Eviction history checks in Colorado: What renters need to know
Updated: Sep 25
If you’re applying for a home in Colorado and you’re worried about an old eviction, the first thing to know is that an eviction filing, an eviction judgment and being physically removed from a home aren’t the same thing.
Colorado also has important rules about which eviction court records are public.
Here’s how to check your eviction history, what an eviction report may contain, how long information can be reported, what happens to dismissed cases and what to do if something is wrong.
What is an eviction history check?
An eviction history check is a search for information about previous eviction court cases connected to a renter.
Eviction cases in Colorado are court proceedings, often called forcible entry and detainer or FED cases. But that doesn’t mean every eviction case becomes a publicly available record.
Colorado generally suppresses the court record when an eviction case is first filed.
Whether it later becomes public depends on what happens in the case.
A tenant screening company may include legally reportable eviction information in a tenant screening report. If it does, federal law requires consumer reporting agencies to use reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy.
How to check your eviction history in Colorado
If you want to know what an eviction history check could find about you, there are two different things worth checking: the underlying court record and your tenant screening report.
1. Check the court record
The Colorado Judicial Branch provides information about requesting records from a specific court case or for a specific person.
Limited court information is also available through online services, but the Judicial Branch notes that copies of court documents must generally be requested from the court where they were filed or through its records request process.
If your case was in Denver, Denver County Court is administered separately from the Colorado state court system.
Keep in mind that an eviction case may be suppressed and therefore unavailable to the general public.
2. Check your tenant screening report
A court record and a tenant screening report aren’t necessarily the same thing.
If you obtain a tenant screening report, check any eviction information carefully. Look at:
whether the case actually belongs to you
the court and case number
the filing date
the current status or final outcome
whether one case has been listed more than once
whether the information is too old to be reported
whether a suppressed or otherwise unavailable record has been included
If an eviction case was dismissed, for example, a report shouldn’t make it look as though the landlord won possession.
That’s one reason seeing the information yourself can matter. Here's an example of the transparency we provide in Rentell Report, putting the information and control in your hands.
Are evictions public record in Colorado?
Not automatically.
This is an important difference between Colorado and some other states.
Under Colorado law, the court record of an eviction action is suppressed when the case begins. A suppressed record has restricted access and isn’t an ordinary public court record.
If the court later enters an order granting the landlord possession of the property, the record generally becomes publicly available. The record can remain suppressed if the parties agree that it should, and Colorado law provides additional suppression protections in certain circumstances.
So simply having an eviction case filed against you does not mean there is automatically a publicly searchable eviction record.
What does an eviction record contain?
The exact information available depends on the case and whether the record is public.
A court case can contain information such as the names of the parties, the court and case number, filings made in the case, orders entered by the court and the eventual outcome.
A tenant screening report may present only some of that information.
The distinction between a filing and the outcome is important. A report that shows an eviction case without accurately showing that it was dismissed, settled or otherwise resolved can give an incomplete picture of what actually happened.
Federal consumer protection guidance specifically tells renters to check whether eviction information includes the final disposition or status of the case.
How long does an eviction stay on your record in Colorado?
Generally, an eviction court case can be reported in a tenant screening report for up to seven years.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau specifically gives renters that guidance. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, the rules vary by type of information. Civil suits and civil judgments generally can’t be reported after seven years or after the governing statute of limitations expires, whichever is longer, while most other adverse information is generally limited to seven years.
Colorado has an additional rule for rental applications. If a landlord uses rental history or credit history when considering an application, the landlord cannot consider rental or credit history from more than seven years before the application.
There is an important distinction here:
Seven years doesn’t mean an eviction must appear for seven years.
It’s a legal limit on reporting and consideration in these circumstances, not a guarantee that every eviction will appear on every screening report for exactly seven years.
Does a dismissed eviction show up in Colorado?
A dismissed Colorado eviction needs to be understood in light of the state’s record-suppression law.
Colorado suppresses the court record when an eviction action begins. Under the general rule, it becomes public when the court enters an order granting the landlord possession.
That means an eviction case that is dismissed without an order granting possession generally remains suppressed rather than becoming an ordinary public eviction record.
If a tenant screening report nevertheless contains information about an eviction case, check the information carefully. Federal guidance says eviction information should reflect the correct disposition. If a case was dismissed, the report should not inaccurately present it as a judgment against you.
If you find inaccurate or incomplete information, you have the right to dispute it.
What can landlords see in an eviction history check?
There isn’t one universal eviction history report used by every landlord.
The information available depends on the consumer reporting agency, the information it legally has access to and the screening product being used.
An eviction history report may contain information about reportable court cases, including identifying case information and the status or outcome of a case.
But Colorado’s suppression rules matter. A newly filed eviction isn’t automatically a publicly available court record simply because the case exists.
Colorado law also limits what landlords can consider. If rental history is being used as a screening criterion, rental history from more than seven years before the application cannot be considered.
A screening report provides information. It doesn’t itself determine whether your rental application is approved.
What if your eviction report is wrong?
Check it before assuming the information is correct.
Common problems identified by federal consumer protection agencies include:
a record belonging to someone else
the wrong case outcome
a dismissed case that doesn’t show the dismissal
the same case appearing multiple times
information that’s too old to be reported
sealed or otherwise unavailable records appearing in a report
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumer reporting agencies must follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy.
You also have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information with the consumer reporting agency at no cost.
Once the agency receives a dispute, it generally has 30 days to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation. That period can be extended in some circumstances.
If the information is inaccurate, incomplete or can’t be verified, federal law provides procedures for correcting or deleting it.
What happens if a screening report affects your application?
You have rights here too.
If a landlord takes an adverse action based in whole or in part on information in a consumer report, federal law requires an adverse-action notice. That notice must identify the consumer reporting agency that supplied the report and explain your rights to obtain a free copy and dispute inaccurate or incomplete information.
Colorado provides additional protections.
If a landlord denies your rental application, the landlord must provide written notice stating the reasons for the denial.
If your application resulted in the landlord obtaining a consumer report about you, Colorado law also requires the landlord to provide you with a copy of that report and advise you of your right to dispute its accuracy.
That gives you an opportunity to see the information that contributed to the decision rather than guessing what appeared in the screening.
How eviction history fits into a Colorado tenant screening report
Eviction or rental history can be one part of a broader tenant screening process.
Depending on the report and the landlord’s screening criteria, screening can also involve information such as identity, credit, income, rental history and criminal history.
Colorado also allows renters to use qualifying portable tenant screening reports, or PTSRs. These reports are designed to let renters reuse screening information across rental applications when the legal requirements are met.
Acceptance of a PTSR is not the same as approval for the home. The landlord can still apply its disclosed rental criteria to the information in the report.
What to check before your next rental application
If you’re concerned about an old eviction, start with the information rather than assuming what a landlord will find.
Check whether there is a publicly available court record. Review any eviction information in your tenant screening report. Confirm that the case belongs to you, the dates are correct and the final outcome is accurately reported.
Pay particular attention to dismissed cases, duplicate records and information approaching or beyond the applicable seven-year limit.
If something is wrong, dispute it with the consumer reporting agency and provide any documentation that supports the correction.
Knowing what’s actually in your record gives you a much clearer starting point than wondering what might appear when you apply.
Learn more about Portable Tenant
Screening Reports
Rentell's report are $35 and last 30 days for as many applications as you need.
What to check before your next rental application
If you’re concerned about an old eviction, start with the information rather than assuming what a landlord will find.
Check whether there is a publicly available court record. Review any eviction information in your tenant screening report. Confirm that the case belongs to you, the dates are correct and the final outcome is accurately reported.
Pay particular attention to dismissed cases, duplicate records and information approaching or beyond the applicable seven-year limit.
If something is wrong, dispute it with the consumer reporting agency and provide any documentation that supports the correction.
Knowing what’s actually in your record gives you a much clearer starting point than wondering what might appear when you apply.
This article is for general information only and isn't legal advice. For specific questions about your situation, consider reviewing official Colorado resources or speaking with a qualified professional.
