Colorado Retaliation Law: What Counts & the Presumption Window (2026)

What counts as retaliation, and the window where the law presumes it

At a glance

• Protection window: No statutory presumption window
• Governing authority: C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1)

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers landlord retaliation in Colorado — what a landlord may not do after you exercise a protected right.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conduct outside the protected window described below.

What the law prohibits

C.R.S. § 38-12-509 — 房东不得因租客善意投诉适居性违规或组织/加入租客工会而报复（涨租、减服务、终止租约、驱逐、恐吓）。

C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1) ↗

The protection window

Colorado does not set a statutory presumption window. Whether an action counts as retaliation depends on the facts rather than a fixed clock.

科罗拉多报复法**无固定保护期推定**。且 §509(3)/(4) 的推定是「有利于房东」的：房东因违约终止租约或行使涨租/减服务/终止权时，推定其行为非报复，且该推定不能仅凭时间先后推翻。租客要获赔还须先证明房东实际违反了适居性保证（§509(2)）。

C.R.S. § 38-12-509(2)-(4) ↗

Protected activities

What a landlord may not do

Burden of proof

租客须先证房东违反适居性保证 + 报复行为；且推定有利于房东（时间先后不能单独推翻）。

C.R.S. § 38-12-509(2)-(4) ↗

Remedies

Exemptions and limits

房东替换故障家电为不同型号但功能相当者，推定非报复（38-12-509(3)）。

C.R.S. § 38-12-509(3) ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
C.R.S. § 38-12-509(2)-(4)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1)(a)(I)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1)(a)(II)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1)(b)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
C.R.S. § 38-12-509(2)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1.5)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
C.R.S. § 38-12-509(3)	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More Colorado guides

Colorado Security Deposit Return · Colorado Security Deposit Rules · Colorado Eviction Process · Colorado Rent Increase Rules · Colorado Repairs & Habitability

→ All Colorado tenant rights topics

Common questions