Tools · Security Deposit

Colorado Security Deposit Calculator (2026)

Enter your rent and move-out date to see the most a Colorado landlord can charge and the exact date your deposit is due back — up to 2 months of rent, returned 1 month (up to 60 days if the lease says so) after the lease terminates or the tenant surrenders and the landlord accepts the premises, whichever is last; a lease may extend the window but not past 60 days.

Cited to C.R.S. §§38-12-102.5, 38-12-103Source: Colorado General Assembly (HB25-1249) with C.R.S. §§38-12-102.5, 38-12-103.

Colorado security deposit calculator

Security deposit · Colorado

State

Monthly rent

Move-out date

Colorado rule applied to your numbers

Maximum deposit

$4,000

Up to 2 months’ rent under Colorado law. Since August 7, 2023, a landlord cannot require a security deposit greater than two months' rent under the rental agreement (C.R.S. 38-12-102.5, added by SB 23-184). A widely repeated claim that House Bill 23-1099 capped deposits at one month is incorrect; that bill dealt with portable tenant screening reports. The 2025 overhaul (HB25-1249, effective January 1, 2026) tightened retention and documentation rules but left the two-month cap in place.

Return deadline

1 month (up to 60 days if the lease says so)

1 month (up to 60 days if the lease says so) after the lease terminates or the tenant surrenders and the landlord accepts the premises, whichever is last; a lease may extend the window but not past 60 days. Enter your move-out date for the exact deadline.

These are the Colorado figures applied to what you entered: a plain summary of the rule and the dates, not a determination that anyone did or did not comply.

If a deposit is wrongly kept

Willful retention makes the landlord liable for treble (three times) the wrongfully withheld portion, plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs. The landlord carries the burden of proving the withholding was not wrongful. The tenant must give the landlord written notice of intent to sue at least seven days before filing.

Interest on the deposit

Colorado does not require a landlord to pay interest on a security deposit. Some cities set their own rules, so check local ordinances (Boulder, for example, requires interest on most residential deposits).

Local ordinances

Some Colorado cities add their own requirements. Boulder, for instance, requires landlords to pay interest on most residential security deposits. Check your city ordinance.

PlainStatute

Security deposit — Colorado

Maximum deposit: $4,000 · 2 months’ rent
Monthly rent: $2,000
Move-out date: Not entered
Return deadline: 1 month (up to 60 days if the lease says so) after the lease terminates or the tenant surrenders and the landlord accepts the premises, whichever is last; a lease may extend the window but not past 60 days

Source: C.R.S. §§38-12-102.5, 38-12-103

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB25-1249

⚠ Draft: confirm with the official source before relying on this.

Printed from plainstatute.com
Plain-language summary, not legal advice.

Informational only, not legal advice. Security-deposit rules carry exceptions (lease type, small landlords, city ordinances) this summary cannot weigh. See the full statute and exceptions on the Colorado security deposit reference, cited to C.R.S. §§38-12-102.5, 38-12-103.

How Colorado security deposits work

Colorado caps a residential security deposit at two months' rent, a limit set in 2023 (C.R.S. 38-12-102.5) that replaced having no cap at all. If a landlord keeps part of your deposit on purpose without a valid reason, the penalty is steep: three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus your attorney fees and court costs, and the landlord has to prove the withholding was justified. One procedural step matters here. Before you sue, you must give the landlord written notice of your intent to file at least seven days ahead. The landlord has one month to return your deposit after you leave, or up to 60 days if your lease says so, and can never charge you for normal wear and tear. A 2025 law (HB25-1249), in effect since January 1, 2026, tightened those rules further by narrowing what counts as damage and letting you demand the landlord's photos and receipts.

This calculator shows the Colorado figures applied to your own rent and dates. It is informational only and not legal advice — exceptions this summary cannot weigh may apply. For the full rules, penalties, and citations, see the Colorado security deposit reference.

Security deposit calculators for other states

Same tool, each with its own cap and return deadline.