Colorado's Tenant Screening Law Starts January 2027: What Landlords Must Add to Applications

Colorado's tenant screening law, HB26-1196, takes effect January 1, 2027. Every rental application must tell applicants what information the landlord will try to access, give a general description of the factors considered, and name any third-party screening service used. Landlords do not have to publish fixed cutoffs, such as a minimum credit score.

Governor Jared Polis signed the bill on June 2, 2026, according to a summary from the screening company Rentell. The change is mostly about paperwork and honesty. But paperwork is where small landlords get caught, because an application form downloaded years ago may not say any of this.

This explainer is for small Colorado landlords who write their own applications, and for renters who want to know what they are entitled to see before they pay a fee. Kenponet covers renting, buying and owning a home in plain terms, and our editors checked the details below against the bill summary and federal consumer guidance. This is general information, not legal advice, so confirm your own situation with an attorney or the state's official bill text.

What Does Colorado's Tenant Screening Law Require on a Rental Application?

Three disclosures go on every application. First, the information and data the landlord will try to access during screening. Second, a general description of the factors the landlord will consider. The law names credit history, rental history, income and criminal background, where they apply. Third, if a third-party tenant screening service is used, the fact of that use and the name of the service.

The bill does not require landlords to publish disqualifying criteria. A landlord can still decide that a certain credit score or income level is too low. The change is that the applicant learns the categories before paying anything.

The law also does not guarantee approval, and it does not give renters their screening results before a decision is made. Colorado's existing portable tenant screening report rules stay as they are, since HB26-1196 does not replace them or change what makes one of those reports valid.

How Should a Small Landlord Update a Colorado Rental Application?

Add a short "How we screen" box near the top of the form, and keep the wording plain. A landlord with a basic one-page application can finish this in under an hour. The goal is to be specific enough to be accurate and general enough that you do not promise something you will not do.

Here is a short list of what the box should cover.

Do not add a factor you do not use, and do not leave out one you do. If you run a criminal background check on some applicants and not others, the form should still say that you may. Consistent treatment of applicants also helps with fair housing rules, which apply on top of any state screening law.

What Does a Compliant Screening Disclosure Look Like?

A short, plain paragraph does the job. For example: "We will review your credit report, rental history from prior landlords, proof of income, and a criminal background search where permitted. We consider credit history, rental history, income and criminal background. We use a third-party screening service, Example Screening Co., to gather these records." Swap in your real sources and the real company name.

Notice what the example leaves out. It does not set a score or an income ratio, because the law does not require one. It also avoids promises such as "we never consider" a factor, which would create a new problem if practice ever drifted from the text.

If you screen in stages, say so. A landlord who checks income first and runs credit only for finalists can describe that order in one extra sentence. Applicants appreciate knowing when a paid report will be pulled, and it cuts the number of calls about it.

Finally, review the form with whoever answers your phone or email. If a property manager or a family member handles inquiries, they should know the disclosure well enough to answer questions in plain words and never contradict the form.

What About Privacy in Eviction Filings?

The law adds a privacy duty for landlords who file evictions. They must follow court rules that protect personal identifying information, and they must redact it from supporting documents that may become public. The protected categories include Social Security numbers, birth dates, driver's license and state ID numbers, bank account numbers, and credit and debit card numbers.

This matters for small landlords because supporting documents often come straight from a tenant's file. A copy of a lease with a scanned driver's license stapled to it, or a ledger with a bank number, can become a public record once it is attached to a filing. Redact before filing, not after.

A practical habit is to keep sensitive attachments in a separate folder and never include them in a court packet by default. Add them only when a rule or a judge specifically asks.

What Should Renters Look for Under Colorado's Screening Disclosure Rules?

Renters should read the screening section before paying an application fee. Look for the data sources, the factors and the name of any screening company. If the form is silent on any of the three after January 1, 2027, ask the landlord to supply it in writing.

Knowing the screening company has a real payoff. If a decision relies on a consumer report, the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you rights over that report, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) explains them in its Fair Credit Reporting Act resources. Under that law, you generally can dispute errors with the company that produced the report, so the company's name tells you where to start.

Renters should also keep a copy of every application page they submit. If the disclosure on the form later differs from what the landlord actually checked, the saved copy is your evidence.

How Does This Fit With Other Fee and Disclosure Rules for Landlords?

Screening disclosure is one piece of a wider move toward upfront transparency. Our breakdown of what landlords can charge in rental fees covers the cost side, and our guide to getting a security deposit back by state shows how much the rules vary from place to place.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) summarizes tenant protections on its tenant rights page, which includes fair housing basics that apply to every landlord regardless of state law. If you accept voucher holders, read our explainer on FY2027 fair market rents too, since screening forms for voucher applicants often need extra care.

Landlords in cities that run their own registries or licensing programs should also check local rules. Our piece on the Columbus rental registry is a useful example of how a local program adds duties on top of state law.

What Mistakes Are Most Likely After January 1, 2027?

The most likely mistake is using an old form. A landlord who reuses last year's application, a template from a former property manager or a listing site's generic form will miss the new disclosures. Replace every template, not just the one on your desk.

The second mistake is being vague about the screening company. If you use a service, name it. Do not write "a third-party provider" and leave it there, since the law asks for the service's name.

The third is copying a screening policy from another state. Colorado's categories are specific, and a template written for Texas or California may not match them. At Kenponet, we recommend keeping a one-page screening policy that matches your form, so your answers are the same whether an applicant asks by phone or in person.

Timing matters too. Rental listings that go live in December for January move-ins will still be collecting applications after the law starts. Update the form before the first January application arrives, and decide how you will handle any application that was started on the old version. Keeping a short note in your file about that decision protects you if a question comes up later.

Conclusion

Colorado's tenant screening law is a small change with a firm date. Update your application with the data you will access, the factors you will weigh and the name of any screening service. Protect personal data in any court filing. Renters should read that section before paying a fee.

Your next step is to pull up your current application today and compare it with the three disclosures. If any is missing, add it before January 1, 2027.