Rent Cap Ledger

Denver · No rent cap

How much can a landlord raise rent in Denver?

No cap

No rent cap in effect · checked Oct 18, 2026

There's no limit on how much a landlord can raise rent in Denver: Colorado law prohibits local rent control. But rent can rise only once in any 12 months, and without a written lease the landlord must give at least 60 days' written notice.

In effect
No cap in effect
Next change
No fixed date
Set by
Colorado law (C.R.S. Title 38) · No rent cap
Last checked
October 18, 2026

Colorado law prohibits local rent control, so Denver can't cap increases. Rent can go up only once in any 12 months.

§ 1 · The law

Why Denver has no rent cap

No cap

There's no formula, because there's no cap. C.R.S. § 38-12-301 says no county or municipality may enact an ordinance that would control rent on private residential property. State law does limit timing: no more than one increase in any 12-month period of a tenant's occupancy, and at least 60 days' written notice where there's no written agreement.

Law: No rent control: C.R.S. § 38-12-301 prohibits local rent control; §§ 38-12-701 and 702 set notice and frequency rules.

§ 2 · Coverage

What still limits an increase

What applies

  • Only one rent increase in any 12-month period of consecutive occupancy, with or without a written lease (C.R.S. § 38-12-702)
  • At least 60 days' written notice of an increase where there's no written rental agreement (C.R.S. § 38-12-701)
  • No retaliatory rent increases after good-faith complaints or joining a tenants' association (C.R.S. § 38-12-509)

Limits that don't apply

  • No limit on the size of the increase: state law prohibits local rent control
  • Voluntary affordable-housing agreements and deed restrictions are allowed

§ 3 · Timing

Notice, and when it changes next

Notice: Where there's no written rental agreement, at least 60 days' written notice (C.R.S. § 38-12-701). With a written lease, the lease terms govern, and the once-in-12-months limit applies either way.

Next change: No change is scheduled. A cap would need the General Assembly to change C.R.S. § 38-12-301.

§ 2a · State rules

What Colorado law does limit

  • Once in 12 months

    Rent may not be increased more than once in any twelve-month period of consecutive occupancy, whatever the lease type or length.

    Source: “a landlord shall not increase rent more than one time in any twelve-month period of consecutive occupancy by the tenant”

  • 60 days' notice without a written lease

    Where there's no written agreement, the increase needs at least sixty days' written notice.

    Source: “in a residential tenancy in which there is no written agreement between the landlord and tenant, a landlord may increase the rent only upon at least sixty days' written notice to the tenant.”

  • No retaliatory increases

    Increasing rent in response to a good-faith complaint, joining a tenants' association or using a legal remedy counts as prohibited retaliation.

    Source: “(I) Increasing rent or decreasing services;”

Cost of living here

Rents and prices around Denver

Official figures only, each for the area named. Prices are for the wider metro area; rents and incomes are for the city itself.

Price level

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area · BEA 2024

All items105.8
Housing146.9

Regional Price Parities: an index where the US average price level for all items = 100. Housing is BEA’s “Services: Housing” line (US = 100.6).

Fair Market Rents

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA · HUD FY2027

HUD Fair Market Rent per month by unit size, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA
Studio$1,751
1 bedroom$1,831
2 bedrooms$2,169
3 bedrooms$2,846
4 bedrooms$3,183

Monthly gross rent (rent plus utilities). HUD: FMRs are “estimates of 40th percentile gross rents for standard quality units”.

Rents and incomes

Denver city, Colorado · ACS 2020–2024 5-year

Median gross rent
$1,831/mo US $1,413/mo
Median household income
$94,718 US $80,734
Median rent as % of household income
29.2% US 30.6%

Gross rent includes utilities. The rent-to-income figure is for renter households (Census table B25071).

Sources

  1. BEA Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area (MARPP) ↗ · 2024 (released February 19, 2026) · about the data ↗ · retrieved Oct 18, 2026
  2. OMB metropolitan area delineations (Census list 1, July 2023) ↗ · July 2023 (OMB Bulletin 23-01) · retrieved Oct 18, 2026
  3. HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (county-level data file) ↗ · FY2027 · about the data ↗ · retrieved Oct 18, 2026
  4. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (tables B25064, B19013, B25071) ↗ · 2020–2024 · about the data ↗ · retrieved Oct 18, 2026

Compare Denver with another city → All places ranked → Can I afford my rent? →

§ 4 · Sources

Official sources

  1. Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services · headline figure Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 38 (2024 official printout): §§ 38-12-301, 509, 701, 702 ↗
    “no county or municipality may enact any ordinance or resolution that would control rent on either private residential property or a private residential housing unit.”
    Last checked October 18, 2026 · leg.colorado.gov

See something out of date? The methodology page explains how we check figures.

§ 5 · Questions

Frequently asked

How much can a landlord raise rent in Denver?

There's no limit on how much a landlord can raise rent in Denver: Colorado law prohibits local rent control. But rent can rise only once in any 12 months, and without a written lease the landlord must give at least 60 days' written notice.

How much notice is required for a rent increase in Denver?

Where there's no written rental agreement, at least 60 days' written notice (C.R.S. § 38-12-701). With a written lease, the lease terms govern, and the once-in-12-months limit applies either way.

How often can rent be raised in Denver?

No more than one increase in any 12-month period of consecutive occupancy.

Could Denver adopt rent control?

No change is scheduled. A cap would need the General Assembly to change C.R.S. § 38-12-301.

Where does this Denver information come from?

From Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services: “Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 38 (2024 official printout): §§ 38-12-301, 509, 701, 702”, which we last checked on October 18, 2026, plus the other official sources listed on this page. Always confirm with the agency or a lawyer before relying on it.

Elsewhere

Other jurisdictions