Colorado Legal Services

Colorado Legal Services, CLS, is the nonprofit that provides free civil legal help to eligible low-income Coloradans, seniors, and veterans. It is the only nonprofit offering free civil legal services in every Colorado county. The need is real: for every client served, at least one income-eligible person is turned away, so apply promptly. You may qualify based on income tied to federal poverty guidelines, or if you are 60 or older.

Start with the rule that protects you today: a landlord can only remove a tenant through a court-ordered eviction carried out by a sheriff. No landlord lockouts. Evictions usually do not happen until at least ten days after the court issues the order.

For unpaid rent, you get a warning first. The landlord must give a 10-day Demand for Rent or Possession, a notice to pay or move out, before filing, and federally-backed landlords often must give 30 days. You keep the right to pay what you owe up until the court issues the eviction, and if you pay in full first, the landlord cannot evict you for nonpayment.

Some tenants get an extra shield. If you receive certain benefits, such as Social Security or Colorado Works cash assistance, you may have a right to Mandatory Mediation before the landlord can even file an eviction. Name your benefits when you seek help, because this can stop a case before it starts.

Different problems carry different notices. A first lease violation gets a 10-day Demand for Compliance to fix or move. A substantial violation, like crime, drugs, or harm, requires only a 3-day Notice to Quit. And for most no-fault evictions, like a renovation, sale, family move-in, or refusal to renew, the landlord usually must give at least 90 days' notice before filing.

Apply online or call, complete the intake, and a team member follows up about eligibility, with help available in your language. Pair the legal side with the money side: 2-1-1 finds local rent funds that can clear the balance and end a nonpayment case.