Colorado eviction notices: which one, how long, and how to serve it
Nearly every failed eviction in Colorado fails at the notice. Wrong form, wrong period, wrong delivery, or a single accepted payment — and weeks disappear. Here is how to get the first step right.
The short answer
- The notice you serve depends on why you are ending the tenancy. There is no all-purpose eviction notice.
- Unpaid rent commonly carries a 10-day demand to pay or quit for residential tenancies.
- Ending a month-to-month generally needs 21 days and a qualifying just cause.
- Accepting any payment after serving usually waives the notice and restarts everything.
- How you deliver the notice matters as much as what it says. Document it.
An eviction notice is not a warning letter. It is the legal foundation of everything that follows, and a court will examine it before it examines the tenant's conduct. If the notice is defective, the merits of your case never get heard — you are simply sent back to the start, several weeks poorer.
The good news is that the notice stage is entirely within your control. Here is what determines which notice you need.
Notice type depends on the reason, not the tenant
Colorado does not have one generic eviction notice. The required form and period follow from the underlying reason:
- Unpaid rent — a demand for compliance or possession, commonly with a 10-day window for most residential tenancies. The tenant may cure by paying in full within the period.
- A curable lease violation — for example an unauthorized pet or an occupancy breach. The tenant is given the chance to fix the problem within the stated period.
- A serious or incurable violation — typically a shorter period, because there is nothing for the tenant to cure. The bar for what qualifies is high, and misclassifying an ordinary violation as incurable is a common and expensive error.
- Ending a month-to-month tenancy — generally 21 days, and now also subject to Colorado's just-cause requirement.
Notice periods and required language change. Verify the current requirement each time rather than reusing the form you used two years ago.
What the notice has to actually say
A valid notice generally identifies the property, the tenant, the specific default, exactly what the tenant must do to cure it (and by when), and what happens if they do not. Vagueness is fatal. "You are behind on rent" is not a demand; "$1,850 in rent for July 2026 is due and must be paid in full by [date]" is.
Two details owners routinely get wrong: stating an amount that includes charges not properly owed as rent, and miscounting the notice period. Both are enough to sink the notice. Count carefully, and check whether the period excludes the day of service, weekends or holidays.
Service: how you deliver it matters
Colorado prescribes how a notice may be delivered — generally personal service on the tenant, service on a suitable person at the property, or posting in a conspicuous place when personal service is not possible. Text messages and emails are not substitutes unless your lease and current law specifically allow it.
Whatever method you use, document it: date, time, method, who served it, and a photograph if posted. If the tenant later claims they never received it, your record is the entire case.
Would rather never serve one of these?
Careful screening and consistent lease enforcement prevent the great majority of eviction situations. That is most of what we do.
See how we manage riskThe mistake that undoes everything: accepting payment
Once you have served a notice, accepting any rent — including a partial payment offered in good faith — generally waives the notice. The clock resets and you serve again from scratch. Landlords do this constantly, usually out of decency, and it costs them weeks.
If a tenant offers money after you have served, do not deposit it before speaking with your attorney or manager. There are ways to accept payment without waiving, but they require care and, usually, a written agreement.
After the notice period expires
If the period runs out and the default is not cured, the next step is filing a Forcible Entry and Detainer case in the county court where the property sits. That is a separate legal process with its own service rules, and it is covered in our guide to the Colorado eviction process. If there is no written lease at all, the situation has its own wrinkles — see evicting a tenant with no lease in Colorado.
A note on tone
A notice is a legal document, but a tenant reads it as a human being. Serving it correctly and serving it cruelly are different choices, and the first does not require the second. Plenty of situations that looked headed for court resolved because the notice was accurate, professional, and accompanied by a conversation. That outcome is cheaper for everyone.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Colorado's landlord-tenant laws change and can vary by situation. Always verify current requirements and consult a licensed Colorado attorney before acting on any of it.
Frequently asked questions
How many days notice does a landlord have to give in Colorado for unpaid rent?
For most residential tenancies, a demand to pay or quit commonly carries a 10-day period during which the tenant can pay in full and stay. Verify the current requirement before serving, as periods change.
Is a 3-day eviction notice still valid in Colorado?
Shorter periods generally apply only to serious or incurable violations, not to ordinary unpaid rent for residential tenancies. Using a short notice where a longer one is required will usually invalidate the notice.
Can I email or text an eviction notice in Colorado?
Generally no. Colorado prescribes how notices may be delivered — usually personal service, service on a suitable person at the property, or conspicuous posting. Always document the date, time and method.
What happens if I accept rent after serving an eviction notice?
Accepting any payment, including a partial one, usually waives the notice and forces you to start over. Speak with your attorney or property manager before depositing anything.
Facing a notice you would rather not serve?
We manage rentals across Westminster, Arvada, Boulder County and the wider Denver metro — and most of our work is making sure this step never becomes necessary.