Colorado Rental Screening Disclosure Law 2027
by Platuni | 29 Sep, 2026 | 5 mins read
Platuni
29 September, 2026
5 mins read
1. What the screening disclosure requirement actually says
HB26-1196 amends Colorado Revised Statutes section 38-12-904 to add a new subsection requiring rental applications to include a notice disclosing the information and data the landlord will attempt to access when conducting a tenant screening, and the specific criteria that would result in the landlord denying that application.
[Cite: HB26-1196, amending Colorado Revised Statutes section 38-12-904]
The core idea is straightforward: an applicant should be able to see, before or as part of applying, what's actually going to be checked and what would disqualify them, rather than finding out only after being denied.
2. What's confirmed, and what isn't
The two elements clearly required by the statute are the information and data the landlord will attempt to access, and the specific denial criteria. One secondary source I checked while researching this article claimed the law also requires disclosing the name of the specific screening company a landlord uses. I couldn't confirm that in the bill text itself, so I'm not including it as a requirement here. Property managers should treat naming a screening vendor as a practice worth considering for transparency, not as something this specific statute clearly mandates.
[Cite: HB26-1196, amending Colorado Revised Statutes section 38-12-904]
3. This is one piece of a broader bill
HB26-1196 is titled "Tenant Data Information," and the screening-disclosure requirement is only one of three distinct provisions inside it. It's worth understanding the other two, since they come from the same enactment even though this article's primary focus is the screening piece.
4. Positive rent reporting for covered landlords
The bill creates a new Colorado Revised Statutes section, 38-12-1601, requiring "covered landlords" to offer positive rent reporting to consumer reporting agencies. A covered landlord is one managing five or more dwelling units, or one receiving public funds for affordable housing, with an exclusion for senior-only facilities.
[Cite: HB26-1196, creating Colorado Revised Statutes section 38-12-1601]
If a covered landlord offers this reporting for free, the default is that the tenant is reported unless they opt out. If the landlord instead charges for it, the fee is capped at the landlord's exact cost of the reporting service, and the landlord must get the tenant's written affirmative consent before charging anything.
[Cite: HB26-1196, creating Colorado Revised Statutes section 38-12-1601]
5. Eviction filing data redaction
The bill also creates Colorado Revised Statutes section 13-40-110.2, requiring landlords to redact personal identifying information from supporting documents submitted to a court in an eviction case that could become publicly accessible. The categories of information covered include Social Security numbers, birth dates, driver's license numbers, bank and credit card numbers, and state identification numbers.
[Cite: HB26-1196, creating Colorado Revised Statutes section 13-40-110.2]
This provision exists separately from the screening-disclosure requirement and applies to how eviction case documents are filed, not to the rental application process itself.
6. Enacted, but not yet operative
It's worth being precise about where this law actually stands as of this writing. HB26-1196 passed the Colorado House 40-23 and the Senate 22-12, and the Governor signed it on June 2, 2026. It is already law in the sense that it's been enacted. What hasn't happened yet is that none of its requirements, the screening disclosure, the positive rent reporting obligation, or the eviction filing redaction rule, apply until January 1, 2027.
[Cite: HB26-1196, 2026 Colorado Session Laws]
The bill's final text, as reviewed for this article, doesn't include a separate transition provision carving out leases or applications already in progress when the operative date arrives. Property managers should plan for the January 1, 2027 date as a hard line for compliance rather than assuming a grace period for applications already underway.
7. What property managers should do to prepare
For the screening-disclosure piece specifically, the practical work is updating rental application forms and any online application flow to include the required notice, what data and information will be accessed, and what specific criteria would lead to denial, before that notice becomes mandatory on January 1, 2027.
For portfolios that meet the covered-landlord threshold under the separate rent-reporting provision, five or more units, or public affordable-housing funding, building a process to offer positive rent reporting, and to obtain written affirmative consent if charging a fee for it, is a separate but related task worth planning for on the same timeline.
For eviction filings specifically, property managers and their counsel should review current court-filing practices to confirm personal identifying information is being redacted from documents that could become publicly accessible, since that requirement takes effect on the same date as the others.
8. How this fits alongside existing federal disclosure rules
Colorado's new screening-disclosure requirement operates alongside, not instead of, existing federal obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Federal law already requires a landlord who denies an application based on a consumer report to provide an adverse action notice, identifying the reporting agency used, and informing the applicant of their right to a free copy of the report and to dispute inaccurate information within it. HB26-1196 adds a Colorado-specific, upfront disclosure at the application stage, what will be checked and what would lead to denial, on top of that existing federal after-the-fact notice requirement.
[Cite: HB26-1196, amending Colorado Revised Statutes section 38-12-904]
A property manager already compliant with federal adverse action notice requirements shouldn't assume that satisfies the new Colorado requirement. The two obligations serve different points in the process, one at the front end of the application and one after a denial, and both will need to be met once the state law becomes operative.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly does a rental application have to disclose under this law?
The information and data the landlord will attempt to access for tenant screening, and the specific criteria that would result in denying the application.
Does this require the landlord to name the specific screening company they use?
That wasn't confirmed in the bill text reviewed for this article. One secondary source made that claim, but it isn't included in the statutory language itself, so it isn't treated as a clear requirement here.
Is this law already in effect?
It's already enacted, signed by the Governor on June 2, 2026, but not yet operative. None of its requirements apply until January 1, 2027.
What is the positive rent reporting requirement, and who does it apply to?
It requires "covered landlords," those managing five or more units or receiving public affordable-housing funds, excluding senior-only facilities, to offer positive rent reporting to consumer reporting agencies, generally free unless the tenant consents in writing to pay the exact cost.
What does the eviction filing provision require?
Redacting personal identifying information, such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, driver's license numbers, and bank or credit card numbers, from eviction court filings that could become publicly accessible.
Does the law provide any transition period for applications already in progress?
The reviewed bill text doesn't include a separate transition carve-out. Property managers should treat January 1, 2027 as a firm compliance date.
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