum (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-103).
- Do I need receipts for deductions in Colorado?
- No threshold verified. Colorado's statute, as verified here, does not set a dollar figure above which receipts are required (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-103). That does not make an undocumented charge safe: every deduction still has to be reasonable and documented, and a receipt or invoice is what makes it so.